The Two Sides of Corporate Downsizing
Downsizing has become an acceptable part of modern business. The value of the individual worker has faded from view as companies strive to channel all their energies toward greater profits. According to Manning Marable, in his essay “Fighting for a Decent Wage,” presently we have “companies that only are concerned about profits and not people” (376). Unlike Marable, Robert J. Samuelson points out that this focus on profits may actually be beneficial to our economic system. In his essay, “Downsizing Isn’t All That Heartless,” he states, “the anxieties that unsettle people may make them more prudent and more productive in ways that strengthen the economy” (373). Samuelson definitely deserves credit for his compelling and optimistic argument. However, the facts presented in Marable’s essay must not be ignored. Marable says that, “The typical CEO of America's 100 largest corporations receives about $900,000 in annual salary, and $3.5 million in overall compensation” (376). The astounding difference between these salaries and those of the common workers should send us a negative message. In fact, downsizing is not the answer to our present economic situation, because it will not help the average workers who need to provide for their families, rather, we must make sure that salaries are assigned in a fairer manner.
As Marable puts it, in his essay “Fighting for a Decent Wage,” there has been a decline in living standards for American workers. Too many people do not make enough money to support families, and the situation is not improving. Once, it was a problem faced solely by blacks and other minorities, now white Americans too are feeling the painful effects of poverty. Accordi...
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Works Cited
Downs, Alan. Corporate Executions: The Ugly Truth About Layoffs—How Corporate Greed Is Shattering Lives, Companies, and Communities. New York: Amacom, 1995.
Ludy, Perry J. Profit Building: Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2000.
Marable, Manning. “Fighting for a Decent Wage.” Reading Culture. 4th ed. Ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2001. 374-377.
Rutz, Raymond. Personal Interview. 20 Nov. 2003.
Samuelson, Robert J. “Downsizing Isn’t All That Heartless.” Reading Culture. 4th ed. Ed. Diana George and John Trimbur. New York: Longman, 2001. 373-374.
Stafford, Diane. “More than 955,000 have lost jobs in mass layoffs this year.” The Kansas City Star 25 Jul. 2003. 19 Nov. 2003.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/kansascitystar/2003/07/25/business/
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Perret, Geoffrey (1996), “Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life of Douglas MacArthur.” New York: Random House,
Also, drilling in Alaska will not harm the wildlife. Take Prudhoe Bay for example. The Central Arctic Caribou Herd that occupies Prudhoe Bay has grown from a population of 6000 in 1978 to 27000 today. This is a 450% growth over 26 years at an average of 17.3% growth per year. (Arctic Power) That’s quite an increase.
After being arrested in downtown Birmingham on a Good Friday, Reverend Martian Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, “A Letter From Birmingham Jail” responding to the criticism demonstrated by eight prominent white clergymen. This letter has been found important through out history because it expresses King’s feelings towards the un-just event and it is an example of a well-written argument.
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Ibid: 114 – “In developed capitalist economies, private consumption spending accounts for half or more of GDP;314
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Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written to address the public criticism he and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference received from eight clergymen. In his letter, King shows off his fiery emotion throughout his letter. However, King does not force his beliefs upon his readers. Rather, he hopes that his readers will see his perspective on the situation through an emotional appeal. If the readers are able to recognize the injustice and inequality suffered by the African American community, perhaps they can. The fourteenth and fifteenth paragraphs were a true testament to his passion and ambition for equal rights.
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Downsizing not only affects the employees who have exited but also the remaining ones who may worry about own workplace stability. Downsizing has actually become an inevitable tool in business organizations. The eradication of positions may become significant for an organization to exist. Unfortunately, individuals who are tied to their positions actually face the situation of losing their livelihoods. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the article by Alan Downs “Downsizing the Business with Dignity” and identify the impacts of downsizing on employees.
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