Reference no: EM133233254
Assignment:
In the beginning, The Humans needed food, so they hunted and gathered and eventually figured out agriculture. As they got better at agriculture, the surpluses grew beyond their immediate needs for sustenance, and some began to trade for goods that they could not make for themselves. Fast forward to today, and approximately 1% of the people grow the food for the other 99%. The evolution of specialization has spawned a division of labor and a new interdependence in society such that each laborer has opportunity to explore and ultimately exploit their own competitive advantage. Because of this, The Humans now demand much more than food.
Most of The Humans perform labor to earn wages to trade for food and the other goods and services that they demand. Some of The Humans have created The Robots (automated machines, actual robots, computer hardware, software applications, etc.) that do some forms of labor better, faster, and cheaper than The Humans. As a result, the standard of living for The Humans has increased for many. Unfortunately for a large group of The Humans, however, there is now no market for the labor that they prefer to perform. This has caused the various groups within the society of The Humans to develop strategies to try and help The Humans that are displaced from the labor market.
One such idea is called the minimum wage. Another idea is called a national income. In the first case, The Humans have created laws that prevent the price of labor to fall below a certain level. In the second case, The Humans have created laws that are designed to provide all The Humans a certain amount of money in exchange for no labor. Some of the money transfer programs involve specified amounts for food or for health care services. Many of The Humans who perform labor for wages would like to receive similar benefits such as free food or free health care services. Some of them do not earn enough wages from their labor and experience need. Others of The Humans earn plenty of wages from their labor to afford all their needs and wants but do not think it is fair for some to receive and some to not receive.
You are the CEO of BoltonCorp (a fantastical firm that exists only in my own imagination), a multinational firm that operates in 27 countries. Some of your employees live in wealthy societies that have large tax burdens placed on The Humans. Some of your other employees live in poor societies that have little public infrastructure such as safe and effective hospitals and marketplaces. The minimum wage in one of your business units is larger than the maximum wage in one of your other business units! The Humans that you employ are aware that there are unequal conditions, and many are starting to grumble. You are also aware of new technologies involving The Robots (which never grumble) that could be deployed within your firm to lower operating costs in the short-term and eliminate The Humans at almost every level and in almost every unit of your organization.
Answer one or both of the following questions.
Q1: Should you employ The Robots instead of The Humans?
- If no, how will you explain your decision to the board of directors that were hired to monitor your firm and defend shareholder interests?
- If yes, how will you explain your decision to the news media that report on your actions to the entire global society of The Humans?
Q2: Should society make arrangements to alleviate problems caused by employing The Robots instead of The Humans?
- If yes, should the minimum wages, national income, and/or food and health care programs be increased, decreased, or eliminated? Or maybe eliminate The Robots? Any other proposals?
- If no, how do you plan to survive if The Humans riot across the globe?