Quote Originally Posted by oldblue
investing in a poor community can have a very good return. for example, boracay in the 70's. just like any other beach in the Phils. boracay was just a common beach. and look at it now. now I hear that a beach in Basilan is even more beautiful than Boracay.

all it takes is one or more companies to conduct an outreach/charity program in that war-torn region of our world and the rest can be history ...
i'm not familiar with Boracay and Basilan. was the story that an investor came in, beautified the beach, set up a resort and gave jobs to the community? ibang usapan na yan, and don't confuse that with charity. that's an investment, plain and simple. perhaps helping some poor folks was a very nice secondary benefit, but the investors are obviously there to set up a business.

Quote Originally Posted by oldblue
that's how our "food chain" works. the rich/big business dont invent nor discover. they only take the credit and of course, invest. charity can be a vehicle for an investment for it is tapping on one of the most important resource ever known: people.

is it not uncommon their in the states that companies give grants to universities/scholars (students who cant fund their own education) and others of similar form of charity?
yes, they do. but they will only get a direct return if those students or scholars come to work for the company. that doesnt always happen, and they dont usually bond the scholar to work for them. if i wanted to invest in people and get the return myself, i would take my high-potential employees, send them to school, and promote them to management when they come back. again, much more direct benefit.

let me reiterate that i am not saying that charitable works do not benefit a company financially. YES, THEY DO - sometimes directly, but usually indirectly. i am only saying that financial gain cannot be the ONLY reason to give...because it just doesn't make sense economically.