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Comment by mbesto | Hacker News Reader

Ok, so what do people expect the alternative route is? It's a known strategy, that works, and increases profit if implemented correctly.

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The alternative route people would prefer is for people in charge of these companies to act ethically and not try to squeeze everyone around them for every cent of profit possible. Especially if you're already one of the richest companies to ever exist. That's not very realistic, though, since sociopathy is essentially taught in business schools now.

> people in charge of these companies to act ethically and not try to squeeze everyone around them for every cent of profit possible

That's our stock market though. If Walmart isn't squeezing on costs, then it needs to make that up in gross revenue otherwise the stock will suffer.

Is it possible to be "ethical" in how you define it, when the financial market performance of the company is largely dependent on this?

If you work full time at federal minimum wage then you qualify for food stamps and other government assistance.

Walmart took it a step further - they have information for their employees on how to do that efficiently, rather than paying a living wage.

Ok, so I agree with any ethics around how people are treated, but a corporation? All this does is squashes Wistron potential profit, no? Are there ethics around how much companies should profit? Should all companies profits be equal?

> Especially if you're already one of the richest companies to ever exist.

How do you think they got there in the first place?

Doesn't Toyota do something like that - from what I remember, they actually assist their partner-supplier-small-businesses to grow with soft loans, technical help and business advise?

This. And I'd add, we'd like a legal environment that rewards people and companies who act in this way over those companies that act unethically in pursuit of profit.

So, what corporation pursuit should be deemed ethical if not profit then?

Everyone is trying to squeeze everyone else, including you. This isn't about sociopathy, this is just the human condition.

And yet somehow, not too long ago before the sociopaths were allowed to squeeze people, it was possible to buy a house and have a family on one income and your local grocery store could make that happen for it's employees. Now Walmart will literally openly admit full time employees cannot make enough to survive and teach their own full time employees how to beg the government for enough resources to live.

Then we are just blind mice in the maze and can just as well stop talking now. Excuse me, I have some carbon to release into the atmosphere.

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