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With Regards: Archives ~ |
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"Integrity has no need of rules." - Albert Camus- In many a past With Regard I have referenced my Pop often and made few references to Mom. I guess that was because I always considered Pop my mentor and role-model. Mom was, well Mom. She fed and nurtured me, changed my dirty diapers when I was an infant and washed my dirty underwear when I was a teen. My Mom was not into corporal punishment herself, when I went array. If she felt it necessary, she would refer that duty to Pop, however she was never without her own devices to indicate that adjustments in my style or pattern were necessary. I would assume that you, like me, had specific chores to do and, ever so often, conflicts of interest arose with regard to these chores. Temptations like ball-games, war-play, swimming holes and hoops were often mine. Once, when I was about 8 or 9 and was busy doing my Mom-chores, a group of friends stopped by the house on the way to the river. "Ah' Mom, come on, I will finish the yard tomorrow." "I promise." After much begging, pleading and dragging my feet, Mom yielded-- with this caveat. Mom kept a super size bottle of castor oil in her home remedy box and she bargained the river for a large tablespoon of this substance. I don't know how many of you are familiar with castor oil, however, it was a cure-all that had to be the most difficult liquid to swallow ever conceived by man. Now, Mom had the upper hand in this bargain (as usual) because I was unaware that one of the better uses of castor oils was as a laxative. I closed my eyes, held my nose, gladly swallowed that bitter dose and began the mile and 1/2 trip to the river with my pals. Needless to say, about half way to the river, a long way from our outhouse and the Sears- Roebuck catalog, the effects of this bargain began to present themselves. The resulting activity at both my ends encouraged my pals to increase their pace and leave me to my own devices. The trip back to the house, interrupted by frequent bodily functions, provided me with the time necessary to understand that mom's bargains were, indeed, no bargain. Back in those days Mom and Pop taught us kids things like, don't talk back, respect your elders, a man’s word or a handshake had to mean something. That whatever you sow you will reap, nobody owed us a living, if it was worth doing it was worth doing right, a little soap and water never killed anybody, don't talk with your mouth full or eat with your fingers, and many others. There was never any question of what was right or wrong. Maybe on issues of black and white, one could argue shades of gray because you see …. Part of the learning process (for me at least) involved things like testing the waters, taking a mile when an inch was given, a tendency to sass and to blame, doing enough to just get by, stubbornness, insolence and sometime selective hearing. Some would say that I just had to learn the lessons the hard way including a trip or two out back with Pop or another dose of Mom's castor oil. We learned firsthand that things like greed, deceit, shortcuts, lying and cheating, ultimately had payoffs, which were unpleasant. All of these just added up to lessons about respect, honesty, manners, fortitude, effort, attitude, values and ethics. There were rules, regulations, restrictions, codes, customs, edicts and commandments. One knew that if you got caught stepping over the line or in violation of any of these, the piper would have to be paid. Because these concepts were always applied evenhandedly and with loving intent, the outcome was something one might identify as integrity.
I have come to the conclusion that the Timeshare and/or Vacation Ownership industry has by and large given up on the concept that profitable and effective business can be conducted with some semblance of integrity. When personal integrity is absent, one of the symptoms is the belief that all others are without integrity and operate on the same level of deviousness. One of the most basic codes or concepts that Mom and Pop advanced was one which started with, "Do unto others ...." In our industry that "Do unto others" code or concept has taken on another whole new meaning or interpretation and testifies to the state of our integrity. Little wonder that the perception of the overwhelming majority of people not directly associated with our industry (by occupation or through ownership in one form of another) is far below that which we desire. We wring our hands and procrastinate over this issue, and have for more than 1/2 of our industry's existence. What, you want an example? Ok! How about this ad in a national publication. It’s just one of over a dozen such ads.
Yes, I am aware that the firm which placed it is in compliance with the law, however it is a sham and everyone knows it, including the state regulator who required it. Let's break it down...
Do any of the following display the ARDA Code of Ethics on their walls? How do they respond when asked questions concerning …….
Additionally the ARDA Ethics Code contains the following:
How many others are making offers like the following?
Ever watch the TV Guide Channel?
My Questions would be: Just how much "Cash" at closing? Just when will "closing" occur?
If I was not aware of the consequences such as Mom's Castor Oil or trips to the shed with my Pop, (in this day and time some well-meaning group or individual may have titled some of those hard lessons child abuse) I may have attempted to get away with more stuff when I was still living at home. Without those lessons, I may have walked the edge on several issues after I was out on my own. Who knows when I could have stepped over the edge and ended up in the slammer, hooked on drugs or worse hurt someone. The truth is that Family Values (as provided by Mom & Pop) led to whatever integrity I demonstrate to the world at large. Could it be that one of the major reasons that 4 out of 5 in the general public still are negative or neutral about our industry is that there are no real consequences to stepping over the line? It is obvious that we do a poor job of self-policing and that we generally find some way around most of the regulations. Is it not time that we cleaned up our act and blackballed those individuals or firms who violate our Code with immunity, or is ARDA just another "Good Old Boy" society protecting its own interest and that of some of its members? The reality that my Mom and Pop knew was that the lessons leading to integrity needed to provide real benchmarks not just words which sounded good or looked good on paper. Those benchmarks need real measures and the necessary reminders, such as Castor Oil or Trips to the Shed, when we don’t "measure up". Our code of Ethics needs to be a benchmark that all in the industry point to with pride rather than a facade which many hide behind.
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Jerry Sikes, RRP / CHA, is President of Professional Resort Operators, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. He has 35 years in the Hospitality Industry / 25 years in Timesharing, and is the current Co-Chairman of ARDA Arizona as well as Chairman of the Arizona Timeshare Management Association. Jerry is a frequent guest speaker regionally and nationally on all aspects of Timeshare Management and a frequent contributor of articles for industry publications. Email: boyjerry@cox.net Phone 480-947-3300 Fax 480-947-6853 Web site: http://www.protimeshare.com |
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Many of us
proudly display the ARDA Code of Ethics on the wall of our Sales Reception and/or Warm Up Room. This clearly states
to all who read it that: