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We live in an era where the sole purpose of business is to maximize revenue streams.

by sabat 16y ago

philwelch 16y ago
Profit, not revenue. Revenue would be the same regardless of whether they paid this guy for the saw guard or not.
xenophanes 16y ago
Which getting sued for 25million doesn't do...?
ars 16y ago
And? That IS the sole purpose of business. It just so happens that when business does that, it has lots of other benefits - like making things people want, and giving people employment. But don't for a second loose sight of the goal: maximize revenue. There are other entities, like non-profits, and co-ops, which may have other goals, but run like businesses. Edit: I think I mis-read you. Was your comment a reply, or a complaint? If it was a reply, then I apologize for the downmod which I can not reverse. But if it's a complaint, then it's not a valid one - that has always been the goal of a business, our era is not in the slightest different.
- pwhelan 16y ago
  The sole purpose of a business is to represent the interest of the owners. That almost exclusively means maximizing profits over the long term. This is a slightly different but important distinction. I agree with Warren Buffet when he says there is more than enough money to be made ethically and without cutting corners. Don't worry about the downmod ars, I got him.
- anigbrowl 16y ago
  Indeed, but that end does not automatically justify whatever means are employed, a key reason for the lack of well paying ninja jobs. In this case, Home Depot management's short-term greed has resulted in an extra $21 million of liability for the firm's shareholders. In any case, while maximizing revenue is certainly the primary purpose of business as distinct from charitable work, it's not exclusive of other purposes which the founders may decide to pursue in parallel; it's just the easiest outcome to measure.
- sabat 16y ago
  That IS the sole purpose of business. That's the cynical view of this age. If you study history, you'll find that business was considered something that was supposed to benefit society and business owners. Society, the social good, came first.
  - edge17 16y ago
    huh? please elaborate on the specific portion of history you're referring to. If you're referring to any of the historical industrial revolutions, worker conditions tended to be terrible.

We live in an era where the sole purpose of business is to maximize revenue streams.

by sabat 16y ago

We live in an era where the sole purpose of business is to maximize revenue streams.

philwelch 16y ago

Profit, not revenue. Revenue would be the same regardless of whether they paid this guy for the saw guard or not.

xenophanes 16y ago

Which getting sued for 25million doesn't do...?

ars 16y ago

And? That IS the sole purpose of business. It just so happens that when business does that, it has lots of other benefits - like making things people want, and giving people employment. But don't for a second loose sight of the goal: maximize revenue. There are other entities, like non-profits, and co-ops, which may have other goals, but run like businesses. Edit: I think I mis-read you. Was your comment a reply, or a complaint? If it was a reply, then I apologize for the downmod which I can not reverse. But if it's a complaint, then it's not a valid one - that has always been the goal of a business, our era is not in the slightest different.

pwhelan 16y ago
The sole purpose of a business is to represent the interest of the owners. That almost exclusively means maximizing profits over the long term. This is a slightly different but important distinction. I agree with Warren Buffet when he says there is more than enough money to be made ethically and without cutting corners. Don't worry about the downmod ars, I got him.
anigbrowl 16y ago
Indeed, but that end does not automatically justify whatever means are employed, a key reason for the lack of well paying ninja jobs. In this case, Home Depot management's short-term greed has resulted in an extra $21 million of liability for the firm's shareholders. In any case, while maximizing revenue is certainly the primary purpose of business as distinct from charitable work, it's not exclusive of other purposes which the founders may decide to pursue in parallel; it's just the easiest outcome to measure.
sabat 16y ago
That IS the sole purpose of business. That's the cynical view of this age. If you study history, you'll find that business was considered something that was supposed to benefit society and business owners. Society, the social good, came first.
- edge17 16y ago
  huh? please elaborate on the specific portion of history you're referring to. If you're referring to any of the historical industrial revolutions, worker conditions tended to be terrible.