3 ms·

Barely anyone plans for a pandemic. It does not make business / economic sense.

olyjohn 7y ago
It makes sense now, doesn't it? You don't have to plan for a pandemic specifically. Just any kind of a downturn where you might not be making money for months at a time. It's called an emergency fund. You always hear how people at home should have 6 months worth of expenses saved up in case of emergency. I'm honestly blown away how many businesses don't do the same thing. Basic fucking financials. I understand a bit more if you're a smaller business, with small margins, and you're just getting started. But if you've been in business for years, with tons of money flowing through... and you can't get through a few months, maybe you should go out of business.
- hemogloben 7y ago
  This has been the most frustrating thing for me. The advice for the individual is essentially the exact opposite of the advice for the 'too big to fail'. I understand that the circumstances are different, but it feels frustrating that my accountant would suggest I save 6 months for unforeseen circumstances, but wouldn't provide the same advice to an employer with many people's livelihoods in their hands. That said: Are there any studies on the economic impact of every company hoarding 6 months worth of safety vs the likelihood of that event vs the cost of no company having the safety net during this pandemic?
subaru_shoe 7y ago
It might now that we have seen the effects.
eesmith 7y ago
Sure, but just following regular news I had learned that "Wimbledon paid pandemic insurance for almost 20 years. Now it’s getting $141 million" [1] and a quilt market “... carried [...] expensive protection for years, including a special, and even more costly, clause to protect against infectious diseases. This insurance would have provided the necessary funds to make refunds, which was its primary purpose,” [1] https://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2020/4/8/21214031/wimbledon-canceled-pandemic-insurance-141-million https://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2020/4/8/21214031/wimbledon-... [2] https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilts-inc-will-not-refund-exhibitors-for-cancelled-spring-market/?fbclid=IwAR1ZBz8HKPUM2tcD-4vpTXPt9cPOPwMnyIgjNPUsB9u6ef3xqQEMj7zJrJ4&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilts-inc-will-not-refund... If they can plan for it, surely Harvard can. It's not like Harvard doesn't have any medical experts. You wrote: "It does not make business / economic sense." My question is, what would have happened if Harvard knew they would not get any support money for a pandemic? Would there be a problem without the money? Would that have changed the business / economic sense? That is, it seems like wealthy organizations expect to be bailed out, leading to privatized profit and socialized risk.

It makes sense now, doesn't it? You don't have to plan for a pandemic specifically. Just any kind of a downturn where you might not be making money for months at a time. It's called an emergency fund. You always hear how people at home should have 6 months worth of expenses saved up in case of emergency. I'm honestly blown away how many businesses don't do the same thing. Basic fucking financials. I understand a bit more if you're a smaller business, with small margins, and you're just getting started. But if you've been in business for years, with tons of money flowing through... and you can't get through a few months, maybe you should go out of business.

hemogloben 7y ago
This has been the most frustrating thing for me. The advice for the individual is essentially the exact opposite of the advice for the 'too big to fail'. I understand that the circumstances are different, but it feels frustrating that my accountant would suggest I save 6 months for unforeseen circumstances, but wouldn't provide the same advice to an employer with many people's livelihoods in their hands. That said: Are there any studies on the economic impact of every company hoarding 6 months worth of safety vs the likelihood of that event vs the cost of no company having the safety net during this pandemic?

subaru_shoe 7y ago

It might now that we have seen the effects.

eesmith 7y ago

Sure, but just following regular news I had learned that "Wimbledon paid pandemic insurance for almost 20 years. Now it’s getting $141 million" [1] and a quilt market “... carried [...] expensive protection for years, including a special, and even more costly, clause to protect against infectious diseases. This insurance would have provided the necessary funds to make refunds, which was its primary purpose,” [1] https://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2020/4/8/21214031/wimbledon-canceled-pandemic-insurance-141-million https://www.sbnation.com/tennis/2020/4/8/21214031/wimbledon-... [2] https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilts-inc-will-not-refund-exhibitors-for-cancelled-spring-market/?fbclid=IwAR1ZBz8HKPUM2tcD-4vpTXPt9cPOPwMnyIgjNPUsB9u6ef3xqQEMj7zJrJ4&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilts-inc-will-not-refund... If they can plan for it, surely Harvard can. It's not like Harvard doesn't have any medical experts. You wrote: "It does not make business / economic sense." My question is, what would have happened if Harvard knew they would not get any support money for a pandemic? Would there be a problem without the money? Would that have changed the business / economic sense? That is, it seems like wealthy organizations expect to be bailed out, leading to privatized profit and socialized risk.