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Citizen Kane “…If I hadn’t been very rich, I might have been a really great man.” Citizen Kane is the story of a life filled with regret, broken friendships, and a tarnished political career. He led a powerful yet empty life, constantly yearning for love and fulfillment. As time progressed, he grew in popularity and influence and sought infinite power. His objective was to manipulate the news and influence the future thru his newspaper. We see him throughout the film desperately seeking to fill the empty void he feels in his day to day life. But how did he get to that point? An abundance of money and an established career as an influential newspaper magnet eventually left him alone and miserable. When Mr. Thatcher takes Kane from his mother and father to give him an eastern education, his life hits a crossroad. No longer is he surrounded with love, rather, his life becomes solely about wealth. It is this foundation, money, which he builds his life moving forward. Since he was never surrounded with family, he knew no moral or ethical boundaries. “Rosebud” signified his lost childhood. When Kane came into his fortune at 25, he did not have the judgment with which to make sound business decisions. He had no fear of failure or retribution. He knew his fortune was waiting for him and he knew that whatever he did, the power he would acquire would save him. When questioned by his mentor, Mr. Thatcher, he said “You're right, I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars next year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I'll have to close this place in... 60 years.” This is very telling. He has no compass. No foundation. He is building an empire on falsehoods, atrocities that did not happen, and flat-out lies. The sad thing is, he makes no secret about it. My favorite quote of the movie is when Kane says “who owns eighty-two thousand, six hundred and thirty-four shares of public transit - you see, I do have a general idea of my holdings - I sympathize with you. Charles Foster Kane is a scoundrel. His paper should be run out of town. A committee should be formed to boycott him. You may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contribution of one thousand dollars.” He makes no qualms about who he is and what he represents. Simply put, he is an egotist. He has no business ethics and he doesn’t pretend to. He prints outright lies. Yes, the first amendment protects freedom of the press, but not at the expense of truth and slander. Today, on the other hand, ethics are needed to run a successful business. Ethics are the rules that oversee our decisions on a daily basis. When Merck made the decision to introduce Vioxx to the market against data that showed it increased stroke and heart risks, they made a decision that was ethically wrong. Citizen Kane makes many bad decisions, and if we saw this in society today, legal charges would certainly be pursued. But how would he be perceived? Overtly influencing media and social opinion via internet sites and papers would simply not be tolerated. If you advertise, you can provide statistics, but you better be able to provide sufficient figures and data when questioned. If you write, compose or even fabricate a story, it can be verified as true or false in less than ten seconds. When Kane manufactured stories about the war, he was ethically making poor business choices. He was giving people misinformation. Today, you need to be honest. If you lie to employees or make unscrupulous decisions that hold no moral high ground, you won’t be a trusted businessman. Also, misleading the public will put you in hot water. You will be sued for fraud among other things. In the 40’s, it took numerous people, contacts, phone calls etc. to determine if indeed the story was true. If there were shady back door deals, most of the time, it was never uncovered. Today, however, we hear about everything and everybody. And no one does business with a fraud. When Kane slandered his political opponent, today, he would have been held liable for defamation of character and false statements. If someone is dishonest in one realm, they likely will be in another. The news is not created its reported. That is a concept that, at times, gets ignored in order to sensationalize or push propaganda. When pressed about some of his improprieties in the movie, Kane said “I am, have been, and will be only one thing- an American.” If those words were uttered today, the public would see right thru them and see him as being evasive. Instead of addressing the issue, he shoved it under the rug and used a patriotic slogan to divert attention away from his lack of honesty. This is not how one should conduct business. Lying or making false statements can be used against you in the court of law. If you make false claims, you can’t shield yourself behind watered down statements. As a businessman today that would not be tolerated. You need to answer for your indiscretions. Another example of poor ethical choices are seen in and around Kane’s house, Xandu. Filled with sculptures and works of art that were extremely expensive, Xandu was a symbol. Kane’s ultimate desire to rule over people and objects. His imperial persona was well known. He collected people and things as one would for a museum. Ultimately, he wanted to control not only people, but their thoughts. He didn’t want to feel the judgment of others so he kept himself and Susan locked away from the world after she failed as an opera singer. Similar to Hitler, Kane wanted control. He wanted to tell people what to think just as a tyrant would. Control in business is a tricky topic. Ethically, you cannot impose your will on others, especially your employees. You can develop and impose a code of ethics which outlines your values as a company, but you cannot control people even with millions of dollars behind you. Company’s today that have resources at their disposal have the opportunity to hire the best. Ultimate word being hire. Legally, your employees must follow your company guidelines but you cannot force them into writing things you want them to say or keep them at the office, when they want to go. Kane was trying to hold onto the life he thought he needed and wanted. Today, Kane would have been persecuted for defamation, and made blatantly aware by both society and his newspaper exactly what his faults were.

Female reporter: If you could've found out what Rosebud meant, I bet that would've explained everything.
Thompson: No, I don't think so; no. Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything... I don't think any word can explain a man's life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece.

The missing piece was a reference to a life without direction. A moral compass that went up in flames long before Kane’s childhood sled was thrown into the fireplace. In business and in life, we are morally and ethically bound to embrace truth and honor. Without that foundation, corruption, lies and deceit take root. The truths we tell define us as individuals and shape us as businessman.

References http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/ References