Dear All,

Recently, the devastating fire that broke out in Hong Kong has caused heavy casualties, bringing sorrow to all who hear about it and tears to those who witness it!

The main cause of this severe fire has been roughly identified: the contractor used flammable exterior wall netting (Hong Kong legislation requires the use of flame-retardant building materials), making the fire spread uncontrollably once it started.

The contractor was utterly unscrupulous. To save a mere HK$100,000, they ultimately cost so many lives.

What is the right thing to do as a human being?

No matter who we are or what role we play in society, when making decisions, we must ask ourselves: "What is the right thing to do as a human being?"

For the sake of making more money, some operators decide to use non-compliant materials and do things that go against their conscience, harming others as well as themselves! The consequences are: no more employees! No more enterprises! All they get is a lifetime of guilty conscience.

This incident serves as a profound warning to us.

There was a small incident that happened before:

"We were purchasing upholstered furniture from a partner factory in mainland China. While waiting for their quotation, we suddenly received a call from them. They said they had received inquiries from two other companies with identical content, except that neither required compliance with the BS 7176 fire resistance standard. We replied: 'Please quote according to our requirements; we cannot control what others do.' After submitting the bid, we heard nothing—naturally, we lost. We thought it was only to be expected: refusing to collude with unethical practices, failing to win the bid was predictable."

What does it mean to "do the right thing as a human being"?

It means upholding the right path and refusing to collude with unethical practices.

Dear colleagues, let us encourage each other to uphold this principle!

03-12-2025