The Business of Begging

BEGGING is fast becoming an epidemic. Quite recently, I was begged many times in one day and it got me thinking about what's really happening within our society. Are things really that bad? I'm sure that we have varying opinions.

Images of countless incidences of begging throughout my lifetime in various countries flooded my head. Some categories of beggars stood out.

• The sympathetic beggar - always with a hard luck story. His / her situation can be a real tear jerker. They can really pull at the emotional strings like the most skilfull of puppeteers. 
• The brand name beggar - met this one overseas. I noticed that he was dressed better than I was in terms of clothing - no mixed brands (E.g. Nike etc.) Everything was uniform throughout. They speak really well. 
• The classic beggar - cigarette in the corner of the mouth and drink in hand. 
• The vagrant beggar - those with whom we are most familiar. Homeless seeking their next meal. 
• The list can go on. 

I've heard stories of beggars lending people money in some significant sums to purchase cars and homes. So now that I've been enlightened that begging's a business, it opens a whole new dimension for me. 

Effective immediately, people begging me would need to provide the following:

1. A proposal outlining why they're begging and how the money that they beg for will be utilized. 
2. A proforma invoice, which shows the amount for which they're begging
3. A tax clearance certificate so that I can see they're contributing their share of taxes. 

Personally I don't believe that I'm being overly harsh since in many instances they have more money than I do. Daily I have to hustle and even though earning my keep am not always paid for it; especially in these current times. Yet, I can't play dead and give up, but must try to find replacement money which does not involve begging. 

While growing up in the era that I did; we were taught not to beg and the consequences that will follow if we disobeyed. Yet nowadays, lots of people including those gainfully employed are doing it quite unashamedly. 

There, I have gotten my thoughts off my chest without resulting in bad behaviour. Stop begging for if there are any vacancies and start asking for work. There are still ways that you can earn an honest dollar. 

Opportunistic employment - A potential conflict of interest?!?!

There's a pattern developing among entities that are in businesses that require training. It is the behaviour that has the following steps:

• requesting proposals 
• trying to get the training provider to prepare a comprehensive document which outlines the elements of the training
• then trying to do the training themselves using the template that they would have received from the training provider and any additional information that would have been provided in the attempts to seal the deal. 

Often a poor job is done since the end user trainer does not have the benefit of the comprehensive information the bonafide trainer would have had. In many cases they are not suitably qualified on the subject area, but attempt to read and bluff their way through.

Is this value for money to the entity? In these economic times, more companies seem to want to adopt this approach and in so doing compound their already challenging situations. Keep reading as some may feel that I'll outline a procedure here, and you may be right, but it is not the one that you expect.

Trainers modify your sales techniques so that when you provide information within your proposals, you outline what you'll do, not how you'll do it. Too often, we feel that it's necessary to tell of the tasks required to do the job, when the true value's in the results. Once you follow this path it should reduce, if not eliminate this practice of people wanting to be opportunistic trainers when they are trying to supplement their income along with what they're getting from their job. It should reduce the potential for conflicts on interest.

This can be applied to a cross section of professions and is so rampant, it needs urgent address.