The American Ways6 The World of American Business.docx
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TheAmericanWays6TheWorldofAmericanBusiness
Chapter6TheWorldofAmericanBusiness
ThebusinessofAmericaisbusiness
PresidentCalvinCoolidge
BeforeYouRead
1.WhydoyouthinkbusinesshashighprestigeintheUnitedStates?
2.Whydopeoplewanttogointobusinessforthemselves?
Wouldyouwanttobeyourownboss?
3.Whatdoesitmeanto"gofromragstoriches"?
4.HowistheworkforceoftheUnitedStateschanging?
TheCharacteristicsofAmericanBusiness
AtisessentialtobecomefamiliarwithtwowordsinordertounderstandthemeaningofbusinesstoAmericans;theyareprivateandprofit.Businessesaredirectlyorindirectlyownedandoperatedbyprivateindividuals(orgroupsofindividuals)inordertomakeaprofit.Incontrasttotheseprivatelyowned,for-profitbusinesses,therearepublicgovernment-ownedandoperatedinstitutionsaswellasnonprofitinstitutionssuchaschurchesandnonprofitcharitableorganizations.Theseorganizationsandinstitutionsarenottobeconfusedwithbusinesses.
ThePrestigeofBusinessandtheIdealofCompetition
ThestatementbyPresidentCoolidgeinthe1920s—"ThebusinessofAmericaisbusiness"—stillpointstoanimportanttruthtoday:
BusinessinstitutionshavemoreprestigeinAmericansocietythananyotherkindoforganization,includingthegovernment.MostAmericansbelieve,forexample,thatbusinessesaremoreefficientandbetter-runthanthefederalgovernment.Whydobusinessinstitutionspossessthisgreatprestige?
OnereasonisthatAmericansviewbusinessasbeingmorefirmlybasedontheidealofcompetitionthanotherinstitutionsinsociety.SincecompetitionisseenasthemajorsourceofprogressandprosperitybymostAmericans,competitivebusinessinstitutionsarerespected.Competitionisnotonlygoodinitself;itisthemeansbywhichotherbasicAmericanvaluessuchasindividualfreedom,equalityofopportunity,andhardworkareprotected.
Competitionprotectsthefreedomoftheindividualbyensuringthatthereisnomonopolyofpower.Incontrasttoone,all-powerfulgovernment,manybusinessescompeteagainsteachotherforprofits.Theoretically,ifonebusinesstriestotakeunfairadvantageofitscustomers,itwilllosetoacompetingbusinessthattreatsitscustomersmorefairly.Wheremanybusinessescompeteforthecustomers'dollar,theycannotaffordtogivetheminferiorproductsorpoorservice.
Acontrastisoftenmadebetweenbusiness,whichiscompetitive,andgovernment,whichisamonopoly.Becausebusinessiscompetitive,manyAmericansbelievethatitismoresupportiveoffreedomthangovernment,eventhoughgovernmentleadersareelectedbythepeopleandbusinessleadersarenot.ManyAmericans,believe,then,thatcompetitionisasimportant,orevenmoreimportant,thandemocracyinpreservingfreedom.SocloselyiscompetitivebusinessassociatedwithfreedominthemindsofmostAmericansthatthetermfreeenterpriseratherthanthetermcapitalismismostoftenusedtodescribetheAmericanbusinesssystem.
Competitioninbusinessisalsobelievedtostrengthentheidealofequalityofopportunity.Americanscomparebusinesscompetitiontoaraceopentoall,wheresuccessandstatusgototheswiftestperson,regardlessofsocialclassbackground.GainingsuccessandstatusthroughcompetitionisoftenseenastheAmericanalternativetosystemswheresocialrankisbasedonfamilybackground.Businessisthereforeviewedasanexpressionoftheideaofequalityofopportunityratherthanthearistocraticideaofinheritedprivilege.
BusinesscompetitionisalsoseenbymostAmericansasencouraginghardwork.Iftwobusinesspeoplearecompetingagainsteachother,theonewhoworksharderislikelytowin.Theonewhospendslesstimeandeffortislikelytolose.Becausebusinesspeoplemustcontinuallycompeteagainsteachother,theymustdevelopthehabitofhardworkinordernottofail.
Americansareawarethatbusinessinstitutionsoftendonotliveuptotheidealsofcompetitionandthesupportoffreedom,equalityofopportunity,andhardwork.Americanssometimesdistrustthemotivesofbusinesspeople,believingthattheyarecapableofputtingprofitbeforeproductsafety,oracleanerenvironment.Therefore,mostAmericansbelievebusinessesneedsomegovernmentregulation,althoughtheymaydisagreeonhowmuch.Evenwiththeseflaws,however,mostAmericansbelievethatbusinesscomescloserthanotherinstitutionstocarryingoutcompetitionandotherbasicvaluesindailypractice.
ThePrestigeofBusinessandtheDreamofGettingRich
ThereisasecondreasonwhybusinessinstitutionsreceiverespectintheUnitedStates.OneaspectofthegreatAmericanDreamistorisefrompovertyormodestwealthtogreatwealth.IntheUnitedStates,thishasusuallybeenaccomplishedthroughsuccessfulbusinesscareers.Allofthegreatprivatefortunesinthenationwerebuiltbypeoplewhoweresuccessfulinbusiness,manyofwhomstartedlifewithverylittle.Careersinbusinessstillofferthebestopportunityfortheambitiousindividualtobecomewealthy.
AlexisdeTocquevilleobservedthegreatattractivenessofbusinesscareersforAmericansasearlyasthe1830s.HewrotethatAmericansstronglypreferredbusinesstofarmingbecausebusinessofferedtheopportunitytogetrichmorequickly.Eventhosewhowerefarmerswerepossessedwithastrongbusinessspirit.Theyoftenransmallbusinessestoaddtothemoneytheymadefromfarming.DeTocquevillealsonoticedthatAmericanfarmerswereoftenmoreinterestedinbuyingandsellinglandforaprofitthaninfarmingit.Thus,evenindeTocqueville'sday,whenmostAmericanswerestillfarmers,theseedsofabusinesscivilizationhadalreadybeenplanted.
Notonlyisbusinessseenasthebestwayforindividualstobecomerich,itisalsoseenasbenefitingtheentirenation.Throughcompetition,morepeoplegainwealth.Bycontrast,asocialisticsystemofproductionanddistributionofgoods(onethatisownedandoperatedbythegovernment)isseenasgreatlyinferior.Asocialisticsystemisdistrustedbecauseofthemonopolyofpowerheldbythegovernmentthateliminatescompetition.Therearefewcountries,ifany,intheworldwherebusinessinstitutionsaresostronglypreferredovergovernmentinstitutionsasagenciesforproducinganddistributinggoodsandforprovidingservices.Forexample,theUnitedStatesisoneofthefewindustrializedcountriesintheworldthatdoesnothaveuniversalhealthcareguaranteedandmanagedinsomewaybythegovernment.Americanshavetraditionallypreferredtohaveasystemwherehealthcareproviderscompetewitheachotherinafreemarketandindividualsarefreetochoosetheirowndoctorsandhospitals,evenifthatmeansthatsomepeoplegowithouthealthinsurance.
TwoKindsofAmericanBusinessHeroes
BecauseofthemanybeliefsthatconnectbusinesstothewealthandthetraditionalvaluesoftheUnitedStates,peoplewhoaresuccessfulinbusinesshavesometimesbecomeheroestotheAmericanpeople.Twokindsofbusinessheroeshavegainedwidespreadrespect:
"theentrepreneur"andthe"organizationmanorwoman."EntrepreneursprovideexamplesoftraditionalAmericanvaluesintheirpurestform,andthesepeoplearemostlikelytobeidealizedbytheAmericanpublic.Thesecondkindofhero,"theorganizationman/woman,"isseenasalessperfectexampleofbasicAmericanvalues,butheorshestillcommandsgreatrespect.
TheEntrepreneurasHero
Entrepreneursarethepurestkindofbusinessheroesforanumberofreasons.Thefirstreasonisthattheysucceedinbuildingsomethinggreatoutofnothing.Thepeoplewho,morethan100yearsago,builtupthenation'sgreatindustries,suchassteel,railroads,andoilrefining,wereusuallyentrepreneurs.Theystartedwithverylittlemoneyorpowerandendedupastheheadsofhugecompaniesthatearnedenormousfortunes.
ThefactthattheseearlyentrepreneursbuiltgreatindustriesoutofverylittlemadethemseemtomillionsofAmericansliketheheroesoftheearlyfrontierdays,whowentintothevastwildernessoftheUnitedStatesandturnedforestsintofarms,villages,andsmallcities.Theentrepreneur,liketheearlierheroofthefrontier,wasseenasaruggedindividualist.
EntrepreneursmadesomuchoutofsolittlethattheybecameheroestothecommonpeopleinAmerica.Entrepreneursoftenbeganascommonpeoplethemselves;withouttheaidofinheritedsocialtitleorinheritedmoney,theybecame"self-made"millionaires.TheywerethusperfectexamplesoftheAmericanideaofequalityofopportunityinaction.
ThestronginfluenceofthesuccessstoriesoftheearlyentrepreneurscanbefoundinthegreatpopularityofthenovelsofHoratioAlger,whichwerepublishedinlate19th-andearly20th-centuryAmerica.About17millioncopiesofthesebooksweresoldtotheAmericanpublic.ThecentralthemeofAlger'snovelsisthatintheUnitedStatesapoorcityboyorapoorfarmboycanbecomeawealthyandsuccessfulbusinessmanifheworkshardandreliesonhimselfratherthandependingonothers.ThisisbecausetheUnitedStatesisalandofequalityofopportunitywhereeveryonehasachancetosucceed.
Bydiligence,aquick-wittedyoungfellowcanrisefromragstoriches.
InAlgersfirstpublishednovel.RaggedDick,apoorcityboywhoshinesshoesforalivingbecomesRichardHunter,asuccessfulandwealthybusinessman.Theherorises"fromragstoriches"andfulfillstheAmericanDream.Dicksucceedsonlypartlybecausehelivesinalandofequalityofopportunity.HissuccessisalsoduetothefactthathepracticestheAmericanvirtuesofself-relianceandhardwork.AccordingtoAlger,Dick"knewthathehadonlyhimselftodepe