Work: Job or Career

As a young boy, I take joy saving the money I gained from selling everything, like coconut, ice candy, banana, (yeah, I sold bananas), and kakanin, and from any work and service I rendered to others, such as pitching waters from, cleaning cars, doing handicraft, working in the rice fields, in construction site (when I was in high school). There is a feeling of pride, a sense of accomplishment, of worth, being productive and useful when I hold hard-earned money. Work is a job, I used the money to buy food, some clothes, school supplies and see other places (that time just the neighboring town), I was proud of it, I am still proud of it. Good thing, child labor was not an issue then.

Work for self-fulfillment? Let me see...

In 2008, right after my ordination, I was sent to Congo. After years of studies, I was very eager to work but I find myself studying again two languages. A year and a half later, my real work began, most of the time not on the altar, but fixing broken pipes, changing electrical wires, assuring vehicles and generators run well, buying supplies and many other things we need on a daily basis. I did it not for survival. It was a necessity. I was difficult, tiresome and dirty. But nobody else will do it.

Lately, I have been correcting and preparing financial statements worth millions of Euro, representing products that goes many countries of the continent of Africa. Large sum of money is involved not to generate profit but to make it sure that the Word of God is brought every village in Africa.

My work is changing, so its meaning...

An Affirmation of our Common Humanity

Corporate Social Responsibility, 

an affirmation of our common humanity

The globalization of economic activity pushed businesses to compete, and strive for excellence in their industry for doing otherwise is to perish. To be competitive gives the impression that others are the "enemies" to be defeated because they are threats. If they win, I and my business will perish. 

This attitude seems to be justified by the perennial corporate goal of giving value to the shareholders. Protecting the business, making it win in the competition is giving value to shareholders being the rightful owners of the business.

Unfortunately, this is a constricted view of global economy and business life. It looks at business only from the point of view of owners and shareholders who constitute a sector, one of the many stakeholders in the world of business. Certainly, the world of business belongs not only to owners; rather it also includes consumers, employees and workers, suppliers, the community, the government, the environment and planet where we all live, and so many others. A business must succeed not only for its owners, but also for its employees, its customers, its suppliers, and for many others. Business is for everyone. We all need businesses.

There are abuses in business, bad things happening are blamed to business for a good reason. But it does not mean stopping business. Because without business, it will be worse for all of us. 

The globalization of economic activity pushed businesses to compete, and strive for excellence in their industry for doing otherwise is to perish. To be competitive gives the impression that others are the "enemies" to be defeated because they are threats. If they win, I and my business will perish. 

This attitude seems to be justified by the perennial corporate goal of giving value to the shareholders. Protecting the business, making it win in the competition is giving value to shareholders being the rightful owners of the business.

Unfortunately, this is a constricted view of global economy and business life. It looks at business only from the point of view of owners and shareholders who constitute a sector, one of the many stakeholders in the world of business. Certainly, the world of business belongs not only to owners; rather it also includes consumers, employees and workers, suppliers, the community, the government, the environment and planet where we all live, even competitors, and so many others. A business must succeed not only for its owners, but also for its employees, its customers, its suppliers, and for many others. Business is for everyone. We all need businesses.

There certainly are abuses in business. Bad things happening are blamed to business for a good reason. But it does not mean stopping business. Because without business, it will be worse for all of us, affirming again that business is for us all.

What I am seeing in our common stake for business is the underlying reality of our common humanity, that is, we share the same planet, we share the same destiny, we share the same common humanity.

The figure about the company’s ripple effect best illustrates this reality of common humanity we share. Business reveals to us our interconnectedness, our being stakeholders, our common interest. 

Business Education for the Mission

     Pursuing a graduate degree of Masters of Business Administration is my new status. Writing this blog is my first attempt to give a thought on it. Not because business does not interest me but rather the transition shock still hangs in my viens. 

     I have not studies business before, nor did I ever imagined pursuing an MBA as a possibility. I prepared myself to be a missionary priest studying Philosophy and Theology. I continue to read books in Philosophy, Theology, Spirituality and about the Bible. Bible is very interesting, I like talking about it in my homilies during the last three years. Unfortunately, I stop writing it down. Maybe because, it is not scholarly, maybe I find them not in the level of biblical scholars that I read and whose works I admire and greatly appreciate.

     Now, I will be writing about my business education and maybe its influence on my faith?? For now, I will content myself in stating that, this is my second term at De La Salle University, and that I still have a lot of things to learn. Pduterte's economic team battle cry: BUILD BUILD BUILD. Mine is READ READ READ. Sadly, there are those whose battle cry is: kill kill kill... 

Business for the Mission II

Every time I celebrate mass I would introduce myself as a missionary from Africa, working in Congo since my Ordination in 2008. But I am for the meantime back in the country to pursue graduate studies in Business, and currently enrolled in the MBA program De La Salle University. Oftentimes, I would see surprised faces among the community, as if asking me, why are you doing that Father?

Whenever, I see it fit, I would say “By learning efficiency in business management, I hope to introduce the same (efficiency) on how we in the Church use and manage our material and financial resources.”

Businesses remain competitive and enjoy growth for so many reasons, but one of which is the efficient use of its limited resources to maximize or achieve optimal profits. Efficient companies are intolerant of waste, besides, if seen, they are opportunities for profits. In this regard, we in the Church must admit the need to learn. Efficient use of our many resources and capacity to transform them into opportunities for further use are needed.