Business activity can be defined as an economic activity in which goods and services are exchanged for money. Human beings engage in business activity to satisfy their wants and, most commonly, to make profits. The debate about whether a business activity is good, neutral, or evil is perplexing since some think that businesses and related business activities are evil. These people’s negative perception of business paints it in a bad light, and I would like to disagree with this view of business and argue that business activity is good for sustaining many aspects of human life.
People who tend to view business as an evil thing and not a good idea are perhaps influenced by many corporate scandals that have rocked the business world, some of which may include the Enron and Arthur Andersen saga (Chrisman, 2011). They view business as an activity marred by fraud and wrongdoing, which is not a characteristic of all business activities. Business is an essential part of the modern world, and it is through business that the numerous needs of mankind are satisfied. Think of the need for food, shelter, and education. It is through business activities such as trade that money is generated to fund all these requirements (Chrisman, 2014).
Modern-day business activity is more service-oriented than profit-oriented. The contemporary business world stresses the need to satisfy the customer through excellent service delivery. The many different business activities that are mushrooming are geared toward social and societal problems. For example, corporate companies create shared value and engage in corporate responsibility by contributing back to society by providing clean water, scholarships to needy students, and fighting global warming.
For the above reasons, I disagree with the view that business is evil and rather choose to agree that it is good. There is no position of neutrality in this debate. Either business is good or evil by impacting society in some way perceived as good or evil.
References
Chrisman, R. (2011, February 03). Business is not Evil (Or Neutral). Retrieved February 07, 2018, from http://www.rodneychrisman.com/2010/08/24/business-is-not-evil-or-neutral/
Is Money Evil? (2014, January 22). Retrieved February 07, 2018, from http://www.rodneychrisman.com/articles/is-money-evil/
