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> However I do want to note that in general these things do have real concrete negative impacts on the bottomline of the organization. Not true. Sometimes, th
by pcote 11y ago
> However I do want to note that in general these things do have real concrete negative impacts on the bottomline of the organization.
Not true. Sometimes, things that have concrete negative impacts can BENEFIT organizations.
U.S. prisons are just one of many such examples of this. A concrete positive impact would be lower incarceration and re-offending rates. American prisons have the exact opposite effect. This leads to lots of "customers" in the form of prisoners and victims seeking a more abstract "sense of justice".
The American prison system is probably not the only industry with that kind of business model. There are, no doubt, many contexts where a "concrete negative impact" can be very good for the bottomline. It's also an important lesson about making money in general. It's not about creating value. It's about making others pay for your actions regardless of whether or not said actions are "positive".
- humanrebar 11y agoThe customers of prisons aren't prisoners or taxpayers. It's the people who decide to spend money on facilities and salaries.
- vinceguidry 11y ago> Sometimes, things that have concrete negative impacts can BENEFIT organizations. That's a very good point too. If you wander, unaware, into a quest to change something with negative externalities on workers or the public at large but with a positive effect on the business, you'll find yourself suddenly in a minefield of opposition with a target painted on your back and no idea who you've just made enemies of. Tread very carefully.
- ianamartin 11y agoIf you are able to positively identify negative externalities that produce benefits for your company--benefits your company depends on--you shouldn't tread carefully. You should quit your job. Is there no sense of ethics in our profession?
- rplst8 11y agoAnother example of this might be some unreliability in a part once it goes out of warranty.
- JimboOmega 11y agoClassically if doing contract software work, bug-ridden software meant a secure maintenance contract for years to come. Though when I got out of that sort of thing, I recall there being (relatively) new rules requiring a different entity to do the maintenance from the ones that created the software... but my understanding of FAR is basically non-existent, so I don't know.