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Amazon’s Unintended Consequences

Writing about a range of unintended consequences from a single company is a new format for me. I typically have either looked more widely at effects from a new technology, policy, or event. But many companies create or house second-order effects.

As a start, let’s look at Amazon. Amazon was an easy choice to start with since the company is big ($321 billion in revenue in the past 12 months), has multiple business lines, and is a mix of software, hardware, and people businesses.

This article is long and it really only scratches the surface of some of Amazon’s unintended consequences.

Continue reading “Amazon’s Unintended Consequences”

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Incentives

The story had paused for more than two thousand years and with a surprise discovery was then suddenly back in play. In the 1940s and 1950s a sad mismatch of incentives after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls led to the destruction of parts of the ancient biblical documents. That destruction was something that no one wanted and yet, with these priceless historical items, it was logical. Why? Continue reading “Incentives”

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The University Fundraising Arms Race

Over the past two decades, American universities have created reasons to spend more and raise large donations, without end. What are the second-order effects of this increase in fundraising activity? 

American universities remain highly sought after for both American and international students. The trends over the last few decades include a larger population now attending college (both in total numbers and percentage of population) with lower acceptance rates (partly driven by the increased number of applications per applicant). These two trends continue in spite of greatly increased tuition. Continue reading “The University Fundraising Arms Race”