Persuasion Application: Just Capitalism and BJ Fogg's Behavioral Model

Just Capitalism and BJ Fogg's Behavioral Model

Paul Tudor Jones II: Why we need to rethink capitalism
TED 2015 · 9:51 · Filmed Mar 2015

Paul Tudor Jones II, a self professed capitalist, opens the listeners mind to the ethical dilemma society and corporations face when determining priorities.  He attempts to inform and gently alarm the listener with simple slide show reports of how society has allowed corporations to make profits the end all, "it's like we've ripped the humanity out of our companies."   

The presentation is effective considering several methods espoused by those of JB Fogg, a Stanford PhD, who would agree that Jones effectively starts his presentation by designing specific "triggers" to evoke emotion and prompt changes in behavior. Jones alerts us to a corporate vs. humanity double standard of values that is "threatening the very underpinnings of our society." By highlighting the current absurdness of corporate values "profits mania" and the ever growing income inequality; the listener can't help but ask how do we fix this problem?  Jones openly admits there needs to be a "tremendous change in the behavior" in spite of the challenges.  

After Jones clearly charts the direction we are headed and the catastrophic options we have for natural change, he suggests that there is a specific way to promote behavioral change through increasing corporate "justness".  Fogg would ask how do you get corporations to change their behavior, or what behavior(s) are specifically wanted.  Jones suggests increased corporate philanthropy as a good start.  Yet he admits that is not enough.   

Additionally, Jones suggests that the general oblivious public is part of the problem and needs to get engaged by simply responding to the free-market capitalistic system.  As a successful CEO, Jones knows that companies must respond to their customers.  He offers a non-profit organization designed to simply survey 20,000 Americans annually asking what the corporate standard should be.  http://justcapital.com/

"We will track – in an unbiased and transparent way - the top 1000 companies in the country to see how they rank against America’s definition of just. We’re calling it the JUSTIndex. And we will make all results available to you, the public. Why? Simple. By shining a light on what it means to be just, we think we can define, inspire and reward more just behavior, not only in companies, but in investors, consumers, all of us."

Fogg would likely agree that taking this step makes engaging and changing behavior more easy by simply promoting more communication between corporations and the public.  Jones is convinced that by holding corporations creatively accountable, human society will naturally improve through just means and actions by individuals.

My analysis motivated me to follow the link and simply accept to be contacted for surveying by email.  I hope this presentation will motivate you to do likewise.