From August 2008 DAS newsletter (non-members won’t see this issue probably until next year) I can extract how ethics is again knocking on OR’s door (and economics).
A new book has been published on this matter (ethics). Professor Ron Howard and Clint Korver, in Ethics for the real world, introduce us to the "tricky" way of ethics in decision-making. I’ll put it on my wish-list!.
PS. Let’s internalise ethics into our preferences estructure, so when managing our companies and/or clients’ companies, we’ll be able to acomplish CSR for real.
From previous posts (especially this one, and this one) someone couldn’t argue I’m a little bit liberal…, at least in an economics point of view. You need to state it quite right, since such a short word means something from social liberal (USA), to libdem (UK), or even center-right, or the pejorative term neocon (have a look to this post and this Wikipedic to try untangling the mess. So, let’s say I’m someone that thinks Government is just to clear/solve market failures (yes, I’m not 100% pure). Probably, when connecting the words liberal and economics you’ll come with Milton Friedman.
It’s a pity when economics and human rights collide:
_The Economist: The Trouble with Friedman.
_Administración Hueca 2.0 (Void Admin 2.0). /// The Shock Doctrine.
I’m still a liberal economist though…, but keeping ethics and human rights RIGHT.
This seems to be the trendiest solution for a good forecast. This quite seems a manifesto, but the "wisdom of the crowds" (as defined by James Surowiecki) is more accurate than other forecasting techniques. Welcome to the world of information markets!.
So, you know, want a good forecast?: JUST create a market! (isn’t that liberal).
It was a real good experience, although short, when years ago after gaining my degree and before leaving to the private sector I had the opportunity to lecture for 2 months. Now it’ s time for rejoin the Faculty… . I’m quite near of getting it! I’m really happy.
Once, during a seminar in Brazil I was questioned about ethics just because I said I didn’t want to (of course, anyone like myself would consider that a provocation for reaction…). Then, I said, I’m not a philosopher, but I won’t talk about it just because ethics and values are subjective so then not discussable.
Nowadays, trying to summarise my values and having read something about corporate responsibility I can say I’d have so a better anwser, based on ethinomics could be. I won’t discuss about my ethical views because they are probably so business-orientedly-distorted that everyone would consider them irrational. And I say: NO!, THEY AIN’T IT!. Why?: because of my value system, my moral code, and my view of making business. However, don’t get me wrong, I’m no angel (but no devil…).
