Pope's Visit to Kenya: Impact on Business Ethics

Greetings! It’s my sincere hope you’ve been well and at peace. Welcome back to my media space to experience my random thoughts.

KARIBU KENYA PAPA MTAKATIFU

As I write this today 26^Th November, pope, the global head of the Catholic Church, is in his maiden pastoral and state visit to Africa. The Pope St Francis I has chosen my home country (Kenya) to be the first destination in his trip to three African Countries. I feel he has honored The Kenyan Catholic Community, all Kenyans, Beloved President Kenyatta and the African People to land in Kenya first.

You can only imagine the excitement and expectations Nairobi and its people has from this Papal Visit. Kenyans are known all over the world for their generous welcoming hearts. It’s just African, to give you guest the best welcome. All over the streets it’s “KARIBU KENYA PAPA FRANCIS” (Welcome Pope Francis to Kenya). The People are ready to experience his love, spiritual guidance, blessings and have their faiths lifted just as the streets are ready for him. There is the African dance for his welcome - the Kenyan style. The roads are clean swept and the flowers well-manicured. The whole atmosphere is more than ready to receive him. You should visit Kenya and see the hospitality that we are lauded for world all over. I am actually willing to plan your visits for holidaying and experience Kenyan culture, Tourism and for Business opportunities for the non-locals who are my fans in this space. Just get in touch with me on +254 722 481 993 or hit my inbox.

POPE'S MESSAGE TO KENYA

The Pope has brought a revival to the faith of many People globally since his election and ordination. He is different from the previous popes. He has inspired new hope to the forgotten members of the society. He is a known lover of the poor, marginalized, sick, and disabled and the lost in the faith. He has endeared himself and wants to be associated with the same categories of people that Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, came to redeem for himself. He is also a global leader in many aspects. His word is taken as cannon. Wherever he goes he has branded himself an ambassador of peace, symbol of Unity, a humble and diligent shepherd of God’s flock, Climatic Change Activist and a mentor to the young people. He speaks passionately about the agendas of the youth where I belong.

IMPACT OF HIS PASTORAL VISIT TO BUSINESS COMMUNITY

For me, being both a Christian and an entrepreneur, his visit has so much significance. For starters, I just graduate with a First Class Honors undergraduate degree in Business Information Technology this year, I am the Founder and Director of JoinTheDots Stationers & Printers a start up the develops curriculum and revision books for Kenyan Students, and recently the Founder and Director of Silver Chain Technologies Solutions see here. I am also a motivational Speaker, Author and a Christian Leader.

Now in the last post I said that in the next few weeks we will now look into detail about pull and push factors in starting a business and make a conclusion on how they play in the life of successful entrepreneurs. Let’s just digress a little bit and look how this visit is significance to me and the business community.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH BUSINESS ETHICS

First an experience. Close to two months I was invited for job interview at a blue chip financial market leader in the Kenyan market in Banking, banc assurance, Stock market and mobile money. The panel had four members. It took close to 20-30 minutes. By the way I have never known the outcome of the same.  It was largely going well and two panelists had already asked their questions which to the best of my knowledge I answered excellently and fairly.

It was the turn of the third member. I had alluded that I was a business person in printing and stationery. Morris – his real name asked if I had a contract worth millions to sign to print books that had bleached copyrights law what would I do. I had all along been sat back. I sat forward looked directly into his eyes and told the panel what they did not expect. “I am a Christian before I do business. My business exists first not only to make profits. My primary agenda for being in printing business is helping my clients, the Kenyan students to get high quality materials that are authentic. I would not take the contract if it’ll corrupt my conscience. I would blow the feather away” that was my answer very decisive and authoritative. He looked at me and said that’s all. He was blank and could not ask any other question form his list. Even the other panelist a lady simply looked at me and said, “Thank you Jeremiah. We have no more questions for you.” I left proud that at least even if I do not get that job I have defended my faith.

That’s rarely common business skill of negotiating especially among the banking industry where you need to sell services at all costs. You just need to sign that loan agreement even if you do not disclose all terms just to reach the targets.

Quickly, I want to deal with two main areas in business where the Christian values and the Hebrew Bible apply. These are Honesty in Negotiating Contracts and honesty in delivering services.

Honesty in Negotiating Contracts

Negotiations are quite common in business. In particular, there are employer-employee and buyer-seller negotiations. The negotiation between Ephron and Abraham over the Cave of Machpelah provides interesting insights into proper and improper ways to negotiate. Abraham’s wife Sarah died, and Abraham needed a place to bury her. Abraham was desperate for a burial plot. Ephron, knowing this, realized that he could overcharge Abraham and probably still get his asking price. The Bible instructs us through this passage in the proper ways to negotiate business contracts. Abraham did not want to take advantage of Ephron, knowing very well that Ephron was simply posturing. Abraham desired to pay a fair price. Ephron’s behavior, on the other hand, was reprehensible. Knowing that he had the upper hand, Ephron proceeded to ask for an outrageous sum. The Bible prohibits asking a dealer the price of an item if an individual has absolutely no intention of buying the item. Asking a merchant a price when one has no intention of buying, causes the merchant to have a false expectation of a sale. Also a decent person (or organization) does not intrude when others are in the midst of negotiations.

Honesty in delivering services/labor

Employees are required to work to the best of their abilities and not waste time. Incidentally, companies that are hired on a cost-plus basis as contractors have the same obligation of working to the best of their abilities and not wasting time and money belonging to others. One sees this principle in the following biblical passages. Jacob ran away from his parents’ home in Israel to another country because his brother Esau wanted to kill him. When he arrived in Haran, he noticed some shepherds idling around the well. He said to the shepherds, “Look, the day is still long; it is not yet time to bring in the cattle. Water the sheep and go on grazing.”  A stranger in a foreign land does not usually question the work habits of others. This can be quite risky, especially with the wrong kind of people. Apparently, Jacob was surprised that these shepherds appeared not to be doing an honest day’s work. Many years later, Jacob described the kind of work he himself had performed for Laban. Jacob told his wives, “You know that I have served your father with all my strength.” Jacob also described to Laban the kind of work he did for him: “These twenty years that I have been with you, your ewes and your she-goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it.... In the day, scorching heat consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.” Evidently, Jacob worked to the best of his abilities for Laban this, despite the fact that Laban had deceived him by substituting Leah for Rachel at the wedding, thus requiring that Jacob work an additional seven years. Jacob believed that an employee should work as hard as possible and do an honest day’s work.

OTHER ETHICAL ISSUES

Other concerns of ethicists today regarding business ethics have their antecedents in the Hebrew Bible. It is especially critical of those engaged in the following unethical business practices: hoarding food in order to resell it at a high price, tampering with weights and measures, and raising prices unjustly.

CONCLUSION

The Psalmist describes some of the attributes of a virtuous individual as follows:

God, who may sojourn in Your tent? Who may dwell upon Your holy

Mountain? One who walks in total integrity, does what is right, and speaks

The truth from his heart. One who has no slander on his tongue, who has

done his fellow human no evil nor cast disgrace upon his close one….

Whoever does these things shall never falter.

I promise you when you will be dealing with JoinTheDots Stationers & Printers and Silver Chain Technologies Solutions we will be honest with you in our negotiations and deal with you justly. Try us and also we can arrange a tour of the Kenya for holiday makers at best prices for the people outside Kenya.

Have a reflective life. Remember to stay in touch with me at jeremiahwakamu@gmail.com or on Facebook Jeremiaho Wakamu to keep this discussion going. And again referrals though you social media network/connection and word of mouth is the best you can do for this blog.

Ever thought of starting your own business?

Did you know that most people, at some time in their life, have an idea that could form the basis for establishing their own business? This is well known fact. But few people chose to do so. What happens that most of them do not break from wishful thinking to starting their own business?

What is needed is a trigger to spur them into action, to turn the idea into reality. These triggers can take the form of ‘push’ or ‘pull’ factors.

The Push Factors

Push factors are those that push people into self-employment. This factors may take the forms of – unemployment or forced redundancy, disagreement with your boss, being a ‘misfit’ and not feeling comfortable in an organisation for some reason, or simply having no alternative because, for example, you have a physical disability or illness. These are very strong motivations for self-employment, but not necessarily to grow your business. Worse still, unemployment as a strong push factor may indicate a higher probability that the business will have a short life span.

The Pull Factors

A growth in business is far more likely to be established because of the positive motivation or pull factors – the need for independence, achievement and recognition, personal development and wealth. Sometimes the factors combine and an entrepreneur emerges with a positive motivation, for example, to make a success of an innovative idea, having felt a ‘misfit’ in their old organisation.

All too often these triggers are blocked by other factors – the need for regular income, a family to support, no capital or a doubt about your own ability. These all boil down to two things – insufficient self-confidence and an inability to cope with high risk and uncertainty. Without these key ingredients the business will not get past the ideas stage.

In the next few weeks we will now look into detail about pull and push factors and make a conclusion on how they play in the life of the most successful entrepreneurs.

Have a reflective life. Remember to stay in touch with me at jeremiahwakamu@gmail.com or on Facebook Jeremiaho Wakamu to keep this discussion going. And again referrals though you social media network/connection and word of mouth is the best you can do for this blog.