efficiency

August 08, 2017

Solving for inefficiencies: Why a law firm is hiring social workers

Growing up on the east side of Michigan, I still remember the jingle for the law offices of Sam Bernstein. How could I not? The commercials were everywhere and so were the faces of him and, later on, his children who joined the law firm. Continue Reading...

July 17, 2017

Arvo Pärt on the economy of wonder

Our society has grown increasingly transactional in its ways of thinking, whether about family, business, education, or politics. Everything we spend, steward, or invest — our money, time, and relationships — must somehow secure an immediate personal return or reward, lest it be cast aside as “wasteful.” Continue Reading...

October 20, 2015

Raw Craft: The Art of Bookmaking and the Glory of Craftsmanship

Throughout its history, the American economy has transitioned from agrarian to industrial to information-driven. Given our newfound status, manual labor is increasingly cast down in the popular imagination, replaced by white-collar jobs, bachelor’s degrees, and ladder-climbing. Continue Reading...

September 27, 2012

Christian Manufacturer Strives Toward Productivity and Grace

I recently wrote about Hobby Lobby’s billionaire CEO, who, in a recent Forbes profile, made it clear how deeply his Christian faith informs his economic decision-making. This week, in Christianity Today, HOPE International’s Chris Horst profiles another Christian business, Blender Products, whose owners Steve Hill and Jim Howey actively work to elevate the practices of the metal fabrication business and, above all, operate their business “unto the Lord.” Continue Reading...

September 14, 2007

Moral Claims and ‘Green’ IT

Here’s a PCWorld piece wondering whether the “green” trend in information technology is a fad or a fixture, “Green IT: Popularity Due to Savings or Morals?” One beef I have with the piece is that it presupposes a conflict between “morality” and “efficiency” concerns. Continue Reading...