It has been a long time since my last blog on this site so a little updating is in order.
In the past 7 months my interest in social justice issues has taken some increasingly wonderful turns and forks in the road. I have become very active in the Hosanna church which has been a watershed of information and opportunity. This church is so very active in its outreach to all of its congregation and the world in general. I have attended their Alpha program, Beauty from Ashes, Healthy Relationships, and Small Group Leaders training...as well as attending their Sunday services since early June. It has been a pure delight to do so.
I also have had the opportunity to work on an STS crew for a few days with some correctional facility inmates and that was and remains deeply ingrained on my mind. Their plight and prospects for a "normal" life after release are of great importance to my social justice issues. God has blessed me with the good fortune to meet several new friends who deal directly on a daily basis with recidivism reduction. On Tuesday of this week I had the opportunity to share supper at one of the halfway houses. I had the opportunity to meet face to face with some of the men in the programs and I am convinced that is where my heart lies for doing God's work. I am working on the development of an outreach program that will create relationships in the business community that will open doors for the graduates of the programs and also on a program that will train an utilize the participants in the trades industry. All of this is in the infancy stage but I am extremely hopeful and confidant that with the help of God and all the wonderful people that help with the halfway houses the efforts will be successful.
Another effort that has surfaced for me is putting together a small group for war veterans. The purpose of this group will be to be a support group for war veterans, old and new, where they have a place to go to talk, discuss, and share their thoughts with others who have similar experiences. Being a war veteran myself I know the importance of having someone there to just listen in a non-judgemental, open way. Here again I pray for the guidance to be a positive influence on this effort. At this time it appears to me that it will have much the same look and feel as an Al-Anon type group would have...anonymity, self-participation, and plenty of listening and sharing.
On the Christian-based business front, I am still researching this issue and much of it is moving along in an effort to drive out the business models that Christians can follow. As the work with the halfway houses progresses this effort will also.
Showing posts with label Business model. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business model. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Musings on Corporate Structures
Since my last post I have had the good fortune to have discussed my thoughts regarding corporate structures with others. In those discussions I have been quizzed and questioned about so many things within the corporate world that I so easily and readily took for granted as understood by the general public. Thankfully I was reminded that as I proceed down this path of writing my thesis regarding a new socially just business model that I need to keep it simple and to the point so that everyone reading it can understand the concepts and strategies and why they may be needed and why they are better than what is out there currently.
Some very good questions were raised regarding corporate debt and is it really needed. Another was stockholders and why they may not really be good for a company since these "owners" do not actively participate in the company. Why companies no longer value their employees and human resource departments don't truly treat people very well or with much humaness. In fact, the people should be assets not just mere resources. Why some companies, even very large ones, seem to have the respect and admiration of their employees and the employer for the employees. How do they do it? Can that be replicated everywhere? Is that respect only the domain of privately held companies? Can the bad service obtained from many customer service groups be resolved? And the list goes on.
Suffice it to say all the points raised and pondered will be great food for thought, and will be addressed in the thesis. Thanks for the new challenges and your extremely valuable input.
Some very good questions were raised regarding corporate debt and is it really needed. Another was stockholders and why they may not really be good for a company since these "owners" do not actively participate in the company. Why companies no longer value their employees and human resource departments don't truly treat people very well or with much humaness. In fact, the people should be assets not just mere resources. Why some companies, even very large ones, seem to have the respect and admiration of their employees and the employer for the employees. How do they do it? Can that be replicated everywhere? Is that respect only the domain of privately held companies? Can the bad service obtained from many customer service groups be resolved? And the list goes on.
Suffice it to say all the points raised and pondered will be great food for thought, and will be addressed in the thesis. Thanks for the new challenges and your extremely valuable input.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Social Justice In Corporations
Since the 1950's corporations have spread their tentacles across our great nation of once independent businesspersons. Corporate giants have gobbled up or plowed under untold numbers of small businesses in the name of growth, progress, and capitalism. Is this really what the world needs or is it just greed on the part of the big businesses and stockholders? And let's not forget that anyone who owns stock of one type or another is part of that group also. If one's 401K is invested in large corporations then that person is part of it. Not only that, if the stock is in a company that participates in off-shore importing or or off-shore jobs, that stockholder is a part of that also.
We need a return to corporate stewardship that values America, its people, its culture, and its ability to grow and enrich itself. I envision a corporate structure that is based in social justice values and holds certain rules regarding size, ownership, and the corporate culture toward its employees, its customers, and the community. In my vision once a company reaches a certain size it must split and distribute the two parts to its owners who are its employees. Yes, that's right the employees are the owners. Why not? Every company is built off the backs of its employees and what better way for a company to enrich and make loyalty flourish and grow.
For the most part when social justice issues are looked at the major items that come to mind are homelessness, food, clothing and jobs. I would maintain that the corporate culture and greed are the biggest problem in perpetuating many these issues. The lack of housing, food, and clothing are the symptoms not the problem, at least not in and of themselves. Throw in the issues surrounding crime, prisons, and disenfranchisement and the social justice problems grow astronomically.
Those are the basic ideas to be addressed in a thesis I am currently working on that I am confident can and will produce a template and model for a new style business model. A model that defines its business culture as proud and bold and positions itself as "good corporate citizentry" and is an asset to every owner, every employee, and every customer it services. And as I progress I can attach new concepts and strategies to other social justice issues as well.
In future blogs I will share much of the research I have discovered regarding social justice. Much research has been done within the confines of the United Nations, microbanks, and charitable organizations throughout the world. It's time to bring this information and knowledge to the fore and act upon it.
We need a return to corporate stewardship that values America, its people, its culture, and its ability to grow and enrich itself. I envision a corporate structure that is based in social justice values and holds certain rules regarding size, ownership, and the corporate culture toward its employees, its customers, and the community. In my vision once a company reaches a certain size it must split and distribute the two parts to its owners who are its employees. Yes, that's right the employees are the owners. Why not? Every company is built off the backs of its employees and what better way for a company to enrich and make loyalty flourish and grow.
For the most part when social justice issues are looked at the major items that come to mind are homelessness, food, clothing and jobs. I would maintain that the corporate culture and greed are the biggest problem in perpetuating many these issues. The lack of housing, food, and clothing are the symptoms not the problem, at least not in and of themselves. Throw in the issues surrounding crime, prisons, and disenfranchisement and the social justice problems grow astronomically.
Those are the basic ideas to be addressed in a thesis I am currently working on that I am confident can and will produce a template and model for a new style business model. A model that defines its business culture as proud and bold and positions itself as "good corporate citizentry" and is an asset to every owner, every employee, and every customer it services. And as I progress I can attach new concepts and strategies to other social justice issues as well.
In future blogs I will share much of the research I have discovered regarding social justice. Much research has been done within the confines of the United Nations, microbanks, and charitable organizations throughout the world. It's time to bring this information and knowledge to the fore and act upon it.
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