PHI 445 Week 2 Discussion

PHI 445 Week 2 Discussion Capitalism and Socialism: Case Study: Uber Uber is demonstrating a new business model; an on demand model. According to an on article on Uber leading the economy of the future, the author wrote, “The success of Uber and of companies with an Uber-like business model is particularly noteworthy in the context of a global economy struggling with slow growth. Technology is unlocking these opportunities. In particular, mobile applications are enabling start-ups to aggregate sufficient demand to support this new business model, often by capturing unrealized value from assets these start-ups do not own. But even when new infrastructure is required, needed investments are lower, which reduces start-up costs and time to market”, (Walker Smith, 2016). Uber faces many challenges within numerous countries and the egalitarianism of these countries economics. Uber hires their drivers as independent contractors so that they do not have employee status. According to an article in Time Magazine, Uber is a $50 billion dollar company that is able to profit by passing the costs of running a business onto the drivers. (Steinmetz, (2015). Uber only takes 20 percent of the fee. Uber does require background checks, valid driver’s license, and car insurance. (Mashable, 2014). The economic system that best supports Uber and the way they are operating is Capitalism. Capitalism mandates that, “Economic planning should be decentralized through market competition, not centralized through government policy”, (Feiser, 2015). Uber is operating in the same fashion as a taxi service yet, not exactly like a taxi service and is evading regulations that apply to taxi drivers. It is trying to evade requirements expected of taxi drivers. The economic theory of socialism includes, “Economic planning should be centralized through government policy, not decentralized through market competition”, (Feiser, 2015). An examination of laws that help and hinder Uber will be examined next. In an article on laws being passed for Transportation Network Companies (TNC’s) the author stated, “Twenty-seven states, and the District of Columbia, have established regulations for TNC’s. Bills are pending in at least five other states”, (Somerville & Levine, 2015). The TNC was created in 2013. In three years these laws have both come to support and limit Uber. Laws that help Uber in Colorado where I live fall under the Transportation Network Company Act. This act requires Uber to ensure their drivers have passed background checks, carry insurance, and operate safe vehicles for consumers. Laws that limit Uber’s operations would be, “Uber can’t operate in Miami, for example, where existing laws were clearly drafted to protect taxicabs from competition even from other licensed services. Limousines are prohibited from picking up passengers less than an hour after receiving a reservation, for example, and the minimum fare by law is $80. The number of limousine licenses has long been limited to five hundred and fifty”, (Downs, 2013). In my findings, Uber is directly affected by laws and regulations for each state or country they choose to operate in. Because it is growing so rapidly they have to have an incredible legal advisory team. Uber is affecting the transportation networks, as well as the environment. Capitalism supports fair competition for transportation services. Uber provides a unique service that benefits the drivers as well as the customers. Uber’s new business model is forcing taxi services to update and enhance their services offered. The ethical theory that supports Uber’s moral position is utilitarianism. Our text stated, “The first characteristic of utilitarianism is that it makes moral assessments on whether actions are moral or not. A second characteristic of Utilitarianism is that it also assesses the consequences of how actions affect people”, (Fieser, 2015). Uber is morally justifiable because it provides a good for consumers which were not being met by the current taxi services. References Downs, L. (2013). Lessons from Uber: Why Innovation and Regulation Don’t Mix. Retrieved from Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic version]. Retrieved from Somerville, H. & Levine, D. (2015). US States are Passing Laws that Back Uber’s View of Drivers as Contractors. Retrieved from Steinmetz, K. (2015, June 17). Why the California ruling on Uber should frighten the sharing economy. Time. Retrieved from Walker Smith, J. (2016). The Uber-All Economy of the Future, Independent Review, 20(3), 383. Retrieved from EBSCOHOST