It's acutely apparent in consideration of ethics: people in general are not inherently evil, but in attempting to get something they want right away, they fail to consider the long-term welfare not only of the individual whose cooperation they need to get it, but they also fail to consider their own. But the same problem seems to plague marketing, accounting, operations, human resources, and every other facet of business, and the same essential problem of focus is evident in every industry.
In any instance of advertising where the customer is given false expectations, either through exaggeration, understatement, or an outright lie, the focus is clearly on the short-term perspective of making an immediate sale, heedless of the long-term effect on a customer who will eventually discover that he has been misled. A firm that focuses on the long term would not mislead a customer to make an immediate sale, but many will.
In any instance in which a shoddy product is delivered, one that will break down or wear out quickly or do harm to the customer (consider fast food or tobacco - the companies that produce them cannot still deny the effects of long-term use on the customer), the focus is clearly on the short term profit rather than the long-term welfare of the customer. A firm that is focused on the long term would not deal in shoddy or unhealthy goods.
In any instance of financial misconduct, where the ledgers are "cooked" to exaggerate the performance of the firm to make it more appealing to new investors or hide its shortcomings from the present ones, the company is seeking to create a false impression, and it's likely the entire accounting staff knows that it's just playing games with numbers to cover up a serious problem. A firm that is focused on the long term would be forthright in its reporting, and focus on addressing the problem rather than merely hiding the evidence.
In any instance where a firm fires employees by the hundreds or thousands, its motive is in the immediate reduction of expense to improve its performance in the present quarter or year, only to find that it has drained itself of the experience that contributes to its long-term profitability. A firm that is focused on the long term would hire the personnel it needs, and recognize that it needs the personnel it has hired, for more than just the present quarter.
This problem of the short-term focus reaches beyond the business world to poison many of the relationships in present society: a politician who has lied to his electorate, a journalist who misinforms his readers, a father who mistreats his children, a man who has betrayed his friends. In each of these instances, there is most often an individual who has sought to gain something in the present without consideration of the future. Perhaps taking it outside of the realm of business is a diversion, but it suggests that the problems in the sphere of commercial affairs are not "corporate" or "business" problems alone, but a wider issue throughout our present culture.
But the point remains that instances of ethical misconduct, and those that do damage even in a more practical sense, can often be traced to a short-term mentality, and a desire to achieve something today, this month, this quarter, or this year - meanwhile ignoring the long-term consequences.
It's a theme that seems to repeat itself, a common thread among the many lessons that can be learned to avoid similar mistakes in future - but even learning such a lesson runs contrary to the nature of those who are the very cause of the problem: those whose focus remains on what they want right away have already demonstrated a disregard for the future that may be a systemic problem.
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