Re: AltInst: Means of production.

On Thu, 25 Jun 1998, Tom Walker wrote:

> George L. O'Brien wrote,
>
> >once you discount the value of the computers and
> >processing equipment (most of which is leased), the real value of our
> >company is our skill set.
>
> From a marketing perspective, the real value of your company is your client
> base and reputation. Your skill set, of course, contributes to your
> reputation. But the same skill set _without_ the reputation is worth zip.
>
> In a sense, then, not only are your assets intangible, they're also neither
> entirely in your possession nor entirely transferable.

Correct. As George points out we all have certain intrinsic assets
such as craftsman skills, intelligence, model body, whatever. Such
assets, in a non slave owning society cannot be accounted or
redistributed.

However, such assets can be used to accumulate other assets. Indeed,
its a mental pathology that occurs in some people that they don't know
when to stop accumulating and to start enjoying life and let others
enjoy life.

A company has assets, the most important often being the skill set of
its workers and directors. One can certainly buy a company and hence
the service contracts of those workers. There are cases, especially
in small/medium businesses, where the value of a company lies in the
uniting and energizing skills of the owner / manager. (* Footnote 1)

The key being that the market value gives us a mechanism, without
resorting to slavery markets, by which we can evaluate all these
intangibles.

Thus assets can still in a fairly practical manner be added up.

Thus we can still place a limit relative to the average per capita
asset.

The point is my proposal remains a relative painfree and without
killing incentive, and hence plausible without bloody revolution or
economic stagnation, manner of breaking up massive concentrations of
assets.

John Carter EMail: ece@dwaf-hri.pwv.gov.za
Telephone : 27-12-808-0374x194 Fax:- 27-12-808-0338
<http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/5947> or <http://iwqs.pwv.gov.za>

There is ever only one enemy - And that is the military.
It matters not on which side they purport to be.
======================================================================
Footnote 1

So there is a risk in buying such a company that the purchase
destroys the value of the goods. Obviously Caveat Emptor and such
considerations form part of setting the purchase price.

Furthermore bungled management can suddenly cause the prime skills
assets to up and find a better job elsewhere. The same sort of sudden
devaluation of an asset can be achieved by putting a rock through your
computer screen. No different.

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Received on Fri Jun 26 18:15:50 1998