PHIL 1317 Crabill final exam
probationary hiring periods (and the reason for them)
we the owners not allowing employees ownership in company for a period of time to learn and understand more about their investment, free-trial for work
centralized vs. distributed systems (and examples)
Raworth Centralized vs distributed Energy: Power plant= centralized; solar panels on every house = distributed Manufacturing: centralized = factory; distributed = 3D printing
ecological systems as a model for economic systems
Raworth/ -Ecological economics is a transdisciplinary field of study whose fundamental premise is that the economic system is embedded within a social system, which is in turn embedded within an ecological system (the biosphere) -economics within social within ecological
Caroline Criado-Perez
unpaid work
democratic capitalism (or property-owning democracy)
we the owners -allows for individuals to have a fair and equal opportunity in the workplace -move through company based on experience and knowledge, not title
differences from traditional companies in structure/culture at the companies profiled
we the owners -ownership/structure- :transparency, full information, disciplinary board, involvement, friendly relationships -business culture:people enjoy work more, are more caring, great environment to be in, skill-building, fruitful
open-book management
we the owners Practice of sharing with employees at all levels of the organization vital information previously meant for management's eyes only.
Louis Kelso's invention of employee stock ownership programs (ESOPs)
we the owners Provides employees with stock, making them part-owners of the company; provides incentives for loyalty, consistency, etc
the sub-minimum wage loophole in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
-Ramchandani -With the idea of family farms in mind, Fair Labor Standards Act allows a farm to hire children of any age even though other industries have minimum child age requirements -Children can be paid less than minimum wage for 90 days after they are hired, intended to account for training/other difficulties involved with hiring children -Wages are earned based on amount produced so children struggle to produce as much as adults
non-innovative business strategies (buying old drugs; "evergreening"; "charities")
-spinello "Charities" -Half of the 20 or so largest charities in the US are funded by drug companies -Help people by drugs they couldn't really afford in order to drive up their sales "Evergreening" -is any of various legal, business, and technological strategies by which producers (often pharmaceutical companies) extend the lifetime of their patents that are about to expire in order to retain revenues from them. this is done so by making a slight change in packing or something in order to make a new patent
the innovation argument for high prices (and why it doesn't apply in many cases)
-spinello excessive cost of developing new drugs, high risk = high reward -doesnt apply to raising the prices of old drugs
the knowledge gap vs. the desirability gap vs the action gap (re: inequality)
Dan Ariely knowledge gap: -how do we educate people? -How do we get people to think differently about inequality and the consequences of inequality in terms of health, education, jealousy, crime rate, and so on? desirability gap: -How do we get people to think differently about what we really want? -How do we implement that to a higher degree on a more extensive scale? the action gap: - How do we take these things and actually do something about it?
blind taste testing and the veil of ignorance
Dan Ariely know nothing about your individual tastes. go in blind/open minded
"essential" vs. non-essential employees
Graeber -essential: sanitation, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, people who if they went away society would crumble -non essential: usually paid well, respected, image of success, like management, marketing, entertainment, retail, cosmetic (spa, nail lash)
"bullshit" jobs vs. shit jobs
Graeber/Wallace !-Shit jobs are jobs that no one wants to do because they are crummy and 2-bullshit jobs are jobs in which the person doing it believes that it shouldn't exist.
how working less can boost productivity)
Graeber/Wallace -Reducing working hours leads to greater focus -working short days and weeks increases productivity
Graeber's taxonomy of the 5 types of bullshit jobs (and why they exist)
Graeber/Wallace 1-Flunkies-- people who are there to make someone else look good (ex. someone who passes emails, receptionist at a publishing firm since nobody calls) 2-Goons-- people you need because other people have them (ex. army, corporate lawyers, telemarketers) 3-Duct tapers--fix problems that do not need to exist (ex. hiring someone to deal with damage instead of just fixing the problem) 4-Box tickers-- allow an organization to say they're doing something they're not actually doing (ex. do interviews and collect data on unimportant topics) 5-Task masters--middle management, supervise people who don't need supervising, and make up new bullshit jobs
Why do the 5 types of bullshit jobs exist?
Graeber/Wallace Political pressures from both the left and the right to create jobs Managers/CEOs are judged based on how many people work for them.
the moralization of work (even when it's unproductive)
Graeber/Wallace Puritan idea of work -work should be something we don't really like doing and we end up doing it for longer than we'd prefer -(praiseworthy, builds character) -work seen as an end instead of a means to an end -working is taken as a moral value or duty. -not working is lazy and bad
autocratic vs democratic workplace structures
Hamel -Autocratic leadership has only one person that has the authority to make decisions and takes very little to no inputs from other groups. -Democratic leadership allows everyone to participate in decision making.
self-management
Hamel Morning star Freedom\responsibility No one has power over you. flattens out organizations and makes individuals accountable to their personal job responsibility, rather than a boss at corporate
how various ethical theories would evaluate different workplace structures
Hamel Utilitarianism and Kantianism would both support the self-management workplace structure -Utilitarians like that more employees overall are happier versus a traditional workplace strucuture, and -kantian would also approve because the intentions behind self-managment is to benefit the employees.
advantages and disadvantages of worker self-management
Hamel advantages: -self-incentivized work yields more efficiency and collaboration, workers stake in their own progress Disadvantages: -promoting the transition, people withholding ideas to conform to team norms ("groupthink") -unmotivated workers have little supervision and might not be held accountable, less workplace pressure from hierarchy of company
rough equality of power as a precondition for freedom from domination
Hearn at el rough equality of power is a precondition for freedom from domination; - power should be widely distributed and decentralized (it is morally just, it is epistemically reliable, it promotes the common good)
what the consumer welfare standard leaves out (especially re: workers and competitors)
Hearn et al - effects on competitors (barriers to entry) - other companies may create regulations, undercut, buy competition, cloning - monopsonies (1 buyer)
examples of barriers to entry (or "gatekeeping") that dominant firms erect
Hearn et al -Licensing requirements -undercutting, buy outs -cloning, -government regulation, -start up cost, -technology, -economies of scale
public gatekeepers vs. private gatekeepers
Hearn et al -public:government regulations -private:large businesses imposing red tape on smaller entry level companies
the problems with concentrated power (political, social, and economic)
Hearn et al allows dominant firms to exploit customers and employees and take their power and protection
the link between the consumer welfare standard and market concentration
Hearn et al one is the reason for the other and brings antitrust laws because the market concentration are the monopolies and the consumer welfare standard is the idea that -we should take into account the effect monopolies have on consumers
intolerable risks and "maximin" reasoning
John Rawls -When viewing society behind the veil of ignorance, there are some outcomes that would be viewed as intolerable and not worth the risk of joining the society. -The person would use "maximin" reasoning, which is trying to make the best situation out of the worst circumstances
justice as fairness vs. FOUR other conceptions of justice
John Rawls -fairness: conveys the idea that principles of justice are agreed to in initial situation. -equality: the belief that everyone should get the same kind/amount of stuff. -need based: everyone gets what they need. -merit based: everyone gets what they deserve. -social harmony: everyone fufills their proper roll
equality of opportunity and the moral arbitrariness of starting points
John Rawls -giving people an equal chance to succeed -The situation you are born into is completely random and arbitrary and is not under your control in any way, yet it provides a huge advantage or disadvantage to success
social contract theories of political legitimacy
John Rawls -legitimacy of government depends on the consent of the governed
the Difference and Opportunity Principles
John Rawls Difference: Only permits inequalities in favor of the worst off Opportunity: Offices/positions should be open to any individual, regardless of social background, ethnicity, or sex
Rawl's "veil of ignorance" thought experiment
John Rawls a thought experiment in which one, before they are born, having no information about themselves (their social status, race, intelligence, etc), must decide how they would want society to be constructed. It is designed to lead to the natural conclusion by anyone that they would want to be born into a society in which the lowest class of people is the best off, in order to minimize the risk to themselves.
the business model of fast fashion (quick response, dynamic assortment, social media)
Kollbrunner -direct quick delivery instead of maintaining expensive stores the intensive use of online tools to identify trends -constant new products -an automated analysis of purchases and movements within the app -relying on influencers in a big way
the problem of working conditions
Kollbrunner -no emergency exits/barred windows -fail to comply with even the most basic safety standards.
how subcontracting gives plausible deniability to brands
Kollbrunner -subcontracting allows Shein to pass off responsibility for any accidents or outstanding wage payments. -no social security -no working contracts -no insurance
the problem of environmental impact (fast fashion)
Kollbrunner -these clothes are made out of oil and release so much CO2 emmisions -clothes are trends so they cycle through consumers closets quickly -so much waste
patents as a right vs. patents as a trade-off
Long -as a right:claim of ownership over law of nature. yours for as long as you want; pass off to children -as a tradeoff: granted temporary rights to encourage as much innovation as possible and the most benefit to society
The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (and HHI scores)
Meagher -determines concentration of market power, % monopolization of an industry
monopolies (and oligopolies) vs. monopsonies (and oligopsonies)
Meagher -monopoly:1 seller -oligopoly:few sellers -monopsony:1 buyer -oligopsonie: few buyers
the "right to repair" (R2R) movement
Paul right to repair is proposed legislation that would provide the practical means for equipment owners to repair their devices.
the "scapegoat" fallacy vs. the widespread lack of R2R
Paul -scapegoat fallacy; the practice of gatekeeping the r2r is super widespread -not unique to one company-if one company changes their policies nothing will change -cant blame one company; it is implemented in multiple industries -
examples of companies fighting the right to repair
Paul John Deere Draconian restrictions on tractors, when farmers purchase there are certain terms where if you violate they can revoke your use of it Farmers cannot do their own repairs
why companies deny consumers the right to repair (and how it hurts consumers)
Paul companies make much more money off of consumers by not allowing them to repair their own devices
the "doughnut" graph (and the twin dangers of shortfall and overshoot)
Raworth -a visual framework for sustainable development - combining the concept of planetary boundaries with the complementary concept of social boundaries. -Shortfalls (too little) and overshoot(too much) in the Doughnut show the social foundation and ecological ceiling, encompassing a safe and just space for humanity. When making economic choices you need to consider both the social and ecological externalities
Elizabeth's Anderson's concept of private government (vs. public government)
Public government--far more rights Private Government (entity)--private businesses/employers
applying the 3 tests for coercion to child labor in tobacco farming
Ramchandani -Alternatives: No, to have children working these difficult, dangerous jobs especially without fair compensation would never be accepted by the children/their guardians if alternatives were available. -bargaining power: No, children are dependents and thus do not have power or information. Also, many of their families face difficulties with lack of citizenship and may not have information and bargaining power given their position. market efficiency alienation- they treat these workers and children poorly and do not give them bathrooms or water so they do not care.
the intended purpose of sub-minimum wage law vs. its effects in practice
Ramchandani -To provide the opportunity of work to the influx of wounded veterans returning from World War 2. -what actually happened was the exploration of labor for little pay for disabled people.
health and safety risks to tobacco workers
Ramchandani Risks associated with dangerous machinery, hot working conditions with few breaks and little food and water, Green Tobacco Sickness, exposure to pesticides and nicotine, heavy loads, no access to healthcare facilities etc.
the farm exemption for child labor in the FLSA
Ramchandani With the idea of family farms in mind, Fair Labor Standards Act allows a farm to hire children of any age even though other industries have minimum child age requirements
applying the 3 tests of coercion to sheltered workshops
Ramchandani reasonable alternatives- not a lot of companies hire disabled people so no they do not. bargaining power- they have no bargaining power because they are not taken seriously market efficiency alienation- employers do not care about their disabled employees because they pay them like they are less of a person
Raworth's 5 areas of opportunity
Raworth 1)Land 2)Ideas -anti-commons vs the commons -Commons: available to everyone -anti-commons: you or someone owns it and has the rights to it (physically land or copyright ideas) 3)Money -Complementary currency and block chain policies (bitcoin, etherium) 4)Robots Going to hit the least well off the hardest, self driving trucks (bye bye truck drivers) 5)labor
the social, political, ecological, and economic costs of inequality
Raworth/ -inequality increases ill health and health spending and reduces the educational performance of the poor. -These two factors lead to a reduction in the productive potential of the work force. -At a macroeconomic level, inequality can be a brake on growth and can lead to instability.
the "Kuznetsk curve" (and why it's flawed)
Raworth/ as an economy develops, market forces first increase and then decrease economic inequality -flaw:economic inequality did not decrease
advantages and disadvantages of employee ownership
perotin Advantages: Workers have the power within the company; increased loyalty to company -Disadvantages: Decision making, raising money
Zephyr Teachout
arbitration
Hearn et al.
consumer welfare
how the companies profiled responded to infections among employees
covid hidden toll - they aren't giving any employees any protective gear -they did nothing to protect their employees -companies actually suspended employees for wearing a face mask -they fired employees who were sick and stayed home -had them keep working even tho they were sick
the 3 tests for coercion as applied to agricultural workers (esp. during a pandemic)
covid hidden toll -reasonable alternatives: these workers are usually undocumented and are living paycheck to paycheck without opportunity for other employment -bargaining power:these employees have no bargaining power with the people they work for they usually are not even hired by them. Other third parties hire them. -market efficiency alienation: its been proven that the company has no sympathy for employees because they do not provide masks.
actual rates of infection vs. what was required to be publicly reported
covid hidden toll actual- dozens of cases reported- ONE case
Criado Perez's proposed reforms to GDP and care work
criado-perez - include housework cause it will increase GDP - cannot include care work, but can increase it through investing in social infrastructure - universal pre-k, universal childcare - make it easy as possible for people to work
possible sources of unjust employment discrimination (and potential remedies)
criado-perez - race, gender, criminal history, ethic name - remedies: blind interviews, fake names, no name, only looking at qualifications
the value of unpaid care work (and its impact on GDP and the gender pay gap)
criado-prez - higher value than previously noted - not amounted for in GDP, if it was, there would be an increase in total nations GDP -Woman's work/house work is not accounted for in GDP -Woman do a lot of unpaid work -Estimated value is about a quarter of the US GDP -Penalty for women who cant enter the work force: Cant earn an income or pension
employment segregation (and its effects on compensation)
criado-prez -the concentration of one particular group of people to a particular job -Highly gendered professions nurse=woman
the unadjusted vs adjusted gender pay gap (including unpaid work and segregation)
criado-prez -unadjusted pay gap measure provides a 'raw figures' on the average differences -adjusted pay gap measures the pay gap after adjusting for various factors such as type of occupation, education and experience that might influence the pay gap
Ramchandani
disabled//sub pay//child labor
Kate Raworth
doughnut economics
Richard A. Spinello
drug pricing
Liberty Principle (Rawls)
each individual has an equal right to basics liberties
Virginie Pérotin
employee ownership Mondragon
"COVID's Hidden Toll"
examines how the COVID crisis has hit vulnerable immigrants and undocumented workers. The documentary follows the coronavirus pandemic's invisible victims, including crucial farm and meat-packing workers who lack protections and have been getting sick.
the right to information vs consultation vs consent
hamel// -information: every person has the right to request access to information. people can't self-manage without access -consultation: consult as many people as possible before making a decision but in the end the decision is on you -consent: the right to give or deny consent to decisions that affect or involve oneself
Paul Hawken
hawk=ecosystem=natural capital
linear vs. circular economic models
hawken -linear economy: we mine raw materials that we process into a product that is thrown away after use -circular economy: we close the cycles of all these raw materials. Closing these cycles requires much more than just recycling. It changes the way in which value is created and preserved, how production is made more sustainable and which business models are used
full cost accounting as a solution to the problem of externalities
hawken -true cost -Accounting for complete cost of service or impact including environment -incorporating natural resources and the externalities into the cost -incorporate effects that could happen to third parties (ex future generations)
the value of natural capital (esp. ecosystem services)
hawken Natural capital: Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. -the value is the services they provide; feed us, protect us, heal us, let us breathe etc The problem is that businesses abuse natural resources and we don't recognize their value
examples of what GDP includes and what it leaves out
hawken includes- gdp includes money transactions n the assumption money changing hands=growth leaves out- losses. need to subtract from revenue to calculate if were getting ahead or behind
Robert Bork and the consumer welfare standard of antitrust
hearn et al -the bigger companies get the more efficient they become so prices could become lowered -we shouldn't fear monopolies they aren't always a bad thing
Dan Ariely
income inequality think of the video
the tragedy of the anti-commons
long -a single resource has few owners, each of whom has a right to exclude others from its use or exploit the resource (price) - example: when companies have a right to vaccine production and distribution, some entities may be left out from receiving vaccines because of the price distributors set
Long's historical, ethical, economic, and information-based arguments
long -historical:patents have been used so that creators have a right to their inventions -ethical:unethical to restrict others from creating their own products even when it is similar to other people's -economic:often creates a state of monopolistic competition when patents are used and does not foster innovation -information based:...?
the argument from diminished incentive (and counterexamples)
long economic incentive to produce useful inventions in the arts and sciences is undermined if creators aren't allowed to (temporarily) control and profit from them
Michelle Meagher
market concentration/power
examples of market concentration in major industries (think of the scary diagram)
meager - search engine: top 4 = 98.5% - arcade, food, & entertainment complexes: top 4 = 96.2% - satellite TV providers: top 4 = 94.5%
Meagher's "Excess Power Standard" of antitrust enforcement
meager -instead of looking at prices look for if monopolies are able to coerce consumers and the market power they hold
graeber/wallace
non essential jobs vs essential jobs (if the job was taken away would society crash)
Roderick T. Long
patents
the absence of evidence linking CEO pay and company performance
perotin -just because the ceo makes 6 figures does not mean productivity is good
consumer vs producer vs worker vs multi-stakeholder co-operatives (and examples)
perotin Consumer- Gives consumers a vote. Producer- Producers in control and reap benefits. Worker- Financial incentive for workers. Multi-stakeholder- Blend of stakeholders have control
self-management vs employee ownership (and how they don't necessarily overlap)
perotin Self-management- has to do with employees at work managing themselves and their tasks employee ownership- employees have stake in the company (ESOPS) and are partial owners
the political-economic consistency argument for workplace democracy
perotin Workplace democracy has positive impact in terms of productivity and profitability
Kari Paul
right to repair
Gary Hamel
self management
kollbrunner
shein
"essential" vs "non-essential" medicines
spinello -essential medicines: are life saving, life supporting and life changing (insulin) -non essential: do not meet the priority healthcare needs of the population (Advil)
what a competitive drug market should look like vs what the US market looks like
spinello -should be: Pharma companies competing to get drugs approved then bought and distributed by government at a reasonable cost. LOTS OF SELLERS LOTS OF BUYERS -how it is: no barriers and the companies sell directly to the patients at high prices. FEW SELLERS LOTS OF BUYERS
alternative models and possible solutions to the problem of drug pricing
spinello alternative- a consumer+producer mutually benefitting relationship solutions- government regulation, price ceilings
utilitarian, Kantian, and Rawlsian evaluations of drug pricing in the US
spinello kant: using people as mere means and non coercion. people have liberties and the reason behind drug companies prices is profit=immoral. Rawls: -theory of justice to defend the patent system against charges that it has an unfair effect on access to medications. -Veil of ignorance: high drug prices would not be the best situation for the worst off. Utilitarian: maximum people benefit from low drug prices
forced arbitration (what it is, why it was created, and who it covers)
teach out When a third party has to separate a disagreement between two other parties(mediator) -large companies like to use this with their emloyees because they can afford legal fees and will most likely win a court battle versus an employee so it forces employees into arbitration.
the harms to workers and consumers from binding arbitration
teachout -consumers and employees win less often -receive lower payout than they would in court
the absence of Constitutional rights vis-à-vis private employers
teachout Public: first(freedom of speech etc.) and fourth amendments(no search and seizure) Private: Not many protections, can be fired for speaking your opinions as long
"We the Owners"
worker co-operatives, employee stock programs, workplace democracy
