Business Culture Inside and Out
Book Review: Reflective Reaction on the Compare and Contrast of Readings
Introduction
Business is business, the new world tends to define business as something that is rather considered more as an institution that tends to bring better culture and better opportunities to members of the society. However, when it comes to the actual value of business, the industry of commerce defines business as a machine that brings in the different resources altogether to create a system that tends to manipulate operations for the sake of earning more money and gaining more profit from whatever could be gained from what the society is willing to spend. This fact, no matter how the authorities of business put it, will remain to be the real foundation of what business is about and what it is for. Three readings from exceptionally commanding authors try to tackle such fact in different visions and perceptions of the issues related to business and the way it is being defined. In the discussion that follows, these particular readings shall be given attention to especially in relation to how they define the actual facts about the American business system at present and how such definition affects the overall condition of development and evolution that business organizations take into account at present.
Background of the Readings
Among the readings to be explored in this discussion is Eric Liu’s (2011) The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government. This book, focused on democracy, tries to identify the different elements that made America one of the most economically powerful countries of the world. Relatively, the distinct historical account spanning at least 230 years of American economy determines the overall value of the context of this reading. Establishing a comparison of the American government to a garden more than a machine is what makes this reading specifically different from other politically acclaimed authorship. Taking a more positive side of the picture, Liu and his co-author Hanauer tries to consider the distinct possibility of utilizing all elements in the American society to become a part of the growing garden that is able to provide for the people as part of the democratic basis of governance.
Another reading to consider is Max Anderson’s (2010) The MBA Oath: Setting a Higher Standard for Business Leaders. This book tries to discuss the root where the basic business culture comes from; the learning institutions dedicated to produce high-caliber businessmen who would later on operate in the market. Anderson declares how hypocritical the MBA’s oath is as it does not apply to real life. Such exposition is taken by Anderson as a serious task that he wants to completely respond to especially in relation to how he manages to seek a better way of understand why business is the way it is and perhaps create a differentiating pattern that would identify the modern culture of business in a more different perspective; something more positive and perhaps more socially up building.
The third reading to be examined is from Wendell Potter (2011) entitled Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans. This presentation takes a more anecdotal approach by which Potter relates his most distinct experience sin being in the insurance industry. He stipulates within his discussions the facts that bind the insurance industries and how a supposedly helpful form of business operation turns out to be the most critical source of contradicting operations that is fully based on the desire of earning more from the market. Through manipulation of information and the creation of fraudulent PR campaigns, blinding the public from the real agendas behind the operation of such investment-insurance machines causes healthcare insurance organizations to earn millions from the public.
Through a comparative analysis of these three readings, a distinction on what business is at present and what it is expected to become in the future shall be given attention to. With the use of the implicative discussions of the authors on each of the reading about business, creating a more defined pattern by which business has evolved through time shall be examined. Understanding through the context of these readings is expected to bring about a better sense of grasping what business organizations ought to be made of and how they should be operating in relation to the responsibilities and roles they are supposed to take into account as they function fully in the systems of the society.
Summary of Context
A garden should be well tended to, every inch of the garden ought to be carefully overseen if it is expected to operate in full response to the conditions of development it is supposed to embrace (Liu and Hanauer, 2011). This particular statement from the authors of the Gardens of Democracy provides a clear indication on how the both Liu and Hanauer view the role of the government when it comes to tending the society’s growth and development. In their presentation of data, it could not be denied that they strongly argue that in a garden, there are primary elements that take specific roles in defining the growth of the entire area, and there are secondary elements that help out in the assurance of growth of the plants surrounding the garden. No matter how large or how small an element’s role is, it is considered essential to the growth and development of the garden. The same is true when it comes to the distinct role that the government takes into account and the alliance it has with the economic conditions of development that the society takes into account. Economy is a huge chunk of soil that needs effective manipulation and development. It could not be denied that somehow, the way soil is tilled would affect the overall condition by which it is able to produce the expected quantity of products it is likely supposed to develop accordingly.
In a way, the capacity of the government to manage the resources they have in consideration to what the society needs is a specific manner of effectively managing the consideration by which each individual in the society becomes specifically able to join the process of devilment. Business organizations are expected to perform a particular duty to the society, providing them with ample source of income as well as giving them the chance to enjoy life and be satisfied with what it has to offer through creating products and services that will specifically fit their needs. Understandably, businesses are expected to reciprocate the society with whatever earnings or profit they get from the people; this is the ideal way of operation.
With the more positive outlook that Liu and Hanauer presented in their writing about business, the writings of Anderson and Potter say otherwise. True, there is an ideal way of handling business in the community; and such an ideal operation spurs out the perfect results and developments from the said organizations especially in relation to how they function for the community. However, reality bites; and at some point, such biting is really hard to take. Anderson gives a pure vision on how MBA oaths have specifically defined the ideal way of managing businesses in the market; however, the distinction of such operations to be fully factual at present cannot be realized accordingly. The changing tides of time have made it specifically impossible for specifically good businesses to occur. Notably, the dirt behind the success stories of huge organizations have specifically affected the ways by which the actual business culture develops at present.
The MBA oath is based on how businesses are supposed to operate especially in relation to the way they respond to responsibilities that they are supposed to fulfill for the sake of the society’s improvement. Supposedly, the MBA oath is supposed to create a culture that would provide each individual a sense of understanding on what role they are supposed to take especially when they enter the business industries. The practical ways of development that business is expected to further spur on progress among members of the community with which business organizations are operating in ought to define what businesses are for. However, the reality behind such operations is far from what the oath actually suggests.
Huge companies, as they gain name and reputation, also gain control and authority not only to the smaller organizations, but also towards the people who are working for them. Controlling the way the communities operate for the sake of their own earning benefits have become a common culture among huge companies. Monopolizing their industries or at some point manipulating market situation for the sake of winning market competition is a fair game in the world of business. Once an organization reaches its highest peak of success, it could not be denied that somehow, the administrators become more concerned as to how much more the organization could earn from the their operations. The balancing of values and goals becomes a tricky part of the operation. With too many people involved and several stakeholders being served, the competition gets tougher once organizations reach the top. It is not true that when one becomes a pioneer or a champion in the industry it is joined in, that specific business organization need not worry anymore. The truth is, as the business gets larger, the more focused management operations are expected to be; more pressure is expected to occur and relatively, more issues are expected to develop, hence these organizations tend to put up a sense of defense that would protect their assets accordingly. In times like this, it is considered that business organizations tend to take every step possible to protect what they have and make sure that they would not lose anything that they have at present for the sake of making sure that they would hold the same position in competition as every business organization desires. There are instances when ‘doing everything’ means doing everything which includes setting aside ethical conditions of understanding the way they should be more responsible in handling the issues that they have to give attention to. In short, Anderson tries to point out how specifically hypocritical the oath is and that it should be redefined especially in relation to how it is supposed to give attention to the overall changes that the society tends to live along with. Anderson suggests that somehow, such changes ought to bring about the truth about business organizations and how distinct changes ought to give a redefined view of what businesses are supposed to take into account as they operate in the community.
This particular fact is supported by the presentation of anecdotes by Potter as he relates his actual experiences in becoming a part of the insurance industry that is dedicated to healthcare. What makes his account relatively affective is the fact that he was able to see what it was to operate in an insurance organization that is supposed to give the society and its unfortunate members a better chance of realizing what life could offer accordingly. The support that the government is supposed to give the public with is specifically spiced up with PR presentations that are designed to make a distinct impact on how much the public is supposed to accept the services that the said policies tend to offer. Understandably, with such promotions and campaigns, organizations are likely expected to create possibilities to make sure that their programs are to be accepted properly by the public which would make it easier for the said business organizations to earn more from the operations that they embrace.
Taken from the readings examined, there are there are primary characteristics of business organizations that are existing in the society today. One is the fact that they are highly competitive; another is that as the competition grows, business organizations are challenged in the ways by which they operate through the values that they are established with; and third is the fact that current businesses are specifically dedicated to earning more, at times to the edge by which they are expected to neglect their vital roles and responsibilities towards the society, the communities they are supposed operate with.
These three characteristics are facts that identify the primary problems that business organizations are experiencing at present. While organizations are expected to embrace progress and development, they are also expected to carry on a sense of existence that is highly dependent on moral values and ethical considerations that affect their overall reputation in the community. Most often than not, balancing all these situations become a hard ground for the business organizations to be strongly dependent upon. Nevertheless, these three elements play a great role on how businesses are fully operating at present. The consequences of growth and development among business organizations often create a distinct issue that creates relative points of hardship especially in the option of fully giving attention to what role these organizations take into account.
Neglecting moral roles and redefining their ethical standards to make sure that they are able to protect their assets fully is often a practical way of determining how organizations are able to survive the challenges of competition in the market. As based from the readings observed herein, the time to change such reputation of business organizations has come and such change is highly needed. People entering the industry need to take a different path , to redefine the way they recognize the role of business organizations and become more responsible in handling their role as providers to the community; to set a balance that would make it easier for businesses and members of the community to exist hand in hand. Practically, this could only be incurred if people are to be given the chance to distinctively define the way they understand business and provide a distinct indication on how they see the aspect of what worth business organizations really have for the community.
Conclusion
Business is a social element that redefines the way societies specifically spur out towards reflective development. Considerably, it could be understood that the way business organizations have evolved through the years is based upon the idea by which these groups or even the small entities actually provide the communities a sense of foundation, a balancing element that they need to become more productive and effective in the manner by which they operate as individuals who have the capacity to suffice their needs while also becoming an asset to the societies that they are living in. Relatively, through the readings examined, it could be realized that the way business organizations developed specifically affected the overall condition by which communities evolved as well. Hence, the changing culture of the business industry needs to be given attention and redefining its path for development and improvement is something that needs to be taken seriously hence making sure that the business industry is to take a better step ahead in the future.
Works Cited:
Anderson, M. (2010). The MBA Oath: Setting a Higher Standard for Business Leaders. Portfolio Hardcover.
Liu, E and Hanauer, N. (2011). The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government. Sasquatch Books.
Potter, W. (2011). Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans. Bloomsburry Press.
