CUA Business School's First Conference | National Catholic Reporter by On the prelims, first, on the police detail, the members are not supposed to tell you. Probably one or two city officials in the audience. Second, Cigar Receptions - how 19th Century!.Third, on the availability of Confession - the plutocrats need more than a few Our Fathers, or should, to wipe away some of their sins. I hope he confessors agreed.
I suspect the Cardinal's talk on the vocation of businessmen was playing good cop. Saw nothing about a discussion of just wages, although the whole citing of the Logic of the Gift may have been hinting at that - the Gift in this context is to pay wages and benefits to employees over and above what the accountants say that they are worth in productivity terms (although in my experience, such calculations are very subjective - indeed, if someone's job is essential then they are as productive as anyone else in any other job, but the accountants don't see it that way). Of course, because the gift probably breaks the budget (if the budget includes huge CEO bonuses), then we have the logic of public involvement in supporting salary adjustments for children. Sadly, there was no Q&A to rock the boat, because the Napa Institute sponsored the event. Politeness in pace of truth, it seems.
Professor Hittinger extended the talk on the vocation of business - and how it was more than just profit maximization or innovation. He spoke of people and actions being more important than things, how hard it is to escape the utilitarian ethic, and the reluctance to invoke moral authority on business issues. My experience, of course, is that the left have no such qualms. One of the points made was that business is not one of the big three institutions (not sure about that, but he is an academic), but that business is part of them all. I would disagree - work is a biggie - church vocations? not so much.MSW. MGB:
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