Alignment between Amazon’s Operational Policies and Biblical Principles
- History / background: The company that has been chosen for this paper is Amazon Inc. Amazon Inc. is one of the ‘Big 5’ companies in the global technology market. Amazon was founded in 1994 and has been operational or over 28 years. This has allowed the company to build a positive relationship with their loyal customer base. Being one of the most successful organizations operating in the global IT industry, Amazon Inc. has created a niche for themselves and have ventured into different areas of business (Henson 2021). Currently, Amazon provides a number of different services including that of streaming services, artificial intelligence and even package deliveries. It should be mentioned here that during the process of expansion, Amazon Inc. has grown significantly in different areas of business, and in doing so, the core values of the company were established and followed strictly.
- Mission and Vision Statement
- Core Values: As a successfully running organization in the IT industry, Amazon Inc has clearly stated their own values and guiding principles. The mission statement of the company states that the company aims to serve its consumers, both at physical stores and through online deliveries. The company aims to provide excellent service to its customers with regards to price, quality of product and convenience of the customers (Wiggington, 2018). In order to ensure that all employees of Amazon Inc. follow the same rules and regulations when they provide service to the clients of the organization, the administration and leadership of the organization have outlined the four guiding principles that are to be followed at all times. The same are being outlined and briefly discussed below.
- Customer obsession rather than competitor focus:Amazon Inc. has put a substantial amount of effort to help and retain their customers based on the quality of the products, as well as the customer service that they receive in cases of emergency. This customer obsession strategy that is followed by Amazon Inc. is extremely useful for expanding the customer base even further. Other businesses operating in this industry is often seen to focus on competitive strategies, while Amazon Inc. sets itself apart through a more customer- focused strategies (Van Tiem, 2021).
- Passion for invention: In spite of being one of the top two companies in its area of operation, Amazon Inc. constantly strives for something new and technically advanced. As a result of this, the business has expanded into a number of different areas, based on the advancement of technology. The company also has its own budget for experimenting and coming up with new inventions.
- Commitment to Operational Excellence: Operational excellence is defined as the smooth flow of tasks within a business organization, with the help of proper teams and strategies. As a customer- centric company, Amazon Inc. has ensured a full- proof method of gaining operational excellence across all different hubs for the company itself.
- Long-term thinking:One of the main things that Amazon Inc. has showcased multiple times through its run is that of long- term thinking. This has allowed the company to stay on top of the industry that it is operational within.
- Biblical Value: From a biblical point of view, it can be said that the company policy adheres to a number of different biblical quotes and values. On the other hand, a few aspects of the business are not in line with different biblical values. But it should be mentioned here that the core values of Amazon Inc. are in line with a number of values that has been outlined within the bible itself.
“Make People First Things. Think of others first. Treat others like you want to be treated. Practice thoughtfulness. When you think of the customers, they will think of you.”
This is one example of how biblical principles can be relevant to the operational values of the organization itself. However, there are multiple instances where the operational policies of this successful company have been found to be aligned to various biblical principles. The same will be outlined briefly in this paper. The biblical values are in alignment with the logic and morals behind the different operational functions at Amazon Inc. Even though the company does not follow the biblical values literally, the basic idea behind the same is upheld.
- Servant Leadership
- Employee Appreciation: Employee appreciation is defined by the act of properly compensating the employees for their efforts and recognizing the same. Often appreciation is also shown through additional compensations, and even a promotion. Amazon Inc. as an organization have clearly stated that, they consider their employees to be an asset for their own company. This is because employees are the one’s responsible for carrying out the different operations within the organization, as well as, for communicating directly with the customers. If properly compensated and appreciated, the employees are able to provide better service to the customers, thus improving the customer service quality (Serrano, 2020).
- Customer Appreciation: Amazon Inc. as an international business organization has created a place for themselves as a part of the ‘Big 5’ companies in the Information Technology (IT) industry. The changes in the social scenario over the last 3 years have improved both employee and customer appreciation policies. The leadership and the senior management of the organization consider customers to be an integral part of their operational process, like the employees. This is because employees have to work hard in order to ensure that their client is not facing any problems, when seeking service from Amazon Inc.
“Find the right and best people to bring around you. Make people your top priority. Learn from everyone. Spend time with a wise team of mentors. Learn faster by learning from others. Ask questions and listen. Seek counsel. Help people to discover their gifts and talents. Find passionate and reliable people.”
The way Amazon Inc. deals with its customers and employees are seen to be in alignment with the biblical principle that has been outlined above.
- Biblical Value
- Display of biblical values:
Biblical values are nothing but the different principles that have meaning, both in the area of religion as well as that of a growing and expanding business organization. However, it has be properly studied and analyzed in order to be incorporated as a part of the operational processes of a business organization.
For example, one of the principles mentioned in the Bible itself is being outlined below.
“Excellent work is worthy work. Do everything for a bigger purpose and a nobler cause. Innovate. Always improve and strive to make products and service better. Always Upgrade and Improve. Think long term. Think eternally. Show Your Value Through Products that are of High Quality.”
This particular principle within the Bible is directly in alignment with the basic operational policy of the organization. The aspect of innovation, which is one of the areas of major importance as a part of its own operational policy. It can be seen that the Biblical policies are closely related to the mission and vision statements that the company has outlined for itself.
Another principle that has been outlined in the Bible states that “Find the right and best people to bring around you. Make people your top priority. Learn from everyone. Spend time with a wise team of mentors. Learn faster by learning from others. Ask questions and listen. Seek counsel. Help people to discover their gifts and talents. Find passionate and reliable people.”
This particular principle is aligned with the operational processes within Amazon Inc. as a business organization. The company is built upon its human resources, as well as its customers and these ‘people’ are the primary concerns and focus for the leadership and administration.
- Biblical values and its connections to the organization:
As outlined above, a number of different biblical values can be related to the different operational processes that are ongoing within a particular biblical operation. A few such biblical values are being outlined, and the operational processes within Amazon Inc. that are relevant to the same are also discussed.
- “Invest wisely. Don’t forget to invest in yourself. Make the right investments to help the business to grow. Invest in your people. Invest to grow your commitment and your passion.”
Impact on Amazon Inc. by Biblical Values
This biblical principle is closely related to the operational principles of Amazon Inc. One of the main areas of importance for the leadership of Amazon is that of innovation. This is the main aspect of business that sets it apart from the other players within the industry. They company has made valuable investments in order to promote innovative activities and functions within the company. Making the right investments can also be achieved through the proper analysis of a particular project, without investing within the same.
- “Sow bountifully. Be generous with your seeds. Plant daily. Be constantly trying new things. Don’t be afraid to start small. Practice patience.”
This particular Biblical principle is also in line with the leadership of Amazon Inc. As one of the fastest- growing and maximum revenue- generating companies, it is the responsibility of the company itself to invest into other areas of operation. This helps the business test the environment in other industries, and also allows small and medium businesses to grow and flourish under the able assistance of Amazon Inc.
- “Be decisive and make great decisions. Make decisions based on values. Know You “No’s.” Say Yes to those things that will make you and organization better. Live up to your Word. Make your signature mean something. Fulfill your commitments.”
One of the most important aspects of any business organization is to be able to make the correct decision at the correct time. However, this biblical principle urges proper analysis of a particular problem, before making a decision regarding the same. The leadership of the company is seen to adhere to this, while still carrying out their social corporate responsibility. It should also be mentioned here that, any and all commitments made by the brand itself should be fulfilled, based both on their operational principles and the Biblical principles (Winston, 2021).
As discussed above, biblical values are in close association with the different operational protocols and policies of Amazon Inc. And the impact of the same on the organization, and its growth is positive. The Biblical principles state important points like that of human resource management, innovation management and even decision- making, which could be substantially helpful for determining the organizational policies for the same. However, proper interpretation of the Biblical principles is necessary for the same.
Having studied the different aspects of the operational methods and policies of Amazon Inc. in comparison to the Biblical principles that are aligned to different organizational issues and areas it was seen that, the company prioritizes their employees and customers. This is also closely associated to the Bible, where human life holds utmost importance. Their investments into different fields of innovation are also in accordance to the biblical principle. Thus, one of the main requirements for Amazon Inc. as a very successful IT organization to maintain their position as the top business industry, the company policies need to be ethical. This is because ethics is a very important part of Bible, as well as other religious texts. Ethical operational policies are responsible for the satisfaction of the customers, as well as the employees.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper talks about Amazon Inc. and how its different operational principles are aligned to a number of Biblical principles. The report provides a brief introduction of Amazon and how it operates. Next, the main aims, principles and the vision statement for the company has also been highlighted. The paper then moves forward to discuss the different policies and strategies that Amazon Inc. uses and then critically analyzing and linking the same to a number of different principles. The impact of adhering to these Biblical values has also been studied thoroughly.
References:
Henson, J. D. (Ed.). (2021). Biblical Organizational Leadership: Principles from the Life of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Springer Nature. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Y2wrEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Henson,+J.+D.+(Ed.).+(2021).+Biblical+Organizational+Leadership:+Principles+from+the+Life+of+Jesus+in+the+Gospel+of+John.+Springer+Nature.&ots=NkukSE7qsg&sig=kh9P8xMGvpCEWpYU1KRh5tm_4nI
Serrano, C. A. (2020). Amazing Grace: The Bible and the Gift of Leadership. In Biblical Principles for Resilience in Leadership (pp. 15-24). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-37101-2_2
Van Tiem, A. (2021). Amazon and Revelation 18. Bible and the Contemporary World, 3(2), 146-187. https://138.251.8.72/index.php/BCW/article/download/2364/1770
Wiggington, D. K. (2018). Amazon: David becomes goliath. https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/bis437/180/
Winston, B. E. (Ed.). (2021). Transparent and Authentic Leadership: From Biblical Principles to Contemporary Practices. Springer Nature. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XrUYEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=Winston,+B.+E.+(Ed.).+(2021).+Transparent+and+Authentic+Leadership:+From+Biblical+Principles+to+Contemporary+Practices.+Springer+Nature.&ots=o6Q6d4J3oZ&sig=9O4EnX6giERwGnqk_NkCHzSzwvE
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