Blog Post 3: Opportunistic Behavior

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was known throughout Southeast Asia for its nightlife, but I was in no such mood. I was starting my trip to Vietnam jetlagged and sleepy -- all I wanted was a good night's rest. As the airport shuttle pulled up to the hotel, I tipped the driver and handed the concierge my luggage. It wasn't until five minutes later when I got to my room that I realized I had forgotten my backpack in the shuttle. My backpack contained the wad of Vietnamese Dong which was meant to get me through the first week of the trip. That wad was in my backpack's front, most easily accessible pocket. I could already feel the cold sweat on my face when there was a knock at my door -- the shuttle driver stood there smiling, holding my backpack. After grabbing my backpack, thanking, and tipping him, I shut my door and checked my backpack. To my relief, my money was still there, untouched.

            The driver could have behaved opportunistically by keeping my backpack and the valuables within. It would have been difficult to trace the theft to the driver, as my backpack could have also been taken by the navigator in the van or any of the multiple other guests, or even one of the concierges that handled the luggage. While the driver could have taken advantage of the situation by taking my backpack with quite possibly little chance of getting caught, maybe by telling his coworkers he would take my backpack to my room but instead sneaking away with it, he chose not to. The reasons for this lack of opportunistic behavior could range from a desire to be a "good citizen" and concerns over personal ethics to a preference for the possible risk-free rewards for trustworthy behavior.

            Personal preference for ethical behavior and good citizenship likely played at least some role in the driver's decision. Taking value and utility from another person (in this case, the material goods of my backpack and the money) for personal gain directly contradicts most ethical philosophies. The driver was likely raised with exposure to the ethical belief that material gain should be obtained ethically and without stealing it from anyone else. He would then have internalized those ethical values to be acted upon throughout his life. The driver may have also realized that, if everyone always acted on such opportunities, trust between members of society would degrade and economies and nations would slowly crumble. Therefore, it would have been good citizenship to return my backpack, as he would be contributing to the basic trust and decency that keeps a society running. The driver likely valued good citizenship and adherence to his ethical beliefs, so therefore returning my backpack was in line with his own internal and personal values.

            Another factor in the driver's decision was likely the material gains that could result from behaving ethically. After all, I tipped him when he brought back my backpack, which is what many other guests would have done in that situation. The tips would come with no risk of any loss, unlike the gains from the most opportunistic decision (since no matter what, there is at least some chance of being caught stealing the backpack and experiencing the appropriate consequences.) Repeated returning of items left behind over time would likely result in a sizeable amount of money in aggregated tips. Also, becoming known to guests as a trustworthy person would likely result in guests becoming friendlier with him and giving him greater tips for services throughout their stay than if lost items simply disappeared. Becoming known as a trustworthy employee to the hotel's management may also bring a greater chance of promotions and pay raises in the future. All of these opportunities afforded by non-opportunistic behavior could add up to an amount greater than the value of lost items and their contents. Eschewing greater short-term gains through non-opportunistic behavior can result in even greater long-term gains at lower risk. In addition to wanting to follow his personal values, the shuttle driver also likely wanted to take advantage of these future material gains, because as the saying goes, "good things come to those who wait."

            In my view, the benefits of not taking advantage of the opportunity to steal my backpack can be placed in one of two categories: personal and material. Both types of benefits result from the same action, but can be considered separately. Following his personal values would not have given the driver any hope of future material gain if other people did not value that behavior. The material gain from the driver's ethical behavior would not have suited the driver's personal values if the driver had not internalized ethical values. Interestingly, benefits to personal values from non-opportunistic behavior depend on one's own values while material gains from non-opportunistic behavior depend on others' values and whether they value that behavior. The two types of benefits of avoiding the most opportunistic course of action are what drive ethical and trustworthy people.