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Make your opinions known on Tuesday
Next Tuesday, voters all over the area will be headed to the polls to cast their ballots in the August primary.
There are several races on both sides of the county line, as well as some state and national races and a ballot issue. And while the people who receive votes on Tuesday won’t necessarily take office in a few months, your participation next Tuesday does much to shape the future of our county, state and federal political scene.
Primary elections are held to determine the front-runners in the major parties. By casting a ballot in a primary, you help to endorse one candidate over another, and your vote helps to decide how the ballot will look come December, when we elect new county officials, state auditor and our state and federal legislators.
By casting your vote Tuesday for one or another individual, you’re sending a clear message about the kind of candidates you wish to see in office. Then, when November arrives, you’ll be that much more informed as you choose the elected officials themselves. And you can rest assured that you played your role in making our representative government work the way it should.
Also on the ballot is Proposition C, a measure that would ostensibly let Missourians opt out of federal requirements to buy health insurance as outlined by the federal health insurance reform bill.
A firm cannot stay in business just to make money for its owners at the exclusion of everything or everyone else. If an entrepreneur takes the attitude that he or she deserves to make all of the money, the business will suffer and will most likely crash and burn. Just consider who stands to lose the most when a business fails.
Some folks – my former professors included – would argue that the owners lose the most since they have the most at risk. There is no question in my mind that entrepreneurs lose a bunch as they generally have the most invested in terms of dollar amount. They are not; however, the ones hurt the most by a business failure. A business closing is devastating to the employees.
Employees are one of the many entities that have a vested interest in a business’ success. In addition to owners, stakeholders such as employees, vendors, banks and customers have so much tied up in a business. They are vitally concerned with the firm’s wellbeing and will put forth much effort to ensure its success. However, success is impossible unless all of the stakeholders are taken care of.
When a business fails all of the stakeholders suffer. Take for example a financial institution. A financial institution risks much of its depositors’ funds to support a business, and if the company fails, its own financial performance suffers.
If employees are not treated reasonably, the whole business will suffer as both the quality and quantity of work declines. So many entrepreneurs forget how important each and every employee is to the success of the business, and they often fail to treat employees well. If the business should fail, these employees are the ones that are going to pay a very high cost.
My colleague and I recently assisted an entrepreneur who had been operating a business with over 50 employees for a very long time. The business was losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each month, and we tried to give the entrepreneur the resources he needed to turn things around. When the situation failed to improve, we realized that there was only one alternative left: he had to close the business and file for bankruptcy.
Telling this entrepreneur that closing the business’ doors was the best course of action was, by far, one of the hardest things I ever had to do in this job. What made it so hard was not that we had to give the entrepreneur this bad news, but because we knew what a loss it would be for all of the stakeholders, particularly the employees. Through no fault of their own, the staff would lose their jobs.
In my opinion, the purpose of a business is to serve the stakeholders. Businesses must earn money to acquire additional funds and assets, but its staff and other stakeholders are vital contributors to this endeavor. The key is to balance and deliver on the needs of all the stakeholders.
Now go out and rethink the real purpose of your business.
You can do this!
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Contact your elected officials:
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS
City Council:
Carolyn Schutte, Mayor
Ambrose Buckman, Mayor Pro Tem
Ken Fousek
Jim Nelson
Sonny Parker
School Board:
Bill Halberstadt, President
John McGovern, Vice President
Roy Arnold
Susan Edwards
Tray Harkins
Jim McCullough
Kristi Shewell
FEDERAL & STATE
Senator Kit Bond
274 Russell Senate Office Blvd.
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 22-5721
Send Email
Senator Claire McCaskill
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-6154
Send Email
Congressman Sam Graves
1407 Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7041
Govenor Jay Nixon
P.O. Box 720
Jefferson City, MO 65102
(573) 751-3222
State Sen. Bill Stouffer
Rm. 332, State Capitol
Jefferson City, Mo. 65101
(573) 751-1507
Rep. Bob Nance
Rm. 201D, State Capitol
Jefferson City, Mo. 65101
(573) 751-1468
Send Email
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