THE MEANING OF LIFE IN BUSINESS: BEYOND SELF-INTEREST

Orose Leelakulthanit

Abstract


This article explores the concept of the meaning of life in the context of business, moving beyond the traditional focus on self-interest and profit generation. It argues that the existence of a company should encompass not only self-concerned goals, such as creating customer value and fostering employee growth, but also others-concerned objectives, including collaboration, relationship-building with colleagues and customers, and contributing to the betterment of society and the environment. By adopting a more holistic perspective, businesses can find deeper purpose and fulfillment, while also driving positive social impact. The article emphasizes the importance of balancing self-interest with a broader stakeholder approach, ultimately leading to sustainable success and a sense of significance for individuals and organizations alike.


Keywords


meaning of life, self-interest, collaboration, relationships, social impact

References


Amabile, T. M., & Pratt, M. G. (2016). The dynamic componential model of creativity and innovation in organizations: Making progress, making meaning. Research in Organizational Behavior, 36, 157-183.

Austin, J. E., Stevenson, H., & Wei-Skillern, J. (2006). Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Same, different, or both? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 30(1), 1-22.

Bitner, M. J., Ostrom, A. L., & Morgan, F. N. (2008). Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation. California Management Review, 50(3), 66-94. doi:10.2307/41166469

Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, T., ... & Solnet, D. (2020). Understanding generation Y and their use of customer contact channels: A research agenda. Journal of Service Management, 31(3), 355-375.

Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility: Evolution of a definitional construct. Business & Society, 38(3), 268-295.

Fournier, S., & Alvarez, C. (2018). Emotional Branding.

Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman.

Friede, G., Busch, T., & Bassen, A. (2015). ESG and financial performance: Aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 5(4), 210-233.

Hansen, M. T. (2019). Collaboration: How leaders avoid the traps, create unity, and reap big results. Harvard Business Press.

Hegarty, C., & Steward, B. (2020). The impact of tuition assistance programs on employee engagement and performance. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 17(2), 85-92.

Jones, R. (2019). Employee development and workplace learning: Concepts, indicators, and framework. European Journal of Training and Development, 43(5/6), 494-513.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.

Kumar, V., Aksoy, L., Donkers, B., Venkatesan, R., Wiesel, T., & Tillmanns, S. (2010). Undervalued or Overvalued Customers: Capturing Total Customer Engagement Value. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 297-310. doi:10.1177/1094670510375599

McCarthy, J. (2019). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance. Kogan Page Publishers.

Mishra, A. K. (2021). Trust in organizations: A conceptual framework linking organizational forms, managerial philosophies, and the opportunity costs of controls. The Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 386-408.

Nagle, T. T., Hogan, J. E., & Zale, J. (2016). The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably (6th ed.). Routledge.

Phills Jr, J. A., Deiglmeier, K., & Miller, D. T. (2008). Rediscovering social innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 6(4), 34-43.

Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2), 62-77.

Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2018). The co-creation connection. Harvard Business Review, 96(1), 84-91.

Riggio, R. E. (2019). Communicating in groups and teams: Sharing leadership. Routledge.

Robinson, S. L. (2019). Trust and breach of the psychological contract. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41(4), 574-599.

Rothwell, W. J. (2015). Career planning and succession management: Developing your organization's talent-for today and tomorrow. Praeger.

Smith, M., & Johnson, P. (2019). Customer Value Creation: A Practical Framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 27(2), 126-145. doi:10.1080/10696679.2019.1579972




DOI: https://doi.org/10.19197/tbr.v23i1.363

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Print ISSN: 1643-8175, Online ISSN: 2451-0955, DOI prefix: 10.19197, Principal Contact: tbr@wsb.torun.pl