Quote:
Originally Posted by SaintessHeart
I would fix that line as "Capitalism's main objective is to pursue profit at all costs." There are a few of which points as abovementioned where captalism has succeeded with a little tweaking.
Take for example Hyflux and Blackwater/Xe (examples are not chosen for a pun, just coincidence). Both of them sell ideas for huge amounts of money with little loss. Water Treatment can be done by just contracting any company, but Hyflux did it by providing a quality service and investing in water infrastructure assets, which are aplenty since earth is made of 80% water.
Blackwater, on the other hand, provides a proxy fighting unit to conduct deniable operations at a manageable cost (e.g go in, blow up the building, but let the soldiers get back on their own with little help on extraction). The field staff provided may be paid higher, but when they are dead, there is no need to pay them long term so the company saves money on that.
So basically, things like trash collection and water treatment CAN be profitable if run alongside other things. It would be a "form of investment in public relations" so to speak.
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I don't know much about their systems to give an accurate assessement but waste water treatment for example is not just about treating the water but it's also required to process the waste that came out through the treatment.
You just can't dump that in a dump site or it's completely a zero sum gain to society where only the private corporation gains profit.
I am not saying Hyflux is doing it that way since I do not know the company but you really need to scrutinize thoroughly to actually know these kind of unique business model.
The second example, Blackwood can only work when there is enough staff willing to take the risk which again will become a problem to society as a whole in the long run.