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WelcomeWelcome to Life Radio at Resources for Life. Thanks for stopping by. This page provides links to audio features at Resources for Life. |
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200302 - Not Business As Usual [Top Menu]
This month we’re highlighting an NPR broadcast that offers a unique look
into the future of global business.
Capitalism and the free marketplace offer some great opportunities for
prosperity, wealth, and financial freedom. That’s something that we can all
benefit from – as long as people are selfless, conscientious, thoughtful,
self-governing, kind, giving, generous with their employees, concerned about
the environment, and wanting to make the world a better place.
Unfortunately, people don’t always aspire to such altruistic goals and it
seems that when we foster competition and materialism - rather than
cooperation and community - these ideals are quickly eroded.
Some of the drawbacks
to capitalism can be how it fosters unhealthy competition, emphasizes
social status, encourages shallow materialism, and inspires people to
selfish greed. It's no wonder that we've witnessed so much corruption at
every level of capitalist-driven business. Today, Honda is importing more
than cars to the US. Their Japanese approach to cooperative workplace
culture is catching on and becoming a very popular alternative to 'business
as usual.'
"From the president to the newest line worker, they all wear simple white uniforms. There are no reserve parking places. No private offices. And, managers chip in on the production lines. . . . Everyone who has a desk job, be it a vice president or clerk, works in one large open room. The desks are lined up in long rows offering no privacy and no clue about the stature of the people sitting at them. . . . Honda continues to be flooded by job seekers. When it announced an expansion of its Alabama operation late last year, it received ten times as many applicants as there are positions to fill."
Speaking of the assembly line workers, one company manager states, "I can't assemble a vehicle by myself. I need a team of 2400 to do that. Frankly, we look at it as it's their company." Cooperation, rather than competition, seems to be more effective and more profitable than traditionally run businesses. Employees are earning as much as three times more per hour than what they previously earned at other local businesses where upper management and 'fat cats' skim off the top to finance their opulent lifestyles and conspicuous consumption.
These links are configured to be play files in a new browser window (after download). You can also right click and choose to download them to your computer. Users of Apple OSX 10.2 Jaguar can right click and choose to open with the QuickTime player or download. [QuickTime | MP3]
