One of the first things we are taught about business is that the primary function of business is to maximize shareholder value. If the statement is changed from shareholder value to stakeholders, it expands the number of people impacted by the business activities. This is where we see a correlation with what we know from our Christian faith. One of the challenges of organizations in the 21st century is to recognize and respond to the needs of the stakeholders (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2016). The needs of the business must be balanced against the needs of the employees and the need to protect the environment. The Bible teaches us that we are responsible for looking out for others and not focusing only on our own needs. “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory: rather, humble regard others as more important than ourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but everyone for those of others (Philippians 2: 2-4, NABRE)
Early Apprenticeships
As the Industrial Revolution was dramatically altering the way of life in Turin, Italy in the middle of the 19th century, John Bosco found many young boys who were living in the streets and unable to make enough money to provide for themselves. Some unscrupulous business owners had made servants of the boys and beat them when they did wrong. John Bosco looked after these boys. Some of the earliest known apprentice contracts are from this time. John Bosco obliged the employers to only hire them in their acknowledged trade and to only correct them with words. Even with the contracts in place, life was difficult for the apprentices. John Bosco eventually built shops aimed at training bookbinders, carpenters, printers, and mechanics; six shops in which the privileged place was reserved for orphans, the poor, and totally abandoned boys (EWTN, n.d). These were the forerunners of apprenticeship programs that are prominent in Europe and are growing in popularity in the United States.
Relationship between Employers and Employees
The Bible provides numerous examples that relate to the relationship between owners and employees. In Ephesians 6: 5-9 discusses the relationship between slaves and masters. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven and that there is no partiality with him (Ephesians 6:5-9, NABRE)”.
While this passage is addressing the relationship between slaves and masters, this can also be applied to any employee/employer relationship. We are expected to complete our tasks with a sincere heart and remember that we are serving the will of God. As employers, we need to treat our employees well and remember that we are all treated justly by God whether we are the wealthiest business owner or a lowly servant.
Profit Motive and Stewardship of Resources
When discussing research on the benefits of apprenticeships, it is important to remember that a business cannot remain in operation if it consistently fails to generate sufficient revenue to earn a profit. Profit is defined as the amount of money a business earns above and beyond what it spends on salaries and other expenses (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2016). The business will cease continued support for apprenticeship programs if there is not a financial benefit. In Proverbs 27:23 we are reminded to protect our resources; “Know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds”.
From this, we see the importance of the business knowing where they stand financially. This explains why it is important for the business to have a quantifiable measure of the benefits of sponsoring an apprenticeship program. Research in this field will support and attempt to identify the appropriate measurements.
“Know well the condition of your flocks” is also a reminder that we are stewards of the gifts that God has given us. As John Paul II reminds us in the encyclical Centesumus Annus, God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone. This is the foundation of the universal destination of the earth’s goods. The earth, because of its fruitfulness and its capacity to satisfy human needs, is God’s first gift for the sustenance of human life (John Paul II, 1991). Protection of the environment is often characterized as the domain of one political party as compared to another. A more appropriate viewpoint would be to view it from a Christian viewpoint remembering that God entrusted us with these resources to use for the good of all.
References
De Alva, Jorge Klor & Schneider, Mark (2018, May 17). Apprenticeships and Community Colleges; Do they have a future together? American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI). American Enterprise Institute. 2018 28 pp.
EWTN. (n.d.) The Don Bosco Story.
John Paul II. (1995). Centesimus annus [Encyclical letter].
New American Bible Revised Edition (2010). American Bible Society. Philadelphia, PA
Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M. and McHugh, S. M. (2016) Understanding Business. Eleventh Edition. McGraw Hill Education. New York, NY.