The Profit Motive

In a business sense, profit equals revenues minus costs and expenses. In a general sense, it connotes gaining, benefiting, or taking advantage. In all senses, accounting is required to determine if there is profit. In all accounting, time is crucial. The first Biblical use of profit as gain is in Genesis 37:26. Judah argues against killing his brother, Joseph, by asking, "What will we profit by killing our brother and covering up his murder?" Instead, they sell Joseph to traders traveling to Egypt for 20 pieces of silver. The profit of this transaction becomes apparent years later: Joseph's family goes to Egypt and finds he’s become an overlord, wiling and able to forgive and help his brothers. Profit in the Bible includes morality and ethics that extend timeframes, even beyond physical life to effects on the soul. But over the centuries, profit and profit motives have achieved social acceptability. Through a review of history from Biblical times to the present, this course provides an overview of profit from different perspectives.

Estimated average course time for completion of this course: 3 weeks