MADRID, Spain, NOV. 21, 2002 (Zenit.org).- A leading European businessman believes family should come before the bottom line.
François Michelin, co-director of tire manufacturer Michelin & Cia, addressed the international Congress on Catholics and Public Life on the topic “Man, Work and Enterprise.”
Michelin developed the idea that, since the economy and business are acts of the human person, business ethics must grounded in respect for the nature of the person, especially with regard to the family. To protect both the family and business itself, a change in financial policy is needed, he said.
“European philosophy is opposed to family life, and a financial policy is necessary that will honor it.” Michelin said. Moreover, “a family salary is necessary,” which will enable one member of the family “to stay at home, to look after” the children.
The conference, organized by the San Pablo-CEU University Foundation, ended Sunday. The aim of the meetings was to analyze, promote and channel social, political, economic and cultural action among Catholics, in the light of Church social doctrine.
In his address, Michelin upheld that the person is paramount in the economy. If there is to be a better world, he said, “the person is the most important. Everything is done with personal input; it suffices to listen to people to discover their gifts.”
For example, Michelin recalled: “My grandfather was a painter and a doctor of law. He had a brother who was an engineer.” His grandfather developed the first modern tire as favor for a friend, an English cyclist; he would test the tire by “letting” nails fall in the path of a cyclists’ race.
Thus, Michelin explained, “the tire industry was consolidated by a painter who knew how to discover men’s qualities, by looking at them and helping them to discover what they really had within.”
For Michelin, a businessman’s caliber is evidenced by “showing respect for his or her people. It consists in presenting them with a problem and letting them find a solution, which is then passed on to the client.” Human progress is due to learning from past mistakes, Michelin continued.
Moreover, “the object of a business is to generate wealth and make possible an increase in purchasing power for personnel, clients and shareholders,” he added.
Michelin criticized governments for ignoring established businesses, “thinking that, because they already exist, they will exist forever.”
It is just as important to help old businesses as new ones, especially with tax incentives, he insisted. On the other hand, he praised those shareholders “who have a long-term sense. They are the ones who understand that money is a tool, that must be put at the service of an enterprise.”
The Michelin Group, created by Michelin’s grandfather, produces 844,000 tires daily, ranging from 200 grams to 5 tons in size. Michelin enterprises also produce inner tubes, cable, wheels, and maps and tourist guides.
