"Why Did I Write This?"

The Corporation was certainly an intellectual, academic read. I felt Joel Bakan accomplished one of his main goals of appealing to the lay audience. Many of his claims were sufficiently cited with reputable sources, but he also was mindful of not falling into a purely academic monologue. Moreover, despite Bakan’s brief, somewhat unfounded tirades, the novel generally stayed on track and presented what could become a lively, healthy debate on the future of the corporation. On the whole, this book achieved many of the goals it strived to accomplish, all while maintaining a fascinating and entertaining tone.

This novel has taught me to see the ubiquitous, monolithic corporation in a new light. Where before I might have given little thought to the organizations that influence such a large part of my life, The Corporation has caused me to reflect on these goliath consortiums and the effect their growth might have in the future. In addition, Bakan compelled me to open my beliefs up to scrutiny, as well as forced me to reevaluate and reassert my own convictions on many political issues. Even if this book did not entirely sway my thoughts, The Corporation did at least allow me to take a bit of a step back and objectively view the issue without (too much) prejudice.

Overall, it was a great book. However, despite my love of blog-writing, I have just realized that this will be my 13th blog, so I am done. Good assignment though.

Democracy and The Corporate "Citizen"

I think this last presidential election is indicative of an unfortunate growing trend towards unnecessary spending in the American political machine. According to Bloomberg, Obama alone spent $740.6 million on his race in a record-setting year for campaign expenditures. While I understand the necessity for raising funds for campaign activities, I cannot help but notice the irony in terms of both candidates’ platforms of financial restraint and governmental reform. This is not a partisan issue by any means. It is an issue that spans the whole political landscape.

However, just because I believe that political candidates are spending exorbitant amounts on political races does not mean that I also believe the system is broken. This is a growing trend that does not sit well with my financially conservative roots. As technology lowers the cost of communication, I cannot fathom how such large sums can be spent on one single election. But again, even in the most recent presidential race, both candidates acted within the boundaries of the law, and therefore did no legal wrong.

Because of my underlying political beliefs, I feel uncomfortable criticizing the current political situation. This is because I believe that in the course of history, we as citizens have acted in unison to create a body law under which to abide. On countless occasions throughout our history, if a law goes against popular opinion, it is generally changed in a relatively prompt manner. For this reason, I believe that if current laws regarding the political mechanisms and corporations are deemed unfit, they too will be changed.

Yet, I am not so insulated and single-minded as to believe that the corporation is not a unique citizen. Unlike everybody else, the corporation indeed wields substantial and disproportionate power in terms of political influence. The problem is that we have already gone a very long way in giving corporations legal rights. This means that it will be very difficult to enact any legislative change taking these rights away.

I hold that, because the judicial system gave the corporation rights as a “legal citizen,” we must honor those rights if we are to hold any legitimacy as a democracy. However, if corporations prove to truly undemocratic at their core, legal mechanisms still exist to overthrow or rescind rights previously given to them. At this point in time, I think that the corporation has begun to wield more power than people at first expected, and the ramifications of this fact will be a reevaluation of what role citizens in America want corporations to play.

The Two-Sided Corporation

Corporations present humanity with a morally confusing duality. On one hand, the corporation is an economic engine that has already created and spread vast amounts of wealth to much of the Western World. Through both capitalistic and legal mandates, the corporation has acted as precise and ever-efficient system to allocate wealth to shareholders. On the other hand, many people have noted the somewhat troubling practice employed by corporations of externalizing every cost possible in the pursuit of a more attractive bottom line. Overall, the corporation remains a two-sided entity capable of both laudable good and terrible wrongs.

In Natasha Werther’s case, she acknowledges the inherent nastiness of a corporation. Like Bakan notes in The Corporation, it is an organization that pathologically pursues power and profit. As such, often times the worker can be subjugated in these single-minded pursuits. Werther remembers with apprehension the fifteen cameras that constantly monitored the workers rather than the clientele. With this store policy, the corporation is projecting the very same negative aura of distrust and paranoia that causes people throughout the corporate world to consider places like Kinko’s “soulless.” And as Bakan explains, through the organization and legal freedoms of the corporation, this paranoiac, inhuman behavior will continue to persist and oppress stakeholders in the name of the shareholder.

However, despite the many negative aspects of the corporation, financial and economic benefits allow it to persist. For example, a large portion of people in our society work for or with corporations to earn an income and provide for their families. Because corporations are so large, they provide many people with financial backing and a sense of security. In addition, the multi-national corporation allows people to enjoy consistency. For example, McDonald’s will offer a very similar product all over the world, whereas a mom and pop business offers a product that a consumer may have less comfort in purchasing. In general, the monolithic corporation has a few key beneficial aspects, especially the financial security offered by such an enormous business.

When compared to other businesses, a corporation has many unique aspects that present both advantages and drawbacks. An employee of a small business can expect a work environment that is more flexible and relaxed than what potentially might be the norm at a Kinko’s or a Wal-Mart. However, the aforementioned security of a corporation is not necessarily as a prevalent for a person employed by a smaller business. Because of the financial enormity of a corporation, it is better suited to weather economic recessions than a smaller, more localized business. Some employees seek shelter in this more insulated environment. But one must remember that on the whole, this job security is often sacrificed at the cost of a sense of individuality and the potential for greater reward that a smaller company offers.

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."
-Thomas Jefferson

The Enigmatic Corporation

According to Bakan, a corporation is an institution, but even more than that it is a legal institution. More specifically, it is a “unique structure and set of imperatives that direct the actions of people within it.” However, after this cursory definition, Bakan spends the rest of the first chapter discussing the development of the corporation, as well as the form it exists in today. Especially pertinent is his description of the recent events having to do with Enron, Arthur Andersen, and eventually the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

In a historical view, corporations are only a relatively recent phenomenon. Before the 1800s, no real attempts had been made towards the creation of such an organization. However, with the growing capital demands of the Industrial Revolution, the corporation quickly became a necessary and useful tool for economic growth and development. However, as corporations first came about, the unique qualities caused many people to regard them as immoral and somewhat corrupt. This same fear and mistrust was the impetus for Justice Louis Baker to call corporations “Frankenstein monsters.” It is understandable that he and others would regard these purely economic organizations as alien because the very idea behind the corporation is a seemingly unnatural compulsion for shareholder wealth. Before the formation of the corporation, business was conducted on a much more personal level, and the rise of the corporation signaled for many a beginning of a new, odd, and mystifying age of disjointed and inhuman economic interaction. Through the creation of the corporation, the economic engine progressed from a personable, microcosmic experience, to a more removed, artificial, and nonhuman development.

Interestingly, I have never thought deeply about the impact of corporations, or even about their very existence. Now that I have reflected, the whole progression of this type of organization does seem very odd and somehow inhuman. A far cry from the businesses of centuries past, the corporation is at once both an exceedingly efficient economic model and a somewhat troubling societal development. At no other time in history has such a paradoxical mix presented itself to society. On one hand it is an unequaled system for generating wealth and production. On the other, it has pointed flaws and tends to be oblivious in terms of the human aspect of work. Overall, thinking about such a system allows me to readily acknowledge the duality of the corporation, which can act simultaneously as both a benevolent and malevolent societal entity.

Accounting... and Outsourcing?

For Writing Project #2, I am thinking about writing about the onset of technology in the field of accounting. Similar to the computer programmers who we have discussed in class, many lower-skilled accounting roles are being outsourced to places like Bangalore, India. Even a decade ago, the outsourcing of accounting would have seemed unthinkable, but today the practice is growing at breakneck speed.

Staying true to the trends in outsourcing, the accounting work being sent abroad is fairly menial work that consists of simple forms and calculations. Rather than spend the extra money on a trained accountant in the United States, a company can benefit from flawlessly completed work at only a fraction of the price. The only necessity for a foreign business to enter into this growing industry is an understanding of American accounting practices, as well as access to a pool of talented college graduates. As is the pattern in other industries, such a talent pool is readily available in developing countries like China and India.

Another facet of this outsourcing is the timeliness with which Indian and Chinese workers can deliver the work. Because of the time difference, a work contract may be signed late in the work day in America, which is at the beginning of the day in India. Then, as their American counterparts sleep, the Indian accountants are able to diligently finish their contracted work and have it ready at the beginning of the work day in the United States. This symbiotic relationship is extremely beneficial to both sides, and is yet another unforeseen gain yielded from the onset of the technology revolution.

Although this practice is growing in popularity and will no doubt eventually achieve widespread use, there will always be a demand for skilled American accountants as well. Just as Silicon Valley firms must higher senior managers in the United States to maintain business relationships and cultivate new clients, so too must American accounting firms uphold a domestic presence in terms of workers. This fact holds true because in the field of accounting, some work requires an intimate understanding of both the company’s financial status and the state of U.S. tax law at the time. So as a matter of fact, outsourcing will never completely pervade the accounting industry as it exists today.

Overall, this is a striking trend that I must be aware of in the coming years. Because of this trend, I face continually shrinking career opportunities, as well as a changing reality of work as an accountant. If I am to succeed as I graduate college and move into the job market, I must realize and adapt to the changes taking place in the industry.

Outsourcing: A Menace or Savior?

Outsourcing is certainly a new phenomenon, both to the United States and the rest of the world. By its very nature, this unique business strategy is sure to face continued dissent from many Americans. Yet, despite its undesirable and seemingly harmful side effects, I contend that it is just another growing pain to be experienced by the American economy. Following the cycle of many other technological innovations before it (farming machinery, automated factories, etc.), outsourcing is sure to destroy many jobs that existed before its inception. This does not necessarily mean that outsourcing is bad or that it will not lead to greater job growth in the future.

Overall, outsourcing is not solely to blame for the current lack of jobs in the United States. It has been documented that technological breakthroughs such as these contribute only to brief periods of unemployment, during which time workers and companies alike must innovate and adapt. The specific term for this sort of unemployment is “structural unemployment,” and it exists for a relatively short period of time before the economy acclimates to the change and subsequently emerges stronger. Similarly, workers displaced will find new, previously undiscovered niches, where their services are desired and rewarded.

That is not to say that practices like outsourcing do not cause real pain and suffering. Like it was mentioned in the readings, 3.3 million jobs are projected to be lost to firms overseas. These millions of people face staggering losses and real consequences for this paradigm shift. However, this provides the macroeconomy with a vital opportunity to utilize the skills and willingness of these workers in new, unimaginable ways. On one hand, I recognize the toll outsourcing has taken. But on the other, I must applaud its steps toward a more efficient, globalized tomorrow.

A recent book on this topic, The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman, dwells touches on the many perspectives of outsourcing. The sentiments of Friedman throughout the work mirror my own. In it, he acknowledges the pains associated with outsourcing, but also greets its development with enthusiastic optimism. Central to his thesis is the idea that, while old jobs may be lost, new, more cutting edge jobs will crop up in their stead. In this respect, Friedman is looking past the temporary pains that are being caused by outsourcing now, and instead embracing the exciting possibilities of tomorrow’s American economy made possible by this growing phenomenon.

In general, I see the pains of outsourcing as temporary and relatively small. I cannot fail to recognize the real pain that it is causing. However, I feel that moving realization is overshadowed by the thrilling, untold prospects set forth by the onset of outsourcing.

"New Consumerism" and Me!

For better or worse, American society as a whole can be characterized as malcontented and upward-striving. If you look back in time, as the first houses with electricity were being built, every American wanted their family to have a house with electricity. Then, as innovation spurred the development of radio, color television, and other products, a similar cycle of people’s desire to be on the forefront recurred. In a fatefully ironic spiral, people waste their lives always looking for progress in the future, rather than enjoying the time they are given. This seemingly unreasonable compulsion has led to the development of Juliet Schor’s “new consumerism.” Where a suburban house with two kids and a dog would have sufficed a decade ago, this self-imposed duress compels people to be dissatisfied with the status quo, and has thus pressed people to look even farther upward to the opulence and excess of the upper classes.

I think this unspoken insecurity and unfulfilled feeling exists as a root cause of Rifkin’s description of “high-tech stress.” Normally, the technology of the present would offer untold leisure as described by Schor. Instead, it has proven only to be a mechanism for further competition and prolonged work weeks. However, I think it is important to note that this technological progress is not the source of stress itself. Rather, it is the human operating the ubiquitous BlackBerry or IPhone that contributes to their own stress. Rifkin’s thesis of greater stress in the technology age is undeniable. Yet, the implicit theme that I found is that the technology itself only provides an avenue for us workers to exacerbate the already prominent problem of high stress. Like I mentioned in the paragraph above, the compulsion to work ever harder is not a foreign methodology introduced to people by complex technology, but instead a primitive and visceral instinct that we exercise in hopes of “getting ahead.”

I have found many ways of dealing with and/or avoiding stress at work and school. First, I only allow myself a set amount of time to devote to either of those facets in my life. These quotas help me predict and manage my time, which helps greatly in dealing with stress. Also, as another means of escaping the stress-filled realms of work and school, I play recreational sports whenever I have the chance. Like many other college-students, the act of kicking a soccer ball or jogging around campus can do wonders for alleviating a bit of stress. However, I wonder greatly to what extent will stress affect my life later on, when I will be working as an accountant or something similar. Undeniably, this job will be slightly more trying and stressful than the carefree life of a freshman college student.

The Burgeoning "Creative Class"

Richard Florida posited that a new “creative class” has become the driving force in the economy today. Unlike other economists’ stratified socioeconomic views, Florida proposes that there are only two groups, the “creative class,” and the rest of the workers, “the service class.” I must say that Florida’s thesis was well-reasoned and believable. Not only does this new mode of thought seem plausible, it appears to me to be a logical characterization of class in the developed world.

However, the creators of the website creativeclassstruggle.wordpress.com greatly disagree with Florida’s perspective of class. In their view, Florida has fallaciously represented the “creative class” as a burgeoning source of virtue in today’s world. Instead, the purveyors of this site argue that the “creative class” is a malingering, trend-seeking blight on the world’s development. Rather than create new jobs, the website argues that this new “creative class” is imposing a culture that is harmful to the less-skilled workers as well as the rest of society.

One article on creativeclassstruggle.com focuses on the situation in Hamburg, Germany. There, legislators and politicians are trying to market Hamburg itself as a brand. In addition, the politicians have enacted legislation that has caused the common person to question the motives of the “creative class.” This legislation seems to be favoring the wealthy and the trend-seekers (like the work project that used city money to create a 5-star hotel). Overall, the creators of the dissident website point to spectacles like Hamburg as evidence of the malignance of the growing “creative class.”

In my view, this new class that Florida describes is far from being the malevolent, egoistic societal blight portrayed by the website overseers. I believe that Florida’s characterization of this class is simply a renaming of a section of society already long established… the innovators. Stretching as far back as the Industrial Revolution, this partition of society has driven advancements and creativity for society as a whole. I think that this “creative class” is a fundamental aspect of economic growth and for that fact I have a hard time believing the contrary things printed on the dissident website.

Overall, though each side presented a cogent, persuasive argument, I feel that Richard Florida’s categorization of the “creative class” shows more understanding of the socioeconomic system. Like Florida, I both applaud the members of this class and recognize the vital role they play in economic development. Unlike the website, I acknowledge the beneficial aspects of a class of “knowledge workers” who drive innovation and creativity in the developed world.

The Media's Conflict with Class

These are presently the top ten most popular shows on television:

1. NCIS
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. The Game
4. Biggest Loser
5. American Idol
6. Grey’s Anatomy
7. Criminal Minds
8. Sons of Anarchy
9. House
10. V

(www.tvguide.com)
As I look at the various shows in the list, I see little to indicate the patterns of class misrepresentation cited by Class Dismissed and Mantsios’s essay. I am familiar with most of these television series, and I must say that socioeconomic class is not a significant focus in any of them. With shows like NCIS, Dancing with the Stars, and The Biggest Loser, I only see shows that allow people to escape from everyday life. Overall, I fail to see any confirmation that the aforementioned shows typify or cultivate the class perversions posited by Mantsios and Class Dismissed.

On the whole, this may indicate a radical shift in the ideas and goals of mass media. Instead of focusing on the opulence and excessive luxury of the upper class, I believe that television has begun to concentrate on providing escapist entertainment. No longer do the middle and working classes want to see the excesses of the upper crust, but rather the demand is for shows that take them away from the hardships of work and life in general.
The passages also indicate that working class people respond well to the reinforcement of the American Dream. More specifically, blue collar workers enjoy television shows that reinforce the idea of a meritocracy (American Idol, Biggest Loser). By subscribing to this mindset, many of the working class are led to believe in the opportunities for advancement for both them and their children. Rather than rebel against these ideas, I believe the lower classes relish the idea that the labor they put into society will someday reward them or their children. Shows such as these act as an affirmation of a meritocratic society that rewards expertise and determination.

Now, whether such a meritocratic society exists today is debatable. Such sources like Polyestra’s memoir will say otherwise. However, as I have said before, I believe the American Dream is alive and well. Moreover, I feel that shows like those in the top ten above do not indicate the media’s penchant for skewing class lines, but instead act in a manner that inspires those in the lower echelons of society to climb upwards with new effort and zeal.

Working Class and The American Dream

Throughout our nation’s short history, countless immigrants have traveled to our shores in search of “streets paved with gold” and a mysterious reverie known as “The American Dream.” Even to this day, people continue to cross our borders in hopes of finding financial prosperity, political stability, and the freedom to be happy.

However, standing in staunch contrast with these lofty ideals is Polyestra, who contends that America represents none of this. In the opening line of the passage, she sardonically notes that “fewer than one percent of Americans break out of the class they are born into.” As a girl who experienced a working-class upbringing, she was acutely aware of her own growing discontent with the idea of “class jumping.” Despite her parents’ furious pursuit of affluence, and their constant desire to ascend the societal ladder, Polyestra finds herself unable to see the upward mobility for which America is heralded. To her, our society is characterized by a static, unchanging caste system that encourages workers to strive for greatness, but rewards only very few for their efforts. Overall, she bitterly extrapolates the plight of her family to represent the sentiments of the lower class as a whole, and as such concludes that the average American worker is doomed to live a life that is just that… average.

In contrast, I believe she mistakenly and erroneously imposes her own negative views on society in a way that speaks strongly to people’s subjectivity. She bemoans the sole one percent of people who change classes. However, it is this special one percent for which people so diligently strive. In perhaps no other place in the world can that one percent be so assured and tantalizing. In addition, that single percent of success is the very reason why such a large number of people continue to leave their own countries to come to America, for it represents the idea that hard work and innovation will be rewarded.

It is my belief that for most people, the guarantee that even the smallest fraction (in this case 1%) of the population will find success indicates that America stands as a land of unparalleled opportunity. Unlike Polyestra, I feel that most people simply want the assurance that “The American Dream” is still alive. That sole percentage point is meaningful and exactly the sort of reassurance people need.

In general, I would agree with Polyestra’s thesis. “Class jumping” in any country or setting is hard and even nearly impossible. However, in America that one percent over which she agonizes only proves to me and most other Americans that classes can indeed be jumped. This crucial promise of opportunity, above all else, is the reason why the United States is such a unique and special nation, and the reason why so many people tout the seemingly magical “American Dream.”

Questioning America's Morality

As I understand it, the definition of morality is a metamorphic phenomenon based only on the consensus those who construct it. In this sense, morality is a self-defined criterion that is necessarily changing in the same way as the people who define it. Because of this ever-evolving idea, I cannot believe that America has become morally bankrupt. Instead, I believe that societal changes have simply brought on a generational confusion that has led to a questioning of America’s path. However, just as the ideas of justice and equality hinge on specific perspectives, so too does the notion of morality. Indeed, I believe the concept of morality is solely a subjective perception that cannot be evaluated on an objective scale.

In this selection, the claim has been made that America is headed towards a culture devoid of morality. I contend that we cannot know the truth of this claim because the test of a nation’s morality is subject to the previous experiences and values of those evaluating. A person from an older generation will regard the current culture of the United States in a very different way than a person from a newer generation. I can honestly say that I believe that America is still an honest, moral nation comprised generally of hard-working intelligent people. However, because each person carries with them generational biases and a lifetime of experience, my grandfather might judge that the nation is in fact losing touch with morality. Overall, because of this paradox I believe that the qualification of the level of America’s moral integrity is a futile task due to each person’s sentiments and values will affect the ideas that person has about morality.

Furthermore, I agree with Judis in the idea that the new capitalism is quite capable of bringing about positive change, and that those who see a “decline in morality” in America are simply misguided. Rather than seeking changes to society as many do, I think we as Americans need to work harder to understand our changing society. Foremost on many people’s minds are issues like abortion, gay marriage, and growing government. To cope with these new ideas, I believe that an effective and “moral” approach would be to abstain from blindly condemning these new developments, as some older generations do, and instead trying to further understand the underlying forces that brought these phenomena to the forefront of society. In short, the blog prompt asked me what changes I would make to society, but I think the real task is to identify the true driving forces in society today. Only when we understand these changes more thoroughly will people be in a position to define America’s morality as it exists today.

Finding A Calling

In just four passages, the book Gig offers compelling insight on how people view the work they do. Ranging from a mother to a teacher, and a package delivery man to a Wal-Mart greeter, this brief but diverse cross-section of the workforce strongly suggests that, regardless of the position a person holds, the attitude with which that person regards work has a significant part in determining the satisfaction they extract from their labor.

For example, the mother of two explains that while her job as a mother is “all-consuming” and by far the “hardest job [she] has ever had,” she emphatically implies that she “doesn’t regret doing this thing [marriage] at all.” It is obvious from her emotional vignette that she loves her children, and that the sacrifices she has made thus far (a career in marketing, time with her husband, etc.), are easily dwarfed by the satisfaction she receives by raising her children. Although motherhood is most often not regarded as a job or a career, I challenge anybody to think of a more trying way to spend one’s time. However, because of the love with which this mother carries out her work, I can without reservation declare that she is answering to her calling. Overall, despite daunting workloads and a ceaseless cycle of work, the mother in this selection has found a calling to which she is easily able to assign meaning and derive satisfaction.

In contrast, the UPS driver freely admits that he finds very little solace or importance in the work he does. The man knowingly shirks his duties and stands in contention with management at every junction in his job. Unlike the mother of two, this driver abhors the idea of work and brings with him a destructive attitude towards his occupation. Because of his lack of bell hooks’s “right livelihood” or the Dalai Lama’s “higher meanings,” one can only assign his position as a job rather than a career or calling. In no way does he view his job as a career, and his emotional detachment signifies a lack of the intrinsic sanctity of a calling. Unfortunately, this UPS driver holds his job in contempt due to a detrimental attitude and a work environment devoid of positive reinforcement.

The other two workers, the Wal-Mart greeter and the 2nd grade teacher, have each found at least a meaningful career, if not a calling. Together, the greeter and the teacher embody the Dalai Lama’s sentiments as each develops their own love for their job. The greeter enjoys his work because of the smiles he can evoke, and the teacher is content in her position because of the innocent affection of children. Furthermore, though they differ in motive, each feels the unique impact of what they do. Overall, this satisfactory fulfillment that brings a person to love and enjoy work is the very definition of a calling.

In terms of my own work, I definitely seek to find a niche in life in which I am as content as the mother of two, as satisfied as the greeter, and as fulfilled as the teacher. For whatever profession I may find in the future, I hope it is the job most suited to give me a “right livelihood.”

"Work and the Dalai Lama"

Far from offering a concerted, definitive voice, these selections present two very conflicting, polarized views on the idea of work. The Dalai Lama asserted that any sort of work can become rewarding if the labor is aligned with a higher purpose or calling. To this heralded spiritual leader, “there is always a way” to bring meaning to one’s work. Be it through “helping and supporting one’s family,” or in terms of one’s “role in society,” the Dalai Lama spoke to his belief that every job, career, or calling can have meaning. However, in stark contrast to these sentiments stands bell hooks, who instead argues that many people (and specifically black women) view their work only “as a way to make money.” Perhaps because of the discrimination and hardship she faced in her childhood, bell hooks presents a view of work completely devoid of the possibility of the spiritual attachment so fervently proposed by the Dalai Lama. From her perspective, and from her time spent observing others, she has found that work is all too often a thing feared and dreaded. Painfully, hooks concedes that while many people have found in their work meaning and importance, most of her black female acquaintances still cling to a bleak outlook of work.

Interestingly, my experiences at work have conflicted in ways much the same as these passages. In one instance, I found myself at a minimum wage job in the service industry, in a position much the same as those faced by the people of which bell hooks wrote. At this job, I had no passion for my work, and I felt strongly that the time I spent working lacked meaning and contribution on society as a whole. However, in another job where I spent my time and effort helping disadvantaged people, I began to recognize the impact I was having. It was at this position that I began to have feelings of spiritual importance that agreed more fully with the Dalai Lama’s opinion of work. Incidentally, the experience at these two positions has given me the wherewithal to see the validity and uniqueness in each of the claims made by these people. Neither the Dalai Lama nor bell hooks can unequivocally support their own views because each was derived from differing perspectives. Furthermore, I believe this to be true of most ideas of work. In no one position can a person fully understand the idea of work. For hooks, it was toil and pain, and yet for the Dalai Lama, work had the potential to be infinitely satisfying and meaningful. Overall, these selections have only served to reinforce the fact that differing perspectives can mightily influence how one perceives and understands work.

I suppose that as I become more acquainted with the phenomenon of work, I will be better able to accurately qualify what work means to me. As of now, I can only hope that the future brings with it work that I find meaningful, significant, and challenging.

Also, an interesting management theory that correlates to finding meaning in work is the American psychologist David McClelland's "Three Need" Theory.