{"id":5005,"date":"2014-04-12T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elijahconsulting.com\/?page_id=5005"},"modified":"2022-01-17T11:38:50","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T03:38:50","slug":"what-actually-is-inclusion-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elijahconsulting.com\/what-actually-is-inclusion-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What, Actually, IS “Inclusion”? 12 Apr 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>I came across a LinkedIn post about Queen Maxima of The Netherlands delivering a keynote address at the European Investment Conference organized by Morningstar. I found it very interesting, as Her Majesty was highlighting that 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to financial services. She advocated having inclusive financial practices so that these 2.5 billion people would also have what people in the so-called \u201cdeveloped\u201d world (my paraphrase) have in terms of those financial services, and which they take for granted. She said that this was something which the financial services sector ought to take note of and prepare for. My thought is that whatever your opinions of the Dutch East India Company, or the British East India Company, for that matter, Her Majesty articulated a noble and worthy goal. I will include the links at the end of this article so that you can read both the post and Her Majesty\u2019s address for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n While profit-driven models push prices upwards by reason of exclusion, inclusion seeks to benefit everyone by bringing genuine value to the table. This is the reason why businesses stay in business; it is because of the value they bring with them, which makes the beneficiaries want them to stay. Businesses whose sole aim is profit have no business being in business. Inclusion does not mean that prices come down overall. Rather, it simply means that there is a fair exchange of value between two or more trading partners. It means trading in luxuries rather more than in necessities. It means having local businesses and global networks.<\/span><\/p>\n However, as Queen Maxima also pointed out, inclusion is not without risk. Just as our nasal passages filter the air we breathe in, and as we choose what to eat and drink, so also inclusion does not mean the automatic admission of anyone and everyone into a given system, whether of financial services or otherwise. In fact, just as we need to rid our bodies of waste continuously, just as we need to remove tumours and gangrenous extremities, so also do we need to remove deleterious attitudes, beliefs and actions from those we would want to include in our systems. In the worst case, the perpetrators would have to be excluded. Exclusivity comes into play when toxicity rises.<\/span><\/p>\n However, the nature of people is such that exclusivity is actually coveted. Think about how much people are willing to spend on things which are \u201cexclusive\u201d or \u201climited edition\u201d, for example. No matter what people profess in terms of altruism and putting others first, the urge to be \u201cone-up\u201d over others is overpowering. Given the chance, everybody wants to rule the world. So, how do we best be \u201cinclusive\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n