Regional Economic Communities

A business and community paradigm which is viable in the long-term – a concept worth living

Conventional economics

We live and work within a system of economics which encourages us to amass personal wealth. Since only a few are able to possess significantly more than the average person does, one has to be better or quicker than the “contenders” – which is usually called competition, or even rivalry.

Conventional economics uses social and ecological resources to make the highest possible profit in the form of money and private property. To this end it orients itself by the globally available resources, in order to be able to produce in the most cost-effective way. The results of this are, among others, competition for dwindling resources, dependency on suppliers scattered all over the globe, rising unemployment, aggressive marketing, the addiction to status symbols, a lowering of the quality of life, etc.

Most companies nowadays are structured according to a predominantly male way of thinking: The employees are expected to follow the brief orders of their superiors. The background of decisions is usually not adequately explained. The main responsibility lies with the bosses. Although the employees have a clear opinion about certain working processes or products, they do not (get to) voice it. The idea of employee participation tends to have a negative connotation. The bosses of such companies work more than average hours and don't always feel up to their responsibility – although they often try to hide this because they see it as a sign of weakness.

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