How Good Policies and Business Ethics Enhance Good Quality of Life: The Selected Works of Alex C. Michalos

405 Pages·2017·5.14 MB·English

by  Alex C. Michalos (auth.)

Alex C. Michalos
How Good Policies
and Business Ethics
Enhance Good
Quality of Life
The Selected Works of Alex C. Michalos
How Good Policies and Business Ethics
Enhance Good Quality of Life
Alex C. Michalos
How Good Policies
and Business Ethics
Enhance Good Quality
of Life
The Selected Works of Alex C. Michalos
123
AlexC. Michalos
University of Northern BritishColumbia
PrinceGeorge, BC
Canada
ISBN978-3-319-50723-1 ISBN978-3-319-50724-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-50724-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017934320
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar
methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom
therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Printedonacid-freepaper
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbySpringerNature
TheregisteredcompanyisSpringerInternationalPublishingAG
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
Other Books by Alex C. Michalos
North American Social Report, 5 volumes
Global Report on Student Well-Being, 4 volumes
Essays on the Quality of Life
Ancient Views on the Quality of Life
Militarism and the Quality of Life
Foundations of Decision Making
Trade Barriers to the Public Good
Good Taxes
A Pragmatic Approach to Business Ethics
Principles of Logic
Improving Your Reasoning
The Popper-Carnap Controversy
For Deborah, with love
Acknowledgements
Mostofthepreviouslypublishedpapersinthissetoffourvolumes(andmostofmy
books)appearedinapublicationofSpringer,Kluwer,Reidel,orNijhoff,achainof
publishers that I have had the opportunity to work with since the 1960s. Since the
original source of each paper in the collection is given on its first page in this
collection, there is no need to repeat all these sources and express my thanks for
permission to reprint them in each occurrence. I am happy to express here my
gratitude for the lot and for the many years of our pleasant and productive work
together.
Ineachofthevolumesinthisset,Iwillacknowledgepermissiontoreprinteach
of the previously published papers appearing in scholarly journals, books, or
newspapersapartfromthechainofpublishers listedabove.Inthissecondvolume,
IwouldliketothankJohnWileyandSonsLtd.forChap.1.Michalos,A.C.(1997).
Social sciences and business ethics. In P.H. Werhane & R.E. Freeman (Eds.).
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Business Ethics, (pp. 595–597). Oxford: Blackwell;
ElsevierPub.forChap.2.Michalos,A.C.(2012).Businessethicsandthequalityof
life. In R. Chadwick (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, (pp. 361–364).
Amsterdam: Elsevier; Pearson Canada for Chap. 6. Michalos, A.C. (2005). The
loyal agent’s argument. In D.C. Poff (Ed.). Business Ethics in Canada, 4th ed.
(pp. 200–206). Toronto: Pearson Canada; Pearson Canada for Chap. 7. Michalos,
A.C.(2005).Moralresponsibilityinbusiness.InD.C.Poff(Ed.).BusinessEthicsin
Canada,4thed.(pp.30–46).Toronto:PearsonCanada;UniversityofIllinoisPress
forChap.8.Michalos,A.C.(1988).Acaseforaprogressiveannualnetwealthtax.
PublicAffairsQuarterly,2:105–140;NewYorkAcademyofSciencesforChap.9.
Michalos, A.C. (1989). Militarism and the quality of life. Annals of the New York
Academy of Sciences, 577: 216–230; newspapers Globe and Mail, Prince George
Citizen, and Guelph Mercury for several letters in Chap. 22. Michalos, A.C.
In the Appendix of each volume, I included some photographs and pictures to
provideasomewhatdifferentkindofhistoricalcontexttomynarrative.WhatIhave
been able to contribute over the past 50 years or so has been influenced by many
morepeoplethanIhavebeenabletopicturehere,butwhenIreflectonwhatIhave
ix
x Acknowledgements
done,mostofthepeoplepicturedhereareverymuchapartofthestory.Mostofthe
photographs and pictures are from my family albums, but some have come from
friendsandacouplenewspapers.Iwouldliketoexpressmythankstothefollowing
for allowing me to reprint their items: Wolfgang Glatzer for photographs in How
Good Policies and Business Ethics Enhance Good Quality of Life, numbered v2.1
(short for photo #1, volume 2), in Development of the Quality of Life Theory and
itsInstruments(v3.3,v3.5,andv3.6),andinConnectingtheQualityofLifeTheory
toHealth,Well-BeingandEducation(v4.1);toFerranCasasforphotographsv2.6,
v3.1, v3.2 and v3.4; to Filomena Maggino for v4.4, v4.5 and v4.6; to Anna L.D.
LauandRobertA.Cumminsforv4.3,v4.8andv4.9,toValerieMollerforv3.7and
v3.8; to Joanna Kit-Chun Lam for v3.11; to Daniel T.L. Shek for v4.2; to the
Cleveland Plain Dealer for Philosophical Foundations of Quality of Life (v1.4),
and to the Detroit Free Press for v1.7.
Contents
1 Social Sciences and Business Ethics. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
Alex C. Michalos
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 4
2 Business Ethics and the Quality of Life.. .... .... .... ..... .... 5
Alex C. Michalos
Ethical Foundations.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 5
The Quality of Life.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 6
From Pleasure and Pain to the Quality of Life .. .... .... ..... .... 7
Critical Issues for Consequentialist Quality of Life Assessment .. .... 8
Some Problems. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
Further Reading .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
3 The Costs of Decision-Making . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
Alex C. Michalos
Production, Implementation and Failure ... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
Production Costs.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
Implementation Costs .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
Failure Costs... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
Overview.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
Bargaining and Protection. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
Planning Costs . .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 21
Concluding Remarks. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 24
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 25
4 Efficiency and Morality.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 27
Alex C. Michalos
xi
xii Contents
5 Rationality Between the Maximizers and the Satisficers. ..... .... 35
Alex C. Michalos
Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
The Regress of Maximization... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
Blunt-Rationality, Self-sufficiency and Excessive Costs ... ..... .... 39
Satisficing Rationality.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 41
The Inadequacy of Satisficing Rationality.. .... .... .... ..... .... 43
A Third View of Rationality.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 44
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 50
6 The Loyal Agent’s Argument.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 53
Alex C. Michalos
Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 53
The Argument.. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 54
The Second Premise . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 56
Corporate Principals . .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 57
The First Premise ... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 58
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 60
7 Moral Responsibility in Business, or Fourteen Unsuccessful
Ways to Pass the Buck.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
Alex C. Michalos
Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 63
Complementary versus Contrary Terms.... .... .... .... ..... .... 64
Social versus Moral Responsibilities.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 64
Moral Maxims Versus Moral Theories .... .... .... .... ..... .... 66
Arguments and Replies... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
8 A Case for a Progressive Annual Net Wealth Tax. .... ..... .... 81
Alex C. Michalos
Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 81
Taxation .. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 82
Distributions of Wealth and Income .. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 84
Outline of the Proposed Tax.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 87
Arguments for a Net Wealth Tax .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 88
Replies to Arguments Against a Net Wealth Tax .... .... ..... .... 90
Conclusion .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 108
References. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 109
9 Militarism and the Quality of Life.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 111
Alex C. Michalos
Introduction.... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 111
An Overview of Canada and the United States of America. ..... .... 112
Canadian Federal Government Expenditures.... .... .... ..... .... 113
The Canadian Arms Industry ... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 116