Think about the way people read Marx in Russia. The nobles saw a warning about the devastation capitalism caused. The middle class rid a message of inevitability. On Wed, Jan 23, 2002 at 09:07:49AM -0500, gerald_a_levy wrote: > Re Michael P's [6403]: > > > The first time I taught Marxian economics, 3 decades ago, I had an MBA > > student tell me that the class was the most useful business class that he > > every had. I don't know what happened to him. > > He probably went on to become a very successful business manager. > > Let's consider some essential lessons from a managerial perspective that a > student might be able to draw from taking a class in Marxian economics: > > -- It's 'us' (management) vs. 'them' (the workers); > > -- Minimize per unit costs of production as a means of increasing > firm profit margins; > > -- Screw workers! To wit: > > * pay workers the lowest possible wages; > * offer workers the least possible benefits; > * increase working hours, if possible and up to a certain point; > * deskill workers if possible; > * divide workers and oppose unionization and unions; > * increase the intensity of work (speed-up) wherever possible. > > -- comprehend the ethic of the marketplace: profit maximization > no matter who else or what else in society is hurt. > > -- on matters of common interest, enter into agreement with other > capitalists (e.g. join lobbying associations). > > etc. etc. > > It might be interesting then to have some kind of follow-up survey > to find out what percentage of students who took classes in Marxian > or radical political economy then went on to use that knowledge > against the working class. It might even be interesting to know how > many students have been paid by government intelligence agencies > to take classes in Marxian economics. > > A 'radical' in management, from my experience, can be a worker's > worst enemy: I remember a Dean at a SUNY college who thought > of himself as a Marxist (and who was at the time a sympathizer of the > CPUSA) who did everything possible to screw workers including > mass firings of minority faculty and other 'troublemakers'. This just > goes to show that a little knowledge in the wrong hands is very > dangerous. > > Some of the above lessons are not really learned in business classes > because of the ideological camouflage in the texts (instead, I think these > lessons are learned by most managers in practice on-the-job). Thus classes > in Marxian economics have great advantages for potential business managers. > > In solidarity, Jerry > > > > > -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael@ecst.csuchico.edu
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