Perseverance

In adversity we can be in the depths of despair. We may be in danger of seeing things the wrong way distorted by emotions and make the wrong decisions. We favour the rejection of life itself, it appears to be no good, a mistake or a waste of time and had rather not been born. We are not prepared to take it any more. The commonly held view that Job was patient is troublesome and incorrect. The word used actually means steadfastness or perserverance which is quite a different meaning. He is not patient. There is a transition from patience to impatience. He complains, 'Why?' Repeatedly asked it can provoke debate. If we had not been born, we could live a trouble free existence. Why make a gift of something that is painful to endure? A common explanation is divine judgement, but perhaps not everything is divine judgement. Do people worship God for themselves and their own profit? What is God's will? There are 2 ways of looking at justice. Firstly, for the poor and oppressed justice means liberation and salvation. Another is to see justice as destruction and retribution. It was traditional. It was also understood that Samaritans were hostile to Jews and did not like them in their territory. The Christian attitude to Samaritans converted them.

Business Angels Finance Business

There has been a marked increase in the number of businesses since 1979 from 1.9m to about 4m last year. Most of them are 1 and 2 person businesses, many of which are family businesses. They are mainly small businesses. Small businesses account for most of the employment in the country. Most people employed in services, construction and agriculture are employed by small businesses.

The financing of these business like all businesses is made up from internal and/or external sources. Internal sources include the personal equity of the owner and other contributions from friends and family and external sources such as shares, bonds, government grants and capital investment by private equity firms, venture capitalists and business angels. Angels are generally thought of as good beings. Business angels are also thougth of as good. They are also servants of a kind. They are not fairy god-mothers. They will be looking for a business plan that will show they will get a return on their investment. Although they are in it for profit, business angels and other investors are also doing the economy some good. They help keep the economy going. They also help finance business operations. Business must calculate whether they want to borrow money for things like equipment. It entails looking at how much it will be worth in future. They borrow if it increases the net present value of their cash flow. They can also look for investors by selling shares and bonds. Investors use a variety of methods for calculating what to invest in and how much also looking at NPV. Borrowing and investing always involve some degree of risk.

There is no hard and fast line between venture capitalists and business angels. 'Venture capitalist' is only a sub-division of private equity and 'business angel' a sub-division of venture capitalist based on size of investment.

Venture capitalists are usually more involved in long-term financing investing millions in their chosen businesses. They often help to fund start-ups, management buy-outs, finance additional growth or buying a business. Their substantial investments are usually in the form of shares and they take a seat on the board, if not personally then through a representative. Their involvement can be for up to 5 years or more. Their returns come in the form of capital gains. Business angels are usually smaller investors offering £10,000 to £100,000 and they also often get a seat on the board. Once on the board however they can share in the administration of the business. They are in a position to show care and offer assistance. They can warn against bad advice and prevent owners and managers falling into error or worse. They are a good sign. Private equity performance compares well with pension funds or FTSE indices. So if investors have put their money into a venture it is probably good.

Time And Motion

Everything has its appointed time so they say. If it is applied to the topic of work we can measure it in its passing. It can be long or short. We can measure movement or how long it takes to get from A to B. We can measure how long it takes to do something. Conversely, if everything has an appointed time it seems to make work pointless. There is a time for everything but we have not been gifted with the ability to understand and sychronize with it. Time began in the beginning but two things were created outside of time - heaven and earth. They only begin in the sense of being created. The existence of the world is a matter of observation. The existence of God is a matter of faith.

The joys and sorrows of life are a result of constructive and destructive actions and the union and separation caused by love and hate. We can reflect on the sequence of events and the power of controlling the present but it does not give us the meaning of life and may even make it's understanding more difficult. From the begining to the end is difficult to comprehend.

No Man's Land

Our conceptions of life and the world are philosophical and come from inherited religious and ethical conceptions and scientific investigation. Qoheleth suggests we cannot ignore experience because of the danger of becoming unreal. Individual philosophers differ in the proportions of each but the presence of both is necessary to be philosophy. Philosophy according to Russell goes between theology and science. Theology speculates on matters about which we have no 'knowledge' and science appeals to human reason rather than authority. We cannot accept simplistic theological statements any more than any other kind if they do not square with experience. We can also argue about wisdom. He calls the gap between theology and science 'No Man's Land'. Ever since man became capable of free speculation his actions depended on theories of the world and life and what is good or evil. Our life determines our philosophy and our philosophy determines our life. Wisdom cannot predict the future. Anything might happen. Philosophy can teach us how to live with uncertainty without being too hesitant. The same things are important today as they were thousands of years ago. We still debate about conscience, ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, justice, pleasure and pain, the proper development of culture, freedom and many others things. Some concepts are unchanging such as those of mathematics and geometry. We can't avoid looking at the past in terms of the present.

Liberty is curtailed by different degrees by the state. Absolute power, dull and spiritless legalism and force should be avoided as should any ethical extremes. Advice that recommends blind obedience to simplistic authority should also be avoided. There is the relationship of the soul to God, of the individual to the State. Philosophy is also about bringing order out of chaos. The Church during the middle ages represented order in anarchy and it won the support of the merchants. The world had been corrupted by complicated and unscrupulous power games. Mysticism and subjectivity may be worthy pursuits for religious but their usefulness to lay people is debatable. It is something else Qoheleth seems to doubt. Wisdom's traditional emphasis on total absorption in industriousness is also questionable. Feverishness robs one of enjoyment. The prospects of labour are uncertain. The fate of accumulated wealth is also uncertain. Laziness is no good. God laboured six days and rested on the seventh, not all seven. There are those who want to tighten the bonds and those who want to loosen them. Disciplinarians are hostile to science for whom happiness is not good but nobility and heroism and libertarians and utilitarians, scientific and rational are hostile to extremes. The dangers for any community are ossification and dissolution or subjection to conquest through an individualism that makes co-operation impossible. Life is transitory. Qoheleth remarked it is all vanity. We should accept the ordinary joys we receive, enjoy the good days, do what we can and not look for what is unattainbale.

No More Discrimination

According to Christian tradition and scripture, in God's plan humanity is saved by faith not the Law. The Christian is free of the Law through Christ and is no longer a slave. We can say 'Abba, Father'. Human freedom came with Christ. If the Christian is free then he is heir to the promises of Abraham. The law of freedom set us free to act spontaneously in charity and changes us from servants to friends. It requires assent.

Down the centuries since the Reform period Catholics in England have suffered persecution and discrimination. Liberty of belief and action were suppressed and people were punished as individuals and as members of a community. There were uprisings and government action to put them down. Some people discerned social practices that they thought implied inferiority categorically rather than as individuals. Thousands of people suffered as a result.

Prejudice is an attitude, internal and personal. It may be practiced by persons otherwise non-discriminatory by observing social conventions or laws or acting for personal, economic or other advantage. Slavery in England and the Empire was abolished largely through the efforts of Clarkson and Wilberforce. Most forms of discrimination are frowned on in the workplace and legislation exists to prevent it. Practising religion means charity in action. Although some conscientiious Catholics may still feel unable to take the oaths required of a Prime Minister and Justice Minister/Lord Chancellor, the only anti-Catholic legislation still existing is contained in the Act of Settlement, 1701. It prevents Catholic succession to the throne. There is an ongoing debate in both Houses of Parliament. The legal restrictions should be removed. It is an outdated and obsolete piece of legislation and should be scrapped.

As It Was Said Of Old

Proverbs may be simply proverbial or didactic and moralising. Together a collection of proverbs can become a manual of conduct sharing human experience with others. They may be folk sayings or encouragements to follow a path of wisdom and to be mindful of your actions. They may be saying contrasting types of people and behaviour.

They can come in the form of maxims, aphorisms, apothegms, dictums, adages, precepts, axioms, principles and teachings. They may be platitudes, clichés, commonplace, banalities, chestnuts, corn, and trite, prosaic familiar tunes. It has been said there is a golden rule. A proposition to be relied on to coin a phrase. It may be a succinct slogan or motto.

Wisdom is not esoteric knowledge preserved for a few but can be sought by all. It is often about persuading the young about making the right choices. Wisdom recognises limits, ambiguities and uncertainties. The statement of one is often qualified or denied by the statement of another. In the Bible, it is described as a woman who is courted, sought after and cherished. Her call can be discerned among many of pleasure and easy success. Once found she is faithful. It is related to sacrifice and sincerity of heart. There are proverbs going around to do with business – business is business, the customer is always right, business before pleasure, let the buyer beware, a good workman never blames his tools, but perhaps not that many that are well known. The more erudite will no doubt know many more - as the worker so will the work be. They can sit and look at it for hours, we would perhaps all rather play for nothing than work for nothing. The market is marred. A spanner in the works. All in a day’s work.

Listen And Understand

Pressure from consumers during the 1970s to get large companies to become more ethically and socially constructive made an impression on them to the extent that we now have social accounting practices that monitor and evaluate the impact of business on the environment, society and the economy. At first it had an adverse effect as large companies tried to keep sensitive information hidden. Now many corporation and enterprises of all sizes are seriously interested in assessing their social impact. Social accounting is one way of assessing whether a business is meeting its stated ethical and social goals. The Institute for Social and Ethical Accountability has developed the AA1000 which is not an enforceable and compliance based standard but a set of principles to stimulate innovation above an agreed quality floor. The social accounting process includes accounting data collection and analysis, independent auditing and dissemination of results. It encourages people to take impact assessment seriously. It can be put into a social audit. It can be used to show how a business works regarding social indicators. It can lead to learning and change. The social accounting matrix is a tool which can be used to elaborate the linkages between supply and use tables and institutional sector accounts linking environmental, social and economic data with things like the distribution of earnings and sustainability.

Social accounting is one example of how important listening and proper understanding are in business and the economy. It can take some time but eventually when business listens properly they can respond in ways that lessen the social impact and communicate the message to the world.

Gender Equality And Difference

Since the 1970's the role of women has changed. The number of important roles in business and domestic decision making involving women has increased. More than ever women are in jobs in the £25,000 and over bracket. Many women are also earning more than men. They have more influence and spending power than ever before. Careers mean women are having babies later in life, they have more confidence and more disposable income. Marketers have had to adjust their offerings to meet these changes. New pub formats have developed that are more stylish and offer more food. Working patterns affect marketing efforts in daytime door-to-door selling and home shopping and convenience shopping are done outside usual business hours. Direct marketing offers convenience and minimum of effort especially online direct marketing. It is like a new life.

Men and women are equal and different. The differences in status are not original but result from human activity, decisions and actions. Poor working relations still exist. Reconciliation between men and women, married and single, rich and poor, healthy and sick should also include those in positions of importance. They can describe the reality and share the meaning of their experience.

Accept And Believe!

There is some rejection of key academic teachings and many are given purely materialistic interpretations. Those who doubt and then take up and teach them later however are in a position to point out the absurdity of opposing opinions. In certain cases there may be a ‘cause celebre’ that can be used for study and reference. It may even be possible to enumerate other examples. There is a canon of normative structures and traditions. It is probably best to follow teachings unchanged. There may even still be people around to vouch for them. Companies do make adjustments to doctrines to suit their own conditions. If they are tried and tested and passed down faithfully they can be used to help interpret and validate personal experience. It does not mean they cannot be brought up to date or adapted to modern world conditions.

Companies may have rigorist criteria for membership sometimes approaching a world view of clean and unclean. It inevitably entails conflict or at least a certain style of dialectic that is not particularly Socratic. It is in these situations of differences and conflict that careful management can be both the cause and effect of forgiveness. Forgiveness is vital in the workplace. Everyone has to get on with their work. The greater the forgiveness the greater the love, respect, mutual esteem and peace.

You Know What They Want, No You Don't.

You can't please some people. It's either one thing or the other, one extreme or the other. People can be very changeable, fickle and illogical. You don't know what to do for the best. You think you know what they want and then you find out you don't. All our knowledge is imperfect. Our prophecies, language, insights are all imperfect. All we have is a like a dim reflection in a mirror. Trends and fashions can change so much and so quickly. Keeping up is one thing. Staying ahead is another.

The Analogy Of The Body

The analogy of the body goes back a long way. There have corporate and military applications since ancient times. It is the idea of a single unit made up of many parts. Many parts, not identified with anyone of them in particular. It usually has a hierarchical structure of head and members displaying many gifts. The unity of the body made up of many parts brings them together in one spirit. The 'esprit de corps' encompasses morale, culture and spirit. They share a common existence. Its functioning requires a diversity of gifts each making a special contribution. Collectively it is a body, individually it is the members. The higher eschelons require higher gifts. The rest are helpers and assistants. When a body gets sick, it needs a healer, a special person, to raise it to new life.

Emotional Intelligence And Control

We can go through the whole gamut of emotions during any working day. Hearing news about additions to the family, promotion, sales figures, successes, failures, disappointments or death produces the different emotions of each day. These things happen to all of us. As we experience these emotions our behaviour is being regulated differently by each of us to achieve our goals and to stop us going on to other things before the goal has been achieved. This self-regulation can be distorted or even prevented by the preoccupation and hesitation that interfere with goal fulfilment.

A number of lists of emotions have been developed by people down the ages from the Stoics basic 4 to over 450 on My-Therapist Inc. The Stoics did in fact sub-divide their basic 4 of distress, fear, lust and delight into 32 others but still. Aristotle listed 14. They have also been classified as 8 basic and 8 advanced emotions by Plutchik. Lojban is a constructed artificial language based on predicate logic the interjections of which express degrees of emotion as simple, complex and pure emotions and propositional and complex propositional attitudes with 38 sub-divisions. Very detailed and complex lists they are and it takes someone with emotional intelligence to recognise and express them appropriately and to use them in thought and practice and to regulate them in themselves and others. There are also debates about the differences between the sexes and the emotions. It is occasionally suggested that men do not have emotions.

Emotions can also be interpreted at the level of spirituality. Emotions often turn a person’s mind to higher or religious things. On these special occasions, usually concerned with major family events, the expression of the emotional and spiritual feelings are taken to the religious level and celebrated outside the workplace in formal religious surroundings with a public dimension.

The power of emotions should not be underestimated. Emotional intelligence should be developed in workplace situations in the interests of people-oriented management.

All Things To All Men

It is necessary to teach, instruct and guide people and to have the right motives for doing it. Integrity and concern for all people is important, especially those with weak consciences. They need to be changed especially if they are key personnel in some way. The deeper the understanding the better we are able to enter dialogue with them. We should not be indifferent to what is good. Love the sinner hate the sin. We should not try to judge the interior guilt of anyone. Respect and love is everyone’s right, even those who might think and act differently from us in social, political and religious matters.

Knowledge Isn't Everything

Knowledge is good but it not everything. On its own it is not enough. Other things are required to make things grow. Love is one thing that can help. Greater understanding will also come through love as it gives new insights and perspectives on things. Proper development of culture is important in this. It is a knowledge some people do not seem to have. In some of the old fashioned systems people didn’t really matter very much. Scientific management and Fordism and other pre-Human Relations School systems really dehumanised everything. People have rights, deserve just treatment and work better when treated well. They can also spread their esteem and respect for their company by word of mouth to family, friends and colleagues. It creates a better image for the company. Newer businesses starting out should start with more people friendly policies. The Golden Rule really does apply again, ‘treat others as you would want them to treat you’. Show a bit of compassion and do not wound or test weak consciences and constitutions. It does no real long term good. You have to allow for individual differences. There are different faiths, vegetarians and all kinds of people. It would be a scandal if someone in authority set a bad example. You could always use a manager’s checklist and go over the things you should have done to check if you have done them right.

Staying Focused

Times of spirit and witness may be marked by distress. We should have a concern for the poor and an order of happiness and grace, peace and beauty. We should have a concern for the rich only consoled by an abundance of goods. Abandonment to providence liberates from anxiety about tomorrow. It is not about social class. Wealth, a full stomach of rich and select food, care free times, being held in high esteem are ephemeral compared to doing the job properly. They distract from focussing on the task in hand. Focus and being undistracted also mean not being preoccupied with these material things. These times, the reality of the present age, fashions and fads, the form is passing away and a new one is being prepared.

Transforming Human Resources

People are called together to unity from diversity in working situations of many different kinds. In business organisations at boardroom level, in work teams and groups the unity should be effective and even visible both internally and externally. The bond should be strong. If one celebrates all celebrate, if one suffers all suffer. It can work as a sign and symbol for others to follow.

In the settling of disputes in conflict management, internal disputes should be settled internally whenever possible in a spirit of reconciliation. It is better for all concerned that the unity of the body is maintained in health. When an unexpected disturbance occurs the director, manager or team leader must take action to correct.

Proper preparation before decisive moments can be better for all concerned and for the good of the company. Group decision making may not be successful. It may even be necessary to adopt a different or innovative decision making strategy like being alone as in a desert. It is vital that trust and commitment to all stakeholders is fulfilled.

A good team can be brought together from people of all kinds of backgrounds. They will not all be saints and they will all want to do things differently, in their own way. A good director, manager or team leader can bring all these different gifts together and make a winning team. It may conform to a growth model of evolution and revolution. If a group of people can be made to work well together, it is all the better for the business, its name and brand and everyone concerned with it.

Happy Birthday To You!

The purpose of matrimony is the procreation and education of children. Children's birthdays are a great celebration. Education is a right and a duty. The family is the basic unit, the original cell, of society and social life and it is the first place of education. It is up to parents to create a home and educate their children in virtue. They have a duty to evangelise their children and to teach them the right use of reason and freedom. Parents have a duty to provide for the needs of children and children also have responsibilities to parents. They have a duty to show filial piety, respect, obedience and gratitude to their parents. Parents have a right to choose a school for their children and children have the right to choose their profession and state of life. Family relationships shed light on other relationships in social life.

Society is made up of people. The household is the basic unit of economic society. Families are the most basic kind of household. Households occupy a key position in the economy. They are both providers and consumers of goods and services. A household has to decide how much labour it is going to provide and at what price. It has to decide how much it will consume of goods and services. In what quantities and how much it is prepared to pay for them. A household has its preferences and marginal utility to consider. It has decisions to make regarding substitutes and complementaries. It occupies an important position in the money-go-round. The family has rights and those rights should be respected.

Avoid Rash Judgement

We should be found worthy of our trust. We should not pass premature judgement on each other. We should not be judgemental. Our conduct comes from our personal judgement of things. Whatever the norms the best we can do is to keep a good conscience. We could start by avoiding making rash judgments of others. They may take it upon themselves to judge us. Detraction is offensive to anyone. Detractors make themselves and others appreciate the qualities they think they have and in depressing the qualities of others raise their own. Instead of being judgemental about other people and the faults we think they have we should perhaps try to amend whatever faults we have and try to start anew and work on better relationships in future.

Sometimes It's The Not Knowing

Anything human, the world, life and death, the present and the future are all our servants. We should use them to do good. That requires wisdom. Wordly wisdom won't be enough. The wise must learn to be fools. Speculation about worldy wisdom and standards could be divisive. We must admit we do not know sometimes. Many call themselves an 'ist' of some kind. Not really. They are your servants not you theirs. We can follow teachings and advice to success or failure or not. The choice is ours. It is often the not knowing rather than knowing. We should follow our consciences. The understanding can become warped if it does not obey the commands of conscience. Advancement, authority, greatness do not mean freedom if we have become the slaves of ambition. We have to be free to make decisions and choices.

Fellow Workers!

There are arguments for and against every philosophy or opinion. Parties and clubs. It is a cultivated field. Growing all the time. Spirit bears relation to nous rather than to the body or psyche. People who accept envy and jealousy and strife and wrangling as normal betray their acceptance of what is best for humanity. Party slogans and natural inclinations dominate their world. They are ordinary, not enlightened, not as much as they like to think. We need more intelligent and free causes to do the work. A defective instrument can distort the action of the principal cause. One plants another waters. Unity is very important.

Individuals Are Not Lost In Groups

Managers can analyse business organisations at the individual, group and organisation levels. Individuals display a wide range of differences in personality, learning abilities and perception among other variables. The differences can be very important as each individual person brings what they have to offer to the group or organisation. One group roles method of group analysis by Belbin uses a Team Role Self Perception Inventory. It is comprised of 8 key team roles with back up roles and functional roles. It is a way of intimating to people what role they may be able to play in a group working situation.

Successful groups that perform and work effectively have a spirit of unity and co-operation. They work together well as a team. Consistently successful groups comprise a range of different people fulfilling a variety of different roles requiring different skills and abilities. The people are not all the same. Team roles are patterns of behaviour. They characterise the way people interact with one another. The level of interaction among group members is influenced by the structuring of channels of communication. The greater the interconnectedness of the network the higher the general level of satisfaction of group members. Things like the language used help people connect and understand each other. Groups also work better when left to form their own communication networks. 'Groupthink' should be avoided.

The way people interact and form group connections can also be studied in terms of sociometry and interaction process analysis. They tend to study social interaction patterns in terms of self-interest and altruism. Sociometry analyses interaction from the viewpoint of the buddy rating of work-related or personal problems. Interaction process analysis looks at task and socio-emotional functions. These perspectives may become very important when looking at how successfully a group operates.

Discipline is a sign of respect for agreements between the organisation or group and its members. An appropriate level of sanctions should be decided in cases of offences against discipline and the norms and values of the group. It can often take the form of ostracism or binging. Groups are reluctant to change norms suddenly. They do change over time. Group working can be good for people. Working and getting to know other people can be therapeutic. It can help restore men and women to wholeness. Over time as people get to know each other better the group strengthens and trust builds up. Trust is a key component of good working relationships. In centres of cultural, political, social and economic importance with their corruption and greed, trust and commitment are important factors for business.

Physician Heal Thyself

In ancient Greece and Israel there were itinerant preachers and philosophers who went about healing people and teaching. Some exploited the credulity of the simple for money. They were like professional flatterers and would merely say what their payers wanted to hear. They are often referred to as Sophists who Plato recognised as dangerous opponents because they were educated and could argue a point to defend their position. Even today sophist and sophistry are terms used to denote false teachers and teaching. The principle of promise and fulfilment may be seen as some kind of test. Healing can be seen by its effects of the patient. Experts and consultants try to help companies and countries with their problems with different degrees of success and failure. The phrase 'Physician, heal thyself' is sometimes refered to those who may be as well to look after their own problems as those of others. It is the attitude of those with no faith. It is the argument of those who rely on human philosophy and self interest.

The arguments of philosophy rage even today as they did in ancient Greece, for example, the epistemological debates between the positivists and phenomenologists. Positivists demand that all human knowledge must be verified by scientific method and tend to use the deductive methods of the natural sciences for law like generalisations. The phenomenologists argue that knowledge must include the reality behind the reality and so include theology, metaphysics and the inductive theory building method denied by the positivists. Humanism concentrates on human interests above any considerations of religion. New humanism goes further and calls for a moral and spiritual development to meet the cultural shift being experienced in the world today. People are conscious of their call to be actively engaged in shaping their own destiny. The developments make the old dichotomy between humanism and theism false as they call for a true humanism in all its dimensions. It is possible to view theology and philosophy and culture and science and compatible rather than antagonistic.