Good Giving, Good Business!

Summary

The classic Christmas narrative provides us with important lessons about corporate ethics and social responsibility. As a kind of CSR, a company owner provides a venue for the baby to be delivered. With increased demand, he could have simply charged for this space. Instead, he gifted it out as a humanitarian gesture. Since then, this solitary act has transformed world history, influenced economies, and permanently changed the way people move.

The Genesis

It's that time of the year again, the season for giving and receiving gifts. This has me thinking about what the traditional story* of Christmas teaches about business ethics and social responsibility.

The story goes that 6,000 years ago, in a small town called Bethlehem, a little boy was born, destined to become the Messiah and “King of the Jews”. The birth of this special child of promise attracted the lowliest and the highest-profile guests. They brought with them, what many consider the most famous birthday gifts in the world: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each gift was precious, with each one having strong symbolisms of royalty, deity, and death (the path to glory), respectively.

We, however, usually overlook the most precious and essential gift of all – a place for the baby to be born, as provided by a business owner as a part of his Corporate Social Responsibility. Hear me out, please!

The Initiative

The timing was not appropriate, as a major event caused a critical housing shortage. Joseph and Mary, the boy’s eventual parents had to settle for a manger in a stable, on the recommendation of a frazzled but caring innkeeper. That was the best he could have done at the time – demand far exceeded supply! He could have charged for this space also, as I bet many would have been willing to pay top shekel for it, not unlike some London flats. He, however, gave it away, as a philanthropic gesture to the obviously desperate Joseph, and the heavily pregnant wife Mary.

The baby was born, and from the story, the heavenly Communications team went into overdrive. Thus, was born one of the famous babies in the world and one most poignant location brands in the known world – the town of Bethlehem, Judea! It became the ‘it place’ for shepherds, Kings, soldiers (sent by Herod), and of course, the innkeeper. The man’s one singular gift became the branding behemoth that is still relevant today, after 6,000 years.

Returns On Investment

The tourism industry in Israel today is valued at $6.1 billion, accounting for 11% of Israel's exports and directly employing some 141,000 people and directly accounts for 2.8% of Israel’s GVA**. Of the three million Christian pilgrims annually, the favourite attractions are Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, and Bethlehem, to see the site of the Messiah's birth.

Talk about a solid ROI!

As we round up the year, consider this story and the difference you can make in your world today, and kudos to all the Manger Managers out there!

• *The traditional story is used here as opposed to the historical accuracy of the events.
• **GVA - Gross value added (GVA) is an economic productivity metric that measures the contribution of a corporate subsidiary, company, or municipality to an economy