In Good Company: A Priest Of The Society Of Jesus

Student Name Course Instructor Date In Good Company Book Review The transition from the corporate world in America to self-employment or working for oneself can be traumatizing if not very difficult. Many people are so involved with their jobs that they don’t think they can survive without them. They spend the largest percentage of their time at work or doing work related activities with hardly any time for themselves or those close to them such as family and friends. The effects can be catastrophic as they end up suffering from stress related issues and some even end up losing people close to them because they hardly have time to spend with them. The book In Good Company highlights the efforts of one man James Martin to transition from the corporate world to his association as a priest of the Society of Jesus which is otherwise known as Jesuits. The paper examines his remarkable journey from corporate America and his love for humanity that led to his admiration for the simple lives and service to humanity by the Jesuit missionaries where he later served as a priest of the Catholic Church. The protagonist, who is also the author, narrates his life story from his involvement in employment at General Electric Aircraft Engines to his subsequent calling to the Jesuit order. He was unhappy just like the many people who are in employment because of the need to get payments that would sustain their upkeep and who end up in jobs that they are not meant or enjoy doing .James Martin notes in the book “I was miserable in my job”. Some people are also in the corporate world because that is what the society has dictated. People in corporate jobs are respected in the society and considered to be very successful. James alludes to that fact and notes “With a finance degree I was pretty much guaranteed a great starting salary. So when the time came, I dutifully signed up for interviews with the investment banks, corporations, commercial banks and consulting groups”. The statement indicates the notion that many students had and have regarding careers in the corporate world with majority entertaining the idea of huge salaries that came with them. It also shows that James was influenced into a career in business and finance because at that time it was considered the “ideal” profession. James further acknowledges that the salary he was offered at General Electric proved to be the motivating factor that swayed his decision to join the company. He states “But what really convinced me was the money, $ 20,000a year. I calculated what my take home pay would be grinned and said yes”. From early on in the book, it’s noted that James had little interest in the business career he went into and was only in it because of the money and the high social status the profession guaranteed.[Martin, James. In Good Company: The Fast Track from the Corporate World to Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. Plymouth, UK: Sheed and Ward,2000.] [Martin James 20] [Ibid 26] James Martin’s disinterest in his career is shown in the lavish lifestyle he engaged in during his time in Manhattan working for General Electric. He mentions that he attended concerts, went to clubs and the movies, threw and attended parties and basically loved hanging out. It’s also noted that many of the other trainees took part in the aforementioned activities which is another indication that most people joined the corporate world as a means of attaining the luxuries that life had to offer as opposed to doing something that they loved. James states “The twenty or so young trainees spent a lot of time together, dancing at the clubs in Manhattan, throwing parties in our apartments, going to movies and especially hanging out in nearby bars”. Despite their tender ages which allowed them to explore various aspects about life, these young individuals including James were supposed to focus in building their careers considering they were still learning their various roles.[Ibid 31] James in the book successfully highlights the hypocrisy that exists in the corporate world which forces people to go against their beliefs, pretend and do things that are outright illegal. He shares about the female colleagues in his department who were forced to lie about their marital status and indicate that they were single because the managers and companies perceived single workers to be more dedicated. James states “So, Sherry remained officially single and although her daughter visited the office regularly, Sherry still referred to her husband as her brother and her daughter as her niece. Everyone in the office did likewise, to be polite”. Many people in employment are compelled to act in certain ways in efforts to safeguard their jobs. It is quite a normal thing in the job market for individuals to lie about the qualifications they possess so as to get a job or cheat their way to a promotion. James also shares of the incidences in the course of carrying out his duties when he was asked to doctor figures as to appease the top management of the company and by so doing going against what he stood for and overall accounting principles. He states “there were sizeable reserves squirrelled away in miscellaneous accounts that existed for the purpose of allowing us to make our monthly target numbers. If we failed to earn sufficient profit on one project we would simply take it from the reserves of another project”. At General Electric it was a cardinal sin to not meet the company’s targets and all those who failed were at risk of losing their jobs and as a result the employees like James were forced to go to extreme measures to ensure that they got the right numbers. The company was profit oriented and anything less was totally unacceptable. Similar fraudulent incidences occur in many companies around the United States and solely because they seek to portray the fact that they are financially sound and stable to all potential investors and clients. The corporate world is full of hypocrites and has the ability to influence and turn people to conform to its hypocritical nature.[Ibid 31] [Ibid 33] The corporate world subjects its employees to cruel treatment that is characterized by long working hours with hardly any overtime being paid as was the case of General Electric. James mentions that they were forced to work longer hours during the end of year financial report preparation as they engaged on “cooking” the figures in such a way that would reflect the company’s financial health. The report had to be up to the laid out standards which forced them to make countless financial reports that were revised thoroughly. James further mentions that the work was too much that the company put up the employees in hotels close to the office so that they would work for as long as it took without the need of going home. He states “All of this necessitated so much overtime that General Electric announced that du...