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Is Business for People or for Profit?

Guest post by: Philip A. Foster

Article Overview: The only way I know how to begin answer the question is business for people or profit is through an analogy. The human body is the structure which holds our soul. Without the body, the soul has no physical ability to produce an outcome in the physical world (that we know of).

Is Business for People or for Profit?

The only way I know how to begin answer the question is business for people or profit is through an analogy. The human body is the structure which holds our soul. Without the body, the soul has no physical ability to produce an outcome in the physical world (that we know of). Webster's (2000) defines profit as "yielding advantageous returns or results." In plane terms, profit is the product of effort given by people (the soul) within the structure (body) of business. It would seem reasonable to argue that business, people and profits are interconnected and without people there is no intrinsic value for a business to produce profits. Therefore, understanding what intrinsically motivates the workforce is a challenge for business (Foster, 2011). Stanford (2009) supports this notion by arguing that organizations involve people and their emotional reactions to change (p 103). Therefore, I argue that business the mechanism people use to produce profits and outcomes that satisfy an intrinsic drive or motivation from within. Some business models focus on the value of helping people and some business models are focused on making a profit. To summarize - business is for people for profit that satisfy some intrinsic need to produce and outcome.

References:

Profit (2001). Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

Foster, Philip A. (2011). Retrieved from his posting: Blackboard Dialogues for Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA.

Stanford, Naomi (2009). Guide to Organisation Design. London: Profile Books, Ltd.

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Article Tags: Business, Maximum Change, NotforProfit, Profit



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