At the 4th annual conference of the Australian Girard Seminar, Assoc. Prof. Jennifer George (Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne) provided a public lecture, “Risky Business: Mimetic Theory, Executive Envy and Corporate Competitiveness”. Rev. Dr. Ivan Head (Warden, St Paul’s College, University of Sydney) gave a response, and Dr. Joel Hodge (Lecturer, Australian Catholic University and Secretary/Treasurer, Australian Girard Seminar) was moderator. The public lecture was held on 17th January 2014 at the Melbourne campus of the Australian Catholic University
Assoc. Prof. George addressed the following questions:
“Why do we need CEOs?”
“Why are CEOs paid so much?”
“Are CEOs praised and blamed fairly?”
“Why so much bureaucracy in corporate life?”
“Why is there so much conflict and rivalry within corporate workplaces?”
Speaker: Associate Professor Jennifer George is the former Dean and Director of the Melbourne Business School (the University of Melbourne) and is currently a lecturer at MBS. She completed her PhD studies at Stanford University where she explored a problem in queuing theory of a queue with adjustable service rates. Her research, teaching and consulting has continued to be in the application of complex models and quantitative techniques to business problems.
Description:
Have you ever wondered why CEOs are paid so much? Or why organisations develop so much internal bureaucracy? Business theorists have found some of these questions difficult to answer using purely economic or rational arguments. A Girardian analysis of aspects of the business world is a new lens that sheds light on these difficult issues. This talk will discuss the elevation of the CEO, the use of organisational hierarchy to curb mimetic rivalry, the use of scapegoats and the co-option of mimetic desire by corporations.
Leave a Reply