A Business Case Study of DaySpring Cards, Inc.

Abstract

DaySpring Cards is a highly successful Christian greeting card company located in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. This case study was written in fulfillment of the requirements for an honors thesis at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business. Background is provided on the founding and early history of the company and how that history has shaped the culture, values, and spiritual practices of the organization. Several spiritual practices are described, and an overview of the human resource practices that support the culture are offered, including an analysis of the leadership style.

Appendix. Company Information Provided by Company Literature (DaySpring Cards, Inc.)

Name

DaySpring is a name given in Scripture to Jesus Christ. Luke records the prophetic song of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, on the occasion of John’s birth. The Holy Spirit showed Zechariah that John would prepare the people for salvation through forgiveness of sins by the coming Messiah and that God’s mercy on His people would bring this about. The Holy Spirit also showed Zechariah that “the dayspring from on high” (Luke 1:78 KJV) was to come and “give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). Our intent at DaySpring Cards is to spread the light from that sunrise by creating products that honor and reflect His name, His character, His nature, His kindness, and His love.

Mission

To KNOW GOD to demonstrate His Kingdom, and to HELP PEOPLE throughout the world know and share HIS LOVE by providing Christians with TOOLS of communication that express GOD’S HEART in fresh, new ways.

Vision

Connecting people with the heart of God through messages of hope and encouragement every day and everywhere.

Core Values

Based on the eternal truths of scripture that they feel are relevant to contemporary life, listed below are the values of DaySpring followed by the verse inspiring each one:

• We commit to honor and respect others

  • “Honor Christ by submitting to each other”—Ephesians 5:21

• We commit to be servant-hearted in attitude and actions

  • “…serve one another in love”—Galatians 5:13

• We commit to be good stewards of talents, resources, and responsibilities

  • “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God”—1 Peter 4:10

• We commit to pursue excellence through continuous improvement and innovation

  • “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”—2 Timothy 2:15

• We commit to honesty and integrity in all of our actions and relationships

  • “But if we walk in the light…we have fellowship one with another, ant he blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin”—1 John 1:17

Statement of Faith

On their Web site, DaySpring has a Statement of Faith posted to define the beliefs they are founded on and continue to pursue through their business.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the divinely inspired and only authoritative Word of God, supreme and final in its authority in matters of faith and practice.

God

We believe in the triune God of the Bible, the God who created the world, who made man in His own image, and who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for man’s redemption.

Christ

We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ that He is coeternal and coequal with God the Father. We believe the biblical account of His virgin birth, sinless life, words, works, vicarious death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and promise of His personal return. Christ came into the world to provide salvation through faith in Him as Savior and Lord and to restore men to fellowship with God.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that God the Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Bible, is a person coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit brings an awareness of guilt, brings about the new birth, and indwells the believer so that he may lead a godly life. The Holy Spirit strengthens faith, brings comfort and peace in time of sorrow and distress, enlightens our hearts and minds to understand and apply the truth in Christ and the Bible, and empowers us to serve God more effectively.

Repentance

We believe that men become children of God by true repentance, turning from sin, and turning to Christ as Savior. True repentance results in a changed life. The believer now seeks to live his life according to the will of God.

Faith

We believe that men who have received God’s forgiveness for sin through Christ’s atoning death and triumphant resurrection possess saving faith. The faith is ­awakened and strengthened by the hearing of the Word of God. Believers strive to express this saving faith through the total commitment of their lives to Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Christian Life

We believe the Christian life is lived by trust in Christ and fellowship with Him, for He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” The Christian life manifests itself in service to God and fellow men of all races and stations in life. It is also expressed as a graciousness in our relationships with others. It is summed up in the two great commandments: to love God with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The Church

We believe that the Church, described in the Scriptures as Christ’s body, is composed of all people who have accepted Christ in faith and have committed their lives to Him. In any local community the Church consists of all such people, regardless of the Christian group with which they are affiliated. The Church, spiritually conceived, is a living organism which expresses itself through dedicated Christians in all groups of believers, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is the rule of God, which has as its final goal the overcoming of every force which resists God’s will. The Kingdom of God now manifests itself in daily life through Christ’s rule in the lives of individual believers, those who have accepted and responded to the claims of God’s Kingdom through Christ. The Church, while not identical with the Kingdom of God, is a present manifestation of it. The Kingdom of God will be consummated when Christ comes again.

Eternal Life

We believe eternal life begins here in this world, when one comes into a transforming, saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It means also life after death for all ages to come. Eternal life further means a certain kind of life, a quality of life which God imparts to those who become Children of God. Those who have rejected Christ as Savior and Lord are eternally separated from Christ and thus are excluded from the everlasting bliss reserved for those who have accepted the love and forgiveness of God revealed in Christ.