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David Miao
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Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 6, 2006 - 12:45 AM
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As many of us know many businesses especially companies that produce material goods use child labours or illegal ways to produce their goods. Should the government intervene and control how businesses operate?
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Issy
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 6, 2006 - 07:01 AM
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Not only would i say that the government SHOULD have more say over how big businesses operate, I would say its imperative that they do so.
Whether a government is Democratic, Dictatorial, or whatever most governments do what they do in the best interests of the people as they see it.
Big Business doesn't have peoples best inerests at heart, they have their own interests at heart. Business is making money, in order for them to do that, we have to spend it, whether we need it or not, whether we can afford to or not, and in the case of alot of products whether its bad for us or not.
Business spend millions and million of euros each year on advertising so that every day of our lives the average person will be subjected to hundereds of advertisements, each one telling us that we must have the product. No one, not one single person is unaffected by this constant barrage. Everyone has their weaknesses that they know they should be weary of, smoking, drinking, video games, make-up, jewlery, sweets-candy, etc, and businesses know this too, our governments offer little or no protection against this onslaught and who can blame them when big business will help fund sports stadiums, town centres, presidential campaigns! and all they ask in return is the stadium to be named after them, their advertisments all over the town centre, tax breaks from the incoming president!
Yes governments should offer protection against business, but they also need to realise they need to protect themselves; how many countries have a business man as their prime minster or president? Well the most powerful country in the wolrld's leader started in the Texas oil business, after graduating Yale University and Harvard Business School. And we all know the questions raised about who's interests he has at heart.
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Hayk
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 6, 2006 - 12:25 PM
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Modern tendency is to a more laissez-faire policy towards especially big corporate players and those who rejoice economies of scale.
However, I do believe governments must play a regulatory role from time to time, especially towards local incipient or would-be businesses, or businesses in the domains, which have a special political or strategic role such as defense industry (especially in the US).
Japan, being in ruins in 1950s, thanks to a hybrid approach of capitalism from one side and defensive economy from the other managed to become the secodn biggest economy in the world just in 50 years. The all famous Toyota model of Just-In-Time (JIT) or an infamous Japanese management system being flagrant examples of how to blend defensive (by government), traditional and capitalistic approaches to carve a unique system.
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Luke Lieberman
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 6, 2006 - 02:07 PM
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it depends on the country - in places ike Venesuela and Cuba - even China I think they should have considerably LESS influence
And child labor is a big problem in China despite the government involvement
in places like the US perhaps a bit more regulation than now.
but you have to be careful - too much regulation hurt bussiness and hurts the economy - less money all around - including for those at the low end of the pay scale
more unemployment.
look at France - they are in serious economic trouble - unemployment is so high among the youth that they are torching cars and beating up cops.
and heavy govenrment regulation is partly responsible for companies reluctance to higher.
places like the US - the government actually has great power to regulate bussiness - it is a matter of excersizing it.
obviously labor practices are regulated - overtime hours, labor age, descrimination etc.
and for instance if you look at how NYC just made it illegal for resteraunts to use Trans-fat in cooking.
which is pretty heavy regulation.
but there are other industries where it does not excersize this power - primarily because of the influence of lobbiests.
especially where the environment is concenred -
now that Barbra Boxer is chariing the Environmental Committte in the Senate I expect this will also change.
This post was edited on: 2006-12-06 at 02:09 PM by: luke
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David Miao
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 7, 2006 - 12:05 AM
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Many governments place regulations down but they do not enforce them. I believe that when a large corporation, which claims to be a person by law, acts in a manner that abuses others human rights that governments should intervene.
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That guy
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 8, 2006 - 12:43 PM
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luke wrote:
it depends on the country - in places ike Venesuela and Cuba - even China I think they should have considerably LESS influence
And child labor is a big problem in China despite the government involvement
in places like the US perhaps a bit more regulation than now.
but you have to be careful - too much regulation hurt bussiness and hurts the economy - less money all around - including for those at the low end of the pay scale
more unemployment.
look at France - they are in serious economic trouble - unemployment is so high among the youth that they are torching cars and beating up cops.
and heavy govenrment regulation is partly responsible for companies reluctance to higher.
places like the US - the government actually has great power to regulate bussiness - it is a matter of excersizing it.
obviously labor practices are regulated - overtime hours, labor age, descrimination etc.
and for instance if you look at how NYC just made it illegal for resteraunts to use Trans-fat in cooking.
which is pretty heavy regulation.
but there are other industries where it does not excersize this power - primarily because of the influence of lobbiests.
especially where the environment is concenred -
now that Barbra Boxer is chariing the Environmental Committte in the Senate I expect this will also change.
This post was edited on: 2006-12-06 at 02:09 PM by: luke
Luke, you are mostly right but I disagree with you about when the government should step in, especially with the trans fats issue. This stuff is not a natural chemical, and the human body can't handle it safely. I think that corporations lose their rights when they endanger human life for profit, and I suspect you would say the same thing. However, I also think the government should protect the consumer even if its partly the consumer's fault for buying a product that is known to be dangerous. If nothing else the cost of health care for the morons who eat at McDonalds every day justifies this, and we can't just let them all die of heart attacks at 40. Can we?
You may also find this article interesting. KFC and others are already voluntarily changing their recipes so they won't include trans fat even before more cities ban trans fat:
Link to USA Today article
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Cicero
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 10, 2006 - 08:04 AM
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Well i support Free economy, which inevitable leads towards Free society..
Yet, we have to be ready to re-solve negative effects like child labor (which falls into severe human rights violations).
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Issy
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 11, 2006 - 07:11 AM
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How does Free Ecomomy lead to a Free Society. If you take the poster child of 'Free' Economy The USA are you telling me you see a free society?
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Luke Lieberman
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 15, 2006 - 08:28 PM
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A free ecomonmy means people can pursue their dreams - they are free to pursue their interests - you want to open a resteraunt - open it. You want to make a movie - make it.
And yes - the US is as free a society as exists in this world.
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Khalid
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 20, 2006 - 08:14 AM
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Davidmiao wrote:
As many of us know many businesses especially companies that produce material goods use child labours or illegal ways to produce their goods. Should the government intervene and control how businesses operate?
two aspects must be kept in mind: when the problem of fundamental rights arise the secondary gaols of free economy must not be observed. so to prevent child labour govt. must interfere and stop it.
but: in certain under developed and developing countries where no social security system is operative, how could u stop children from working? thousands of them fed thousands of families, when u stop them from working means to compel thousands of families to live in hunger with no shelter.
so a balance is necessary.
i therfore favour a balanced Govt. interference in the business methods.
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Charles Candelario
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
December 28, 2006 - 12:22 PM
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yeah to have more jobs!
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hekatea
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Re: Should the government have more say in how businesses operate?
January 3, 2007 - 11:53 PM
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Well, if the government is trustworthy enough. I mean, if the government protects the interest of the people and not the businessmen.
Sometimes, government officials are the one who handle big corporations. Will they protect the interest of the workers or just themselves?
What should be done is to create and implement laws that protect the interest of both the people and the business owners. When there is a conflict of interest, the people should always be the top priority.
What happens is that government engage in businesses only to create jobs. But what is a job that does not make a living?
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