Thesis Change & Global Thoughts
So it’s been decided and I’m happy and unhappy at the changes. My senior-thesis topic used to be “Increasing the Efficiency of Nonprofits: Combating Negative Externalities and Increasing the Incidences of Positive Externalities”. Many people felt my topic was too broad because I was focusing on too much. There were two reasons behind my original topic.
1. I wanted to advocate the creation of an organization that would help other non-profits become more efficient. Due to previous research, I had learned about the amount of “waste” that many non-profits incur.
2. I realized that our planet is on its way to environmental devastation within 50 years. At first I believed it would take longer but doing further research I realized how much trouble humanity is in.
Thus, after discussing the second motive with my research advisor George Siedel, I came to the conclusion that it would be better to write a paper that analyzes the aspects of companies that are on their way to environmental sustainability and to create a framework for other companies to adopt. I am now in the process of researching companies that are cases of sustainability and examining the traits they have. After reverse-engineering the common traits, I will identify the key characteristics they share and write a paper organized around the traits supported by the mini case-study examples. Hopefully, my research will make a difference in the world and provide a foundation for my corporation to use as well.
On another note, the first idea is not scrapped. I will just be using a different method. I looked at the Gates Foundation and found that they are focuses on only four areas: Improving Global Health, Education, Global Libraries and the Pacific Northwest. I have come to a realization that these idealistic goals are great but are curing the symptoms of a troubled system rather than being a true catalyst for change. I have come up with a method that I was going to fund myself, through my corporation, to serve as a catalyst in changing some societal socializing agents upon the population. I will probably blog this idea in a later entry. If I can do the research and convince Mr. Gates about the efficacy of this solution, he might fund this initiative. The problem with most non-profits, besides inefficiency/bureaucracy/lack of resources, is that they are great at targeting specific ailments of society. Few actually target the source of the problems and some even add to the problem. Non-profits that redeem slaves are a great example because the redemption of slaves has actually increased the slave-trade by making it more profitable for slavers to capture more slaves. There are other negative effects that aren’t taking into account as well by most people. Many middle-man that help redeem slaves may borrow children that are actually free or other people and get a higher “redemption price” from these non-profits. How is this hurting anyone? Well that “wasted” money that the middle-man earned through cheating, could have been donated to another non-profit that was actually doing good. Economic resources that are wasted or stolen hurt each and everyone one of us. Many people believe that aid to third-world nations in the form of food is a great thing. I take a very unpopular stance in that I advocate that instead of feeding a person, you should teach them how to fish. Is it a surprise that industrialized nations have much smaller population growth while many third-world nations have unsustainable population growth rates and rely on international handouts? I am NOT advocating the stop to these programs, but rather that people think more long-term. If one was to feed someone, the action would not be bad. Creating dependency while not teaching the poor how to take care of their own land to be self-sustaining is horrible and it just strains the earth’s resources further. If that land is not arable, then perhaps Mother Nature intended that area not to be inhabited. Does anyone actually care about the earth's sustainability? It is sad that morality is seen in black-and-white in this world, whereas people don’t see the true effects of actions. Also, why waste the resources in transporting food thousands of miles by sea, when it is more efficient to distribute the supplies domestically. Yet, we see starving and poor people in first-world nations. Granted, there are human beings who are truly worthless and do not add value to the world and are parasites. But many homeless people just do not have the opportunity and will work if trained and given a chance. Why go to Africa or somewhere far away to “do good” when good needs to be done at home. Our society does not understand efficiency and the proper use of resources. Instead, the media serves as a strong socializing agent and a few pictures of skinny, starving children in Africa makes people donate resources that could be used more efficiently domestically. There are a lot of other issues like this that I would like to address, but I have my thesis to work on so I’ll save them for another blog entry.
Point: It's more efficient to solve the same problem domestically than abroad. After solving your own country's problems, then help others. If you can't solve your own problems, don't try to act morally righteous and saintly by helping others that you don't have the capacity to help. It is better to strengthen your resources and fix your own problems so that in the future you can help others more.
1. I wanted to advocate the creation of an organization that would help other non-profits become more efficient. Due to previous research, I had learned about the amount of “waste” that many non-profits incur.
2. I realized that our planet is on its way to environmental devastation within 50 years. At first I believed it would take longer but doing further research I realized how much trouble humanity is in.
Thus, after discussing the second motive with my research advisor George Siedel, I came to the conclusion that it would be better to write a paper that analyzes the aspects of companies that are on their way to environmental sustainability and to create a framework for other companies to adopt. I am now in the process of researching companies that are cases of sustainability and examining the traits they have. After reverse-engineering the common traits, I will identify the key characteristics they share and write a paper organized around the traits supported by the mini case-study examples. Hopefully, my research will make a difference in the world and provide a foundation for my corporation to use as well.
On another note, the first idea is not scrapped. I will just be using a different method. I looked at the Gates Foundation and found that they are focuses on only four areas: Improving Global Health, Education, Global Libraries and the Pacific Northwest. I have come to a realization that these idealistic goals are great but are curing the symptoms of a troubled system rather than being a true catalyst for change. I have come up with a method that I was going to fund myself, through my corporation, to serve as a catalyst in changing some societal socializing agents upon the population. I will probably blog this idea in a later entry. If I can do the research and convince Mr. Gates about the efficacy of this solution, he might fund this initiative. The problem with most non-profits, besides inefficiency/bureaucracy/lack of resources, is that they are great at targeting specific ailments of society. Few actually target the source of the problems and some even add to the problem. Non-profits that redeem slaves are a great example because the redemption of slaves has actually increased the slave-trade by making it more profitable for slavers to capture more slaves. There are other negative effects that aren’t taking into account as well by most people. Many middle-man that help redeem slaves may borrow children that are actually free or other people and get a higher “redemption price” from these non-profits. How is this hurting anyone? Well that “wasted” money that the middle-man earned through cheating, could have been donated to another non-profit that was actually doing good. Economic resources that are wasted or stolen hurt each and everyone one of us. Many people believe that aid to third-world nations in the form of food is a great thing. I take a very unpopular stance in that I advocate that instead of feeding a person, you should teach them how to fish. Is it a surprise that industrialized nations have much smaller population growth while many third-world nations have unsustainable population growth rates and rely on international handouts? I am NOT advocating the stop to these programs, but rather that people think more long-term. If one was to feed someone, the action would not be bad. Creating dependency while not teaching the poor how to take care of their own land to be self-sustaining is horrible and it just strains the earth’s resources further. If that land is not arable, then perhaps Mother Nature intended that area not to be inhabited. Does anyone actually care about the earth's sustainability? It is sad that morality is seen in black-and-white in this world, whereas people don’t see the true effects of actions. Also, why waste the resources in transporting food thousands of miles by sea, when it is more efficient to distribute the supplies domestically. Yet, we see starving and poor people in first-world nations. Granted, there are human beings who are truly worthless and do not add value to the world and are parasites. But many homeless people just do not have the opportunity and will work if trained and given a chance. Why go to Africa or somewhere far away to “do good” when good needs to be done at home. Our society does not understand efficiency and the proper use of resources. Instead, the media serves as a strong socializing agent and a few pictures of skinny, starving children in Africa makes people donate resources that could be used more efficiently domestically. There are a lot of other issues like this that I would like to address, but I have my thesis to work on so I’ll save them for another blog entry.
Point: It's more efficient to solve the same problem domestically than abroad. After solving your own country's problems, then help others. If you can't solve your own problems, don't try to act morally righteous and saintly by helping others that you don't have the capacity to help. It is better to strengthen your resources and fix your own problems so that in the future you can help others more.
posted by Ray at 5:28 PM
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