Quote:
Originally Posted by JavaBlack
That is true. But it does imply that profit is better for disbursing certain types of goods than for leading to its creation.
After all it's less expensive and risky to create yet another dumb cell phone device than to create the next step in infrastructure... and to the average firm far more likely to produce profit.
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Well some companies have started to try to introduce a random element into R&D. "Permitted bootlegging"** gives employees the freedom to pursue anything they want during company time. 3M is a good example in that they give employees ~10% of their time to develop anything they want, regardless of future profit. They ended up patenting Post-It Notes from a project a employee made during his free time, which probably made them a ton of money.
Although you can't compare a post-it note to the freaking internet, the possibility of creating something really innovative is still there. At least some corporations realize that free creative thinking not geared towards a quick buck can be a great thing.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootlegging_%28business%29