Re: [GreenYes] Re: The need for respectful diagreement / attitudes toward capita listic economies

[Muna Lakhani <muna@iafrica.com>]

Lacaze, Skip wrote:
> 2.   Regarding corporate behavior, I can't think of any really useful way to
> look at corporations except as essentially amoral profit maximizers, perhaps
> distorted in their behavior to some extent by the contrary self interests of
> their managers.  

part of the problem is that the self same managers are measured by
qyuarterly profits, for example, with no thought nor incentive to think
long term at all...

>Every time a company like Interface comes along I have to
> cheer, but that's mostly because they are so rare.  I agree that self
> interest is a great motivator when it leads to desirable ends; zero
> discharge successes are a good example here in Silicon Valley.  But zero
> discharge was only in many firms' best interest after government regulation
> had made the storage, use, and disposal of toxic solvents and other
> chemicals so expensive that alternatives became cost-effective.

sounds like a good example of internalising costs - has this been
written uip, Skip? If so a copy would prove extremely valuable to some
of our struggles here...
 
> It may be that addressing corporate structure and governance is a necessary
> step in achieving a sustainable economy.  Having said that, I will offer an
> alternate source of information and suggest that people interested in this
> subject check it out.

of course, no one seems to question capitalism, "sustainable" or
otherwise, as being part of the problem (now, don't jump on my head -
just a little bit of irony...) but if we accpet the basic tenets, then
it is almost inevitable that, under current application of that
particular economic theory, the ongoing destruction and death will
continue...

to develop ZW economies would go a long way to fixing that problem, but
it will be resisted by all non-sustainable industries, such as fossil,
nuclear, all mining based processes, etc...


> Focus on the Corporation scrutinizes the multinational corporation --
> the most powerful institution of our time. Once a week, it reports and
> comments critically on corporate actions, plans, abuses and trends.
> Written with a sharp edge and occasional irreverence, Focus on the
> Corporation covers:
> 
> * Globalization and corporate power;
> 
> * The double standards which excuse corporations for behavior (e.g.,
> causing injury, accepting welfare) widely considered criminal or
> shameful when done by individuals;
> 
> * Trends in corporate economic blackmail, political influence and
> workplace organization;
> 
> * Industry-wide efforts to escape regulation, silence critics, employ
> new technologies or consolidate business among a few companies;
> 
> * Specific, extreme examples of corporate abuses: destruction of
> communities, trampling of democracy, poisoning of air and water; and
> 
> * The corporatization of our culture.

Essential do good work - good fo you to share, Skip!!

take care all..
Muna


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