My Light and Shadows
This paper focuses on the seven Caux Round Table principles and the five White’s biblical principles. The two categories of business principles have similarities and differences as well. Honesty is encouraged in both the CRT principles and the White’s Biblical Principles with the emphasis being in the way the business is conducted. The Caux Round Table first principle that calls for respect of stakeholders beyond shareholders insists that business should engage in honest and fair acts towards its stakeholders (Table, 2010). White bases on “just weight” that is adapted from Deuteronomy 25; 13-15 which insists that businesses should provide services or goods that are commensurate to the payment they receive from consumers.
Both principles encourage truthfulness and transparency with the CRT encouraging trust building by going beyond the letter of the law as its third principle. White insists on Ephesians that advocate for total honesty when dealing with people including stakeholders in a business environment. The principle of proper services to all is utterly encouraged in both categories of business principles. The CRT first principle encourages business to acknowledge their role to serve people responsibly through the creation of employment and wealth (Table, 2010). White refers to Mathew 20; 20 where the Bible encourages service to others by saying that Christ himself was a servant. White encourages the issue of reasonable profits according to 1st timothy 5:18 even though what is reasonable can be different. Similarly, CRT seventh and last principle encourages business to earn their rightful and reasonable profits that are accrued from engaging in illicit activities (Skelly, 1995).
However, these principles have several differences in terms of how they seek to create a responsible and sustainable business environment in the world. White’s Biblical Principles insists on servitude where a business is customer oriented only according to the word of God. All the five principles focus on protecting the customer. Caux seeks to protect all stakeholders and not only shareholders. Stakeholders are important in any business engagement. Another difference that is quite notable is that the white’s principles are biblically inspired unlike the CRT which is secular and is based on responsible stewardship, mutual advantage, and human dignity. Table (2010) encourages the need to protect the environment and cultural diversities when engaging in global business while White does not present anything on environmental conservation.
The principles of “just weight” and “being a servant” are some of the principles that are covered by White even though they seem to have been left out in Caux Round Table principles. The” just weight” principle endeavors to encourage a fair and transparent transaction between the consumers and the producer (White, 1996). This implies that a business ought to provide its customers with the right quality and quantity of products which is equivalent to the money paid. The consumer is protected against being duped or being offered rather inferior products that do not match the prices that are being charged. The principle of “being a servant” on the other hand means that the business earns respect and as a result market courtesy of how ell its serves its loyal customers (White, 1996).
Being a servant according to white involves acting and accepting the roles played by a servant. He goes ahead to use the example of Jesus to explain the fact that He came to the world as a servant and as a result ended up offering everything including His life for the good of mankind. These principles are not exclusively different from the CRT principles as they are tied around almost similar pillars. However, they become different in the sense that they are anchored on Christian ideals of business. The white principles incorporate the concept of Godliness and morality which in itself is debatable and questionable (White, 1996). White’s biblical principles affect an organization in the sense that they raise the standards to be attained in the service of customers. These principles set much higher standards compared to the secular principles as they focus on not only satisfying their customers but also impressing God. Using religion such as Christianity in ethical decision making shifts the whole paradigm towards perfection and radicalism (Tuckett, 2000). Furthermore, White’s biblical principles encourage responsibility as required by Christianity, making organizations accountable for the plights of customers as a result of their services.
Young (2006) compares various religions and how they influence decision making amongst people. He insists that biblical teachings with the additional thoughts of saint Paul gives every human being a responsibility of serving others; which is the right thing to do before the eyes of God. He argues that the Caux Round Table principles function to add important earthly content in the biblical principles which are important in the economic undertakings of this realm. Using the scripture exclusively as a basis for business decision making is a slippery ground to trade on because it calls upon an element of earthliness to deal with and succeed in a competitive world (Skelly, 1995). Global managers are faced with many decisions to make on a daily basis that affect not only the organization, but also the global world in terms of business.
Even though using the scriptures as a basis for making ethical decisions can be seen as the best option over secular principles like the CRT, the consequences can be far reaching and detrimental. Reforms that affect the global commerce may appear unethical or ungodly when viewed through the Christian eye although its impact on the organization is immense if not taken. This calls upon managers, leaders and stakeholders to find a common ground between their faith and what actually needs to be done. Furthermore, it becomes a problem using the scripture as a basis for decision making in a set up with people who subscribe to different faiths (Kennedy & Lawton, 1998). A Christian manager using the white biblical principles entirely is likely to meet resistance from other members or the staff, customers, and stakeholders who do not subscribe to this faith.
References
Kennedy, E. J., & Lawton, L. (1998). Religiousness and business ethics. Journal of business ethics, 17(2), 163-175.
Skelly, J. (1995). The CAUX Round Table Principles for Business: the rise of international ethics.
Table, C. R. (2010). CRT principles for responsible business.
Tuckett, C. M. (2000). Paul, Scripture and Ethics. Some Reflections. New Testament Studies, 46(03), 403-424.
White, J. (1996). Honesty, Morality, and Conscience. Navpress Publishing Group.
Young, S. B. (2006). 12 Principled-based leadership. Responsible Leadership, 185.
