Business

The topic of business covers many, many things. We could talk about the court case involving Microsoft, or what you need to start your own business.

Have you ever considered starting and/or operating your own business? If yes, describe what you’ve thought of. How serious are you? What are the obstacles to operating your own business? What are the attractions of starting your own business? Do you have any close friends or family who own their own business?

Many people who start or operate businesses don’t have enough money (capital) to begin or run a business. So they can find money in two basic ways – borrow or find investors. What are the pros and cons of borrowing money to start a business? What are the pros and cons of inviting investors (usually friends and family) into your business?

There are many attitudes towards profit in the U.S. What’s your opinion about business and profits? Are there wrong and right ways to make profits? What are some of those wrong or right ways?

What do you think should be the business owner’s attitude towards vendors, customers, investors and employees? In your experience, have you seen both positive and negative examples of attitudes towards vendors, customers, investors or employees? Please share your examples, both good and bad.

What should be the role of government in the business world? What do you think of the laws in your native country that govern the actions of businesses? How would you change them?

What should be the attitude of a business towards its competitors? Please give positive and/or negative examples of attitude towards competitors.

What do you think of the Microsoft anti-trust lawsuit?

What do you think of these two viewpoints of business from the Bible:

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.” You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears. Instead, you should say, “If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

“Who can find an excellent wife? . . . She considers a field and buys it. With her earnings she plants a vineyard. She gets ready to work hard. Her arms are strong. She sees that her trading earns a lot of money.” Proverbs 31:10, 16-18