Creating Capital: Money-making as an aim in businessLipman, Frederick L. (Frederic Lockwood)
Philosophy
Creating Capital: Money-making as an aim in business
Lipman, Frederick L. (Frederic Lockwood)
Business; Saving and investment; Wealth -- Moral and ethical aspects
misrepresentation. But no one could expect such things to last; he
could not possibly be building an enduring structure; such a course
could not in the end promise him profits, or any other kind of
success. A properly conducted business enterprise then is concerned
with making profits in the long run; that is to say, in accordance
with accepted notions of business conduct; in short, according to
rules of the game, and this involves conformity with a standard, a
standard of giving good value for what one gets.
We must next distinguish between gross profits and net profits. The
merchant or manufacturer naturally desires to do a large business, he
points with pride to the increase in his sales this year over last
year. The larger his turnover the smaller the proportionate amount of
his overhead expenses that must be borne per unit of product, and
other economies follow large-scale production or distribution. He may
occasionally be desirous of increasing his output even when it entails
a disproportionate increase in his expenditures, with the idea that he
can later occupy himself with reducing these expenses and in the
meanwhile the goodwill of his enterprise will have gained from the
larger circle of customers. Such is the case with a new enterprise
that often starts out with the expectation of little or no profits
during its early years, when it is gathering a clientèle and learning
to distribute its product with economy. All these, however, are
special cases. The normal situation is that the business enterprise is
aiming at net profits, having an interest in large sales, heavy
transactions and gross profits only so far as these are expected to
lead finally to net profits, the real goal. Now these net profits are,
of course, the remainder of earnings left on hand after providing for
all costs and expenses, for depreciation and every other factor
causing loss, destruction, and deterioration during the business
period under consideration. In short, the business capital as it was
at the beginning of the period is first fully restored and made intact
at the end of the period before a net profit emerges. This net profit
therefore becomes in a true sense a creation of new capital and may
indeed be retained in the business as an addition to capital funds.
Even when it is paid out in dividends, partly or wholly, it becomes
new capital in the hands of the individual stockholders who then in
their private capacity may of course spend it, but by proper
investment may keep it permanently stored as capital. It is the
creation of capital then, that is in reality the ultimate money-making
aim of the business enterprise.
We can now summarize the attitude and policy of the typical business
man in his money-making aim as follows:
In seeking profits he is actuated by economic necessity.
His goal is profits in the long run, which involves conformity with
economic and ethical standards, and net profits, which implies the
creation of capital.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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