need 2 discussion responses
450 words
analysis must be supported with a minimum of 3 scholarly sources other than the course textbook and materials. Each source must be cited in current APA format. each reply must include both full citations in a reference list at the end of each post, and short-form in-text citations.
Acceptable sources include books, legal and business journals, legal cases, the law (cases, statutes, regulations, etc.), the Bible, biblical commentary, etc. Dictionaries and other web sources that lack scholarly support are not acceptable sources. Any sources cited must be current to the issue (e.g. Bible commentaries may by applicable from any age, but articles discussing current legal or healthcare practices may no longer be relevant after 5 or 10 years).
A well-developed, complete worldview analysis of the situation requires more than simply adding a Bible verse at the end of the post. Each reply will include at least 1 Scripture verse integrated in the same manner.
Discussion 1
Business Entity Recommendation
Shania has created a plan to own her own business, and although she developed the plan to own the Christian coffeehouse herself, others have expressed interest in working with her, but each person has background issues that can hinder their decisions. Shania’s husband has decided to contribute funding to start the business only but does not want to be a part of the daily operations or management of the coffeehouse, and in this scenario, her business would fall under a partnership. Shania will oversee the business, but her husband supplied the funding, and he is considered a promoter for the company because he arranged the funding to start the business for Shania (Kippenham, 2019). 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) reminds everyone that because God continues to bless us and supply our needs, we should do the same for others and help them as much as possible. It is an excellent idea that Shania and her husband are working as a team, and it does not seem to be taking over more than the other. He is also giving her the freedom to fulfill her dreams without worrying about funding.
Partnership
Two people will own the company through a business partnership because both are helping each other and contributing to the business. Per the text, a partnership is an association of two or more people that co-owns a business for profit (Kippenham, 2019). Many business owners show concerns when entering a business partnership because there are many advantages and disadvantages of a partnership-owned business. Each person that owns the business under the partnership will be responsible for the contracts, losses, debts, and other problems that arise, except Shania’s husband will be financially responsible because he chooses not to become involved in operating the business. It is excellent to operate as a partnership because it creates a better work and life balance. After all, her husband will better understand her challenges while working at the coffee shop and balancing home life.
In researching the potential name for her company, in Colorado, there are several places with the same name (Colorado Secretary of State – Business Database Search, n.d.), but they have been dissolved or changed their names. It is also noted that the companies that file for trademarks their status shows expired. Shania will be able to use a trademark for her company. Although many other businesses using that name have submitted trademark paperwork, the paperwork has expired for many years. She should print this information and take it with her when she submits her paperwork for the trademark to prevent any difficulties in establishing it. It may be a lengthy process, but being patient is the key to being successful. Romans 12:12 (ESV) helps us understand how to endure trials and tribulations through constant prayer because it will give us hope knowing we can do all things.
Trademarks
Trademarks work by protecting the company’s name and associated products (Kippenham, 2019). This is very important, especially if the company decides to develop products that include their logo and company’s name to sell for profit. In addition, using a trademark is a branding strategy that protects and measures product innovation and helps to include trademark laws that also help to protect symbols and logos for companies (Flikkema et al., 2019). She would want to submit her trademark paperwork because many companies in Colorado have the same name. It would not only protect her but her business ideas and any products she plans to sell.
Business Advice
It would not be wise for Shania to join in the business with her sister because it would increase trouble and possible arguments with her sister’s husband. After all, he is against her working in the coffeehouse. Therefore, her husband is a non-Christian and would not understand the meaning and vision behind the business. Shania wanted this to be a place where Christians can come together to enjoy themselves and share the gospel or perhaps bible study, but if a person does not understand or chooses not to believe in the word, it can cause problems for others who rely on faith and prayer to get through life. The bible speaks on being equally yoked, and if Shania’s sister is a Christian and her husband is not as 2 Corinthians 6:14 (ESV) reminds us that we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers because it brings on more problems for everyone, especially in a marriage. The bible also speaks on a wife respecting and loving her husband and respecting their marriage. Her husband should also learn to compromise and help his wife enjoy life and the things she loves.
In reviewing the response from her neighbor, he has a great idea that it will attract attention from other religious groups, but each religion has its thoughts and beliefs that can influence religious conflicts. Religious conflicts can lead to social divisions that can lead to violence and other cultural problems within their city (Seidel, 2019). I also feel it would be an unwise decision to add him as a partner because he wants to work at the business to generate income, but not for the same reason as Shania wants, and it will also create emotional problems between Shania and her neighbor. He is only interested in the profits he can obtain and not using the place to bring Christians together. Everyone must be on one accord when owning and operating a business because the goals and vision must align to create a successful business, but if everyone is entering the business for different reasons outside of the initial vision and mission, the company will fail tremendously.
References
English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Bibles. (Original work published 2001)
Colorado Secretary of State – Business Database Search. (n.d.). Secretary of State Business Database Search. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityCriteriaExt.do
Flikkema, M., Castaldi, C., de Man, A. P., & Seip, M. (2019). Trademarks’ relatedness to product and service innovation: A branding strategy approach. Research Policy, 48(6), 1340–1353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.01.018
Kippenham, N. (2019). Bible Worldview Edition of Dynamic Business Law Adapted Work (2nd ed.) [E-book]. McGraw-Hill Education.
Seidel, T. (2019). Religion and the post-secular challenge in peacebuilding and reconciliation. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 25(3), 271–272. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000384
Discussion 2
After learning about Shania Jacksons interest in starting a Christian coffee shop, it was evident that there were many factors to be considered. While Shania has many different friends who would like to be apart of the start of the shop, it is difficult due to the fact that each friend has a specific scenario. The best part about Shania starting this shop is that her husband is on board with the plan financially even though he does not want to take on management operations. This allows for Shania to be able to take on this responsibility. The main problem that is left unanswered is what type of business does Shania want this coffee shop to be. While it is beneficial that Shania has so many friends willing to help, having others involved within the business can be tricky. The importance within decision making for starting a business like this plays a large role into the importance of the goals within the business. Having a clear vision and goals for the business are important and can inform decisions on how the business should be set up. Afterall, the structure of the business greatly impact the goals and vision in the long run of the business.
For the Christian coffee shop that Shania is trying to start, I believe that the best entity for Shania would be a sole proprietorship. While Shania has many individuals willing to help, some of them are not prepared or do not have the same vision as Shania. The article The role of regions for different forms of business organizations written by Tobias Scholin explained “We categorize entrepreneurs as owners of a private company and self-employed as sole traders (Sole proprietorship) in order to understand the difference between entrepreneurship and self-employment.” This explains that within Shania’s situation she would be self-employed running the Christian coffee shop. While this can be stressful, I believe it is what’s best because she does already have the financial support and her sister who is willing to help. Due to her friends each having different circumstances that could conflict with the business, it would be easier if Shania would own the business herself and be self-employed. By doing this, it would allow for her to be able to hire her friends to help manage the business and help. I believe this would be possible because Shania’s husband would be able to contribute financially while Shania would contribute by managing the shop.
The next aspect that Shania is debating is what the name of the company should be. The article Choosing Business Names, logos risky written by C. Sheffield states “Choosing a name, logo, or symbol, for a sports team, business, institution and residential development can be a rewarding or gut-wrenching decision.” This statement shows the emphasis and difficult process that picking a name for a business can be. Shania wanted the name of the business to be “The Gathering Place” but when looing into other businesses in Colorado I do not believe this would be the best name for the business. When looking on the Explore: Business database search for Colorado businesses with similar names, twenty results were found with businesses that contain the gathering place. The article An investigation of global versus local online branding written by Jamie Murphy emphasizes the importance of branding and specifically talks about the online influence it has (Murphy). While many are not around anymore or have changed names, there is a business with the name “The Gathering Place Christian Center” that could cause confusion when being looked up on the internet. This could cause confusion when individuals are searching on the internet. Another reason I think Shania could pick a better name is because “The Gathering Place” is unclear of what the business has to offer. If the company was named “Christian Coffee Co.” This would allow consumers to know that the business was a coffee shop just by the name of the business. Due to the fact there has been many places named “The Gathering Place” and one current business with the same name, I think Shania would be better off choosing a new name that provided clarity to what the business has to offer.
The main reason I believe that Shania should pursue a sole proprietorship is because of her goal within the business. Shania’s goal is to have a Christian company, and this means that the people working for the coffee shop also should have the same faith, values, and morals. While her sister would be a good business partner, she is also a new Christian, and her husband is not. Due to this, I think it would be okay for Kelsey to work for the business but not own the business due to her being a new Christian and her husband not sharing the same faith. As for her neighbor Carlos, it seems like he is more into the idea of the business rather than having his heart in the right place. Carlos made comments about a Mormons and Jehovah’s witnesses which leads me to believe that he is not sure what encompasses the Christian faith. Shania needs people helping her run the business that have a passion for sharing the Gospel through coffee and providing a space for Christian fellowship. Having Christians working for the organization will allow for the morals to be aligned with all members working at the coffee shop. These morals and values within the business need to be shared by the employees and other individuals involved. This ultimately will allow for Shania’s vision to be facilitated. 1st Corinthians 15:33 states “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for bad company corrupts good character.” This verse highlights the reason that Shania should be surrounding herself with other Christians that can be good and help her along the way of starting her business. Aligning morals will allow for Shania to see the vision of the company come alive.
The structure of the business greatly impact the goals and vision in the long run of the business. While Shania has some friends who are willing to support her, I think it is important for her to recognize that she needs to be surrounded with people who are going to help her facilitate the vision that she has for the business. I believe that incorporating her friends in small ways and disciplining them through her business would be amazing and possible overtime. While Shania has a great vision, I believe she should take more time to consider the sole proprietorship and the name of the business. While some aspects can seem small, they can play a large role in the facilitation and customer satisfaction within the business. Overall, Shania has the ability to achieve her goals within the business with the backing of her husbands support financially and her drive for the business to succeed.
Tobias Schölin, Henrik Ohlsson & Per Broomé (2017) The role of regions for different forms of business organizations, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 29:3-4, 197-214, DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2016.1257072
Explore: Business database search: Colorado Businesses.
Sheffield, C. (1997). Choosing business names, logos risky. The Mississippi Business Journal (Pre-Aug 20, 2012), 19(12), 12.
NLT Bible. Holy Audio Version (2020). New Living Translation Bible.
Murphy, J., & Scharl, A. (2007). An investigation of global versus local online branding. International Marketing Review, 24(3), 297-312.
