WHAT IS BUSINESS?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2696, 16 February 1924, Page 4

WHAT IS BUSINESS?

A QUESTION OF REASON OR SENTIMENT. There is . probably no word that is more hackneyed, distorted and misused, than the word “business”. To it is ascribed most of the vices of human nature and some of its greatest virtues. The greatest falaey attaching to its use is that all business is the same business. The word is used in a generic sense as defining all operations in the way of making money until distinction is lost between the nefarious activities of a foot-pad and the humane conduct of an industrial genius who organises a means of livelihood for thousands of his fellow mortals. That there is any such tiling as business in this abstract sense we do not believe. By the word referred to we understand it to mean the application of man’s mental and moral powers on economic affairs by which the means of human life are supplied. Tf it is taken in this sense then the quality of business will necessarily depend on the active factors of these mental and moral factors. This is in accordance with human experience and instead of business being classed as wholly bad or good in ethics and judged on the ground of ideals of perfection it must be looked at sanely as merely the counterpart of human nature which it expresses Talk of “business” to the average' socialist and he snorts as if you referred to something vile and inhuman. Business, to him, is the machinations of capitalism, whiles that he has mentally tabulated as the very social-economic devil —“Spirit of all thugs evil.” On the other hand there is the type of conservative mind that regards business as an established order, so saerid that any interference with its accepted rules is viewed with horror. Of these two extreme views all that need be said is that they fail to fit id with the general facts of human existence.

It is easy to condemn business — to represent it as soulless, hard and unfeeling. The ugliest facts of past history and present human wrongs are presented as showing hew unchristian business is. Yet with all this millions of human beings look to the conduct of business for the maintenance of the material and social conditions of life. What is lost sight of by the adverse critics is,'as Hencry Ford says, “the present order, always clumsy, sometimes stupid, and in many ways imperfect, has this advantage over any other —it works.” Business, like all other human attributes, is subject to the law of evolution. The ideals of those in business are not the same as those in similar positions a {hundred years ago. Human outlook, sympathies, aspirations and feelings are finding expression in business plans and practices in such manner as was never conceived of as practicable in the times of our This is taken by some as an indication that we are becoming more socialistic. As a matter of fact our people are as strongly individualist in their every-day affairs as ever they were. What has come about is a change in our individualism; it has become more altruistic.

There is a larger proportion of people to-day who translate the word business as meaning service. We are learning that more benefit can be secured by ourselves, as individuals, in helping each other upward and onward than by oveireaehing and crushing each other down. A stronger spirit of co-op-eration and mutual assistance has grown up in the sphere of business. The foundation, of Rotarian Clubs, and other similar associations, with their slogans of “service and humanity” is an evidence of the broadening of the spirit of men in business. Business requires ordered method in the transaction of human affairs. Sentiment by itself may be wholly ineffective or may even produce bad results when misdirected. Abstract sentiment is like a shower ol rain tailing on a rock from which no result is apparent. Business is the active preparation of the soil by the use of capital, labour, organisation and management. The key-note of business is efficiency. • Wlmt serves best, is the best business. lindividual initiative has stood, in spite of all adverse criticism, because it lias proven the best business —it lias made good where abstract theory has failed. Socialism has failed in practice because it is bad business, or not business at all, merely political balancing and speculation. The line of progressive business to-day is that of a union of reason and sentiment with reason in command. It has come to be recognised that to shut sentiment out is bad business, because the human factor is ignored. What has still to be remembered is that sentiment cannot take charge as sucli course puts aside science and art of life ror mere visions, bom very often from personal desires and passions, having little relation to *he real facts of life. Men are discontented because business does not give all we desire. It does, however, give all we can get and if we neglect that fact ; our desires may he realised in dreams but our actual wants will be supplied only from penury. Business is service Service is life (JSi.Z. Welfare League.)