capitalism, by definition, is a stupid and foolish human system
POSTED BY: 1kiki
UPDATED: Monday, January 13, 2025 18:50
VIEWED: 28147
PAGE 6 of 28
Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:Quote:
Originally posted by GEEZER:
Kiki states that the only motivation for a capitalist is making profit
If you don't make profit above & beyond your competitors, you risk a hostile takeover. Making profit is #1 for Capitalism, like breathing is #1 for Humans.
All capitalists do NOT do absolutely the minimum for their employees and communities. But they are risking much by doing good. Which in these economic times makes them less pure Capitalists & more good business people.
Good business people will fail in the EconoWars.
Hmm.
Then this article can't be true.
Quote:
Starbucks to pay college fees for US staff
Starbucks offers US employees the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree
US coffee chain firm Starbucks will pay college fees for US workers to complete a bachelor's degree online in a tie-up with Arizona State University.
US employees of the firm who work at least 20 hours a week are eligible for the Starbucks College Achievement Plan.
Starbucks staff who are successfully enrolled will receive partial tuition for the first two years, and full tuition for their final two years.
The annual fee for online courses at the university can exceed $10,000.
After they've completed their bachelor's degree, the employees are not obligated to return to employment with Starbucks.
Starbucks staff looking to attend college online at Arizona State University (ASU) can choose from about 40 programmes including business, engineering, education and retail management.
'New precedent'
In a statement posted on its website, the university said the initiative was designed to 'support the nearly 50% of college students in the United States today who fail to complete their degrees due to mounting debt, a tenuous work-life balance and a lack of support.'
In that same statement, Howard Schultz, chairman and president at Starbucks said: "There's no doubt, the inequality within the country has created a situation where many Americans are being left behind. The question for all of us is, should we accept that, or should we try and do something about it.
Supporting our partners' ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make. Everyone who works as hard as our partners do should have the opportunity to complete college, while balancing work, school and their personal lives."
Debt load
In addition to the financial aid, students who are admitted under the college plan will also have a dedicated enrolment coach, financial aid counsellor and academic advisor to support them through graduation.
Michael M. Crow, President at the Arizona State University said that Starbucks was "establishing a new precedent for the responsibility and role of a public company that leads through the lens of humanity and supports its partners' life goals with access to education."
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27863656
"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."
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Geezer, you asked me a question and I answered. Have you no opinion to offer? Or are you going to bail on it because - yanno - you have no answer?
OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.
"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."
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Quote:Left wing fantasy nonsense.
Originally posted by Geezer:
Then this article can't be true.
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Chris,isall
I actually took a look at their programs. http://asuonline.asu.edu/online-degree-programs/undergraduate There were lots of english, history, business, management, communication, art and other 'soft' degrees (33 by my count). There were only three areas where people might get well-paying degree-related jobs afterwards - nursing, computer, and electrical engineering.
Now, the nursing degree would be some trick to get online, as it requires hands-on training. But looking closer, it's an RN to BSN conversion - you already have to have had your practical instruction. The computer-related degrees are non-accredited. The electrical engineering is accredited and I think is do-able online (unlike chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences which require hands-on instruction), but then I read the reviews of said program. How many years, how many transcripts, and how many fees do you think it takes to get enrolled? Take your wildest guess and I don't think it would be bad enough.
Now, the online EE degree is ~550 per credit hour, or for a modest course load of 4 classes per semester, over 17,000 per year. Of that, Starbucks promises to pay 'some' for the first two years. How much? Not sure. $100 would be 'some'. You could take advantage of the Starbucks offer and still end up with lots of debt.
There's the tie-in to ASU online degrees specifically. If people had their choice of university and program it would be, I think a far more meaningful - and helpful - offer. (it also makes me wonder what mutual agreements have been worked out between the two entities.)
And finally, I wonder if it's been arranged to be at least a partial write-off for Starbucks. After all, this is a business that took a huge hit after 2008, 'Starbucks to cut up to 12,000 jobs, close 600 stores' in 2008, and 'Starbucks Will Close 300 More Stores' and 'Starbucks to cut up 6700 jobs, close more stores as profit falls' in 2009.
It's far far FAR less than Geezer makes it out to be. Considering the average worker makes the minimum wage or slightly above http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Starbucks-Salaries-E2202.htm the workers there would be better off with a pay increase.
OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.
"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."
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AH, the REAL reason Starbucks is being so 'generous' - unionization
Why are Starbucks Workers Joining a Union?
Starbucks Workers Need to>Rise Out of Poverty
The idea that Starbucks workers are paid fairly is a myth created by the company’s public relations machine. Starbucks workers in the United States earn as little $7 or $8 per hour depending on the location.
On top of the low wage, every single barista in the United States is part-time and not guaranteed any work hours per week. For example, a Starbucks employee can get 35 hours of work one week, 22 hours the week after, and 10 hours the following week. Combine the low-wage with the fluctuating hours and you get a very bleak financial picture for Starbuck workers despite Starbucks’ $23 billion market value and rapid growth. Apparently, a net worth of over a billion dollars is not enough for Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz.
Starbucks Workers Deserve Health Care Coverage
The single greatest myth constructed by Starbucks about working for the company involves health care. But in reality Starbucks is far from being a leader in employee health care. Starbucks insures a lower percentage of its workforce than Wal-Mart a company rightly condemned for its poor health care policies. Starbucks’ 42% is not only worse than Wal-Mart’s 47%, it’s also worse than the industry average!
The barriers to health care for employees are two-fold. First, employees must work 240 hours per quarter to qualify to purchases health care through the company. Keep in mind however, that with no full-time workers and no guaranteed work hours, qualifying to purchase health care is far from assured. Second, workers must pay significant premiums, co-pays, and deductibles to participate in the health care plan. The poverty pay package makes these out-of-pocket expenses a difficult proposition indeed.
Starbucks Workers Require a Sufficiently Staffed and Safe Working Environment
Starbucks baristas work at a relentless pace to meet extraordinary customer demand. If management scheduled an appropriate numbers of workers on the shop floor, workers would not have to work at such an unsafe speed with very hot beverages. The Starbucks work environment is also chock full of ergonomic dangers. The combination of the unduly brisk pace and the ergonomic inadequacies result in repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome for many Starbucks workers.
Starbucks Workers Have a Right to the Respect that Comes With an Independent Voice on the Job
The work life of employees at multinational retailers like Starbucks is characterized by innumerable abuses. Disrespectful managers and managers who treat workers like children are not uncommon. Schedules are often made without consideration for a workers’ need to a healthy sleep schedule. Starbucks requires workers to call around the city to get a shift covered when ill or in bereavement.
Joining a union is how workers exercise their right to free association on the job. The act of standing together with one’s co-workers goes beyond wages and working conditions; solidarity goes to the inherent dignity of working people. A union is how workers have their own voice both on the job and in society. Finally, joining a fighting union is a great way to connect with the global movement for justice.
OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.
"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."
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So hey there Geezer - still no answer?
OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.
"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."
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Good spadework, 1kiki.
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That's allot of info 1kiki. Must have taken a lot of work. Not sure I followed it all but here is my take on Starbucks philosophy.
It used to be a company had to offer a benefits package and retirement plan to attract workers. It sounds like Starbucks is doing just that to get the quality worker it wants. If you want to attract people into your stores who can afford to pay for expensive coffee, which is their bread and butter. It would make sense to hire those with the same qualities as your patrons to work there. You need a way to attract them while offering something less costly to the company like better wages. After all, these will be your future customers and employees so why not indoctrinate them to Starbucks earlier. It’s just business as usual.
Bing Dictionary
at•tract 1.entice somebody: to be appealing enough to make people visit a place or spend their money
I would add work there.
si shen
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Onus probandi
There ya go, hon.
OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.
"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."
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