OBJECTIVES AND TASK OF THE ENTERPRISE IN THE LIGHT OF RULES OF CHRISTIANITY

Specification of the objectives and tasks of a business enterprise seems to be of primordial importance to its effectiveness. Historically, there have been various determinants of business activity. The paper points out to some of those. One of the best known is the Milton Friedman's approach, stating that the objective of enterprise is profit maximisation. As analysis of contemporary realities reveals, the mission of enterprise is actually much broader. It is supposed to identify and promote the firm on the market, motivate the staff, determine strategy. The maximisation of profit alone is hardly able to meet all those expectations. With the main problem put in this way ethical difficulties come up. In the Christian vision of enterprise it is man and his development that should be the objective of business activity, profits being a mere tool for achievement of the objective. Social teachings of the Catholic Church propose the creation of an employee community as a mission of the enterprise. Even a superficial analysis of the issue shows that the objective, strange though it may sound when examined from the business point of view, is beneficial not only to the staff, but also to the entrepreneur and his/her enterprise.