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Re:Why the Raspberry Pi will save the UK by __alexs on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @06:53AM (#3670597)
Source? Do you have any actual evidence that say the ratio of profit per employee to average salaries is lower at banks than at engineering firms?

Simply paying more isn't the same as not being exploitative, even if it does make you feel better about yourself. I suppose it might make sense to consider the wider picture too, like how much of that increased income is produced by more fully exploiting other laborers.

Re:Why the Raspberry Pi will save the UK by omonra on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @07:41AM (#3670732)
Can you please define what exploitative means? Is there a split of profit between labor and capital that is universally accepted as such?
Re:Why the Raspberry Pi will save the UK by __alexs on Tuesday March 06, 2012 @08:40AM (#3670900)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploitation#Theories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_labour#Surplus_labour_a...

"Exploitation occurs when those appropriating surplus labour — whether in the form of surplus-value, surplus product or direct surplus labour — are different than those performing surplus labour..."

There is no universal definition exactly but they share certain elements. In particular exploitation is the result of a power inequality between the laborer and the exploiter.

The question is not simply about the split of profits between capital investors and laborers. (Since capital is the accumulation of surplus labor, it's already exploitative.) The original act of exploitation it's self occurs much earlier. When you do not receive renumeration equal in value to that of your surplus labor.

Putting real numbers to those values is hard and I don't really have a satisfying answer to give you. You might find Elinior Ostroms work interesting though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom

Re:Why the Raspberry Pi will save the UK by omonra on Thursday March 08, 2012 @04:37PM (#3681785)
Umm..ok. So this is just plain Marxism.

So - if entrepreneurs give away all surplus value to their employees, what motivation do they have to start businesses?