Life at Up Up and Away Investment Management International: Afterwards by Abnaki Proudfoot and Cornelius Korrupt

Afterwards (Abnaki Proudfoot)

I am a Dean of a small school of management located in Nunavut which is in the upper northern region of Canada. Most of our students are indigenous. Given that indigenous people comprise less than 1% of the composition of Canadian boards of directors and are equally unimportant in Senior Management Teams of Canadian largecorps we receive no funding from corporate Canada and only a tiny amount of governmental funding. I think this passes on a message that indigenous people are simply not wanted by Canadian Largecorps. The LBGT community are also just as “well represented”. Women weigh in at about 23 % of Board representation. Let’s be frank and say largecorps in Canada are racist, sexist and homophobic and their global inclusion and diversity efforts are window dressing to make them appear more humane.

I note that Mr. Hornet makes a very strong point on this but such strong language is rarely used against largecorp except for people that like to call it what it is. You see that largecorps aren’t afraid to use public relations firms to put a spin on their unhealthy practices and attitudes. I agree with Mr. Hornet that largecorps are greedy, opportunistic legal entities with their Senior Management Teams looting the profits of largecorp. I find it discouraging that the media has hopped aboard the anti-increase in minimum wages train yet remaining silent on the outrageous compensation raked in by largecorp’s SMT.

I also note Mr. Hornet’s flippant comments on the “in the pockets of largecorp” schools of business. It would seem any chump with a pocketful of change can have a management school named after him or her. Largecorp can then continue spewing forth so called “neutral management teachings”. Are we to honour those great men (and they always do seem to be men) who have lined their pockets off the backs of their employees and shareholders?

Again, key to Mr. Hornet’s attack is the downsizing and outsourcing by largecorp. This brutal practice is treated by largecorp as a cost saving and necessary measure, but it could be Mr. Hornet has hit the nail on the head that poor SMT management may be the key contributor to conditions deteriorating so badly that downsizing and outsourcing is a necessary condition for the survival of largecorp.

The most thought-provoking part of the book is whether largecorp can survive laced with a generous amount of sarcasm. While Hornet attacks largecorp with fury there is a good deal of humour and sarcasm which makes “Life at Up Up and Away Investment Management International” a good read. And it is not laced with footnotes and makes no pretence of being academic which makes it so refreshing and authentic.

There is the pain of Mr. Hornet with his suffering caused by workplace stress, anxiety and depression. He brings into play the personal effects of largecorp’s commodification of its workplace. It amazes me out of the ashes he found the courage and conviction to expose the nasty underbelly of largecorp.

I can only hope Mr. Hornet would focus on what he perceives as what could change largecorp. He has given hints along the way yet I sense the therapeutic thrust of this novel and what a better future could replace largecorp perhaps is best dealt with in another book. Either a social revolution or some type of wealth redistribution is required which will require legislation. The SMT manages so poorly it would fail to see its impending destruction caused by its own greed. It may kill both itself and largecorp in the midst of stuffing its loot bag. Halloween capitalism.

I would like to say I have suggested to Mr. Hornet his next book be entitled, “The Senior Management Team; The Pirates of Capitalism”. Monopolistic practices and greed of the SMT, or the 1% if you prefer, are the biggest and most powerful elements threatening capitalism and for that matter liberal democracy. I sense we are headed for a social revolution and I certainly hope it will not be fascism.

As a last note Mr. Hornet’s wish to attain fame by writing this novel so that he could make a fortune on speaking tours has been commenced. A First Nation diamond mining cooperative has given us a grant to bring up Mr. Hornet for a half term to teach students about largecorp. We might be a small school of Management but in truth we believe. Non Nobus Solum which in Latin means not for ourselves alone.

I am not worried about Tony. I have spoken with him in detail about his crucifixion by the pimps and hookers in the traditional schools of management. He is looking forward to this as giving him an opportunity to expound his views of largecorp. The more he is attacked the more he becomes part of and perhaps a change agent for a revolution.

So, a closing argument why is it that our school of management is the only one that has a course entitled” Marxism and Modern Management Principles”? I suppose when it is clear your student body has been rejected by largecorp Canada you might want to retool to query why?

(Abnaki Proudfoot, Dean of Frobisher School of Management, Nunavut, Canada July1, 2020)

Afterwards (Cornelius Korrupt)

As Dean of the Sheldon Steen Toronto University School of Business I am shocked at Mr. Hornet’s virulent attack on what he has labelled “largecorp”.

He has taken his personal and unfortunate circumstances as a basis to attack largecorp. And it is too personal to be reflective of reality at largecorp. He presents a picture of misery at largecorp and portrays its Senior Management Team as greedy and evil.

I can attest that many of our graduates are on SMTs of largecorp and often discuss with me how so many of their employees are flourishing in largecorp. Employee surveys make this an irrefutable fact. Hornet cynically demeans Wellness Programmes and mindfulness as desperate attempts by largecorp to oppress its employees. Is he so blinded that he fails to see the compassion and care largecorps have for their employees?

There is no obligation on largecorp to provide any benefits to its employees but despite this absence of compulsion largecorps offer extensive benefits to their employee base. Even Mr. Hornet recognizes this fact.

I will agree that the SMT is compensated well but look at the responsibility they have and the unique talents they have. We pride our MBA graduates on their expertise. Just look at the recent record profits made by many largecorps recently. To suggest this is a result of downsizing and outsourcing as Mr. Hornet does is absurd. Where are his footnotes and research?

This is a vindictive and terribly skewed effort by Mr. Hornet and very unacademic. Yes, we receive large donations here at this faculty from largecorps including a $6 million donation by Up Up and Away Investment Management International but we are academics and what we write is academic and not influenced in any way by our largecorp funding sources.

To suggest that the largecorp office worker is akin to coal mining children in Industrial Revolution England is preposterous. Let me conclude by saying working for largecorp is like Christmas every day for its employees.

(Cornelius Korrupt, Dean of Sheldon Steen Toronto University School of Business, Toronto, Ontario, July 4, 2020)