Susan Athey Econ 490 Fall 2019

I’m having a little trouble thinking of a more recent example that I’ve encountered, but I can think of a time during high school. My first job was an after-school care counselor which was essentially a daycare for children attending kindergarten through 5 th grade. Once their school day was over, they would get on a specific bus that would drop them off at our facility. When they would get off the bus, they would hang their belongings up and sit down for attendance. Once we finished, we would then pass out a snack and then they would either do homework or play with their friends. Parents would sometimes call us to make sure their child does their homework before they play, or to talk about a previous incident that we were not aware of. We staffed about 1 counselor to 9 children to ensure that we had enough supervision to spread throughout the building and playground. As a counselor, we had rules we had to follow, like no phones, you can play with the children but make sure you are...

One example of a great team dynamic is Ocean’s 8 heist. Even though this is an unorthodox working dynamic, it shows you what it takes to assemble an excellent team. Debbie Ocean was just released from a 5-year sentence from a scam gone wrong. Her ex-boyfriend Claude threw her under the bus and now she has a plan to steal a $150 million diamond necklace from the Met Gala and frame him. The necklace is usually stored in a below-ground vault which would almost be impossible to get, so they needed to find a way to get it out. In order to do this, she assembled a group of 7 women with different backgrounds and talents. She first tells her right-hand woman Lou and together with the assemble the team. They enlist a fashion designer named Rose to create a look for famous actress Daphne and their goal is to convince Cartier to let Daphne wear the necklace to the Met Gala so they can swap it out. The process starts with them letting Daphne try it on and Rose scans the jewels in order for them...

On the topic of punishments, I believe you can’t say whether they are better or worse than rehabilitation. There are some situations where being punished might be better. For example, in my sorority, we have rules when we have events. If you break that rule, that you are subjected to disciplinary actions. If we didn’t have these rules, then people would not be conscientious of what is acceptable and what is not. On the other hand, if we had rules but no repercussions, it’s as though the rule doesn’t exist. For example, in my sorority, we are responsible for attending weekly meetings. You are allowed 2 unexcused absences throughout the semester. If you need to miss more for class, you have to submit an excuse and get it approved. If you fail to follow those rules, you will be sent to the standards council and will face consequences. Standards are composed of elected representatives in each pledge class that holds sorority members to rules of the sorority. Some sororities make you pay...

Team production can be influenced by many factors and all three articles shed light on different ways people are influenced. In today’s society, most careers offer financial incentives to increase productivity which was stated in “ The Power of Altruism” . One example of the financial incentive would be giving employees wage increases or bonuses if they complete a quota. This idea creates the “what’s in it for me?” mentality. People tend to act on self-interest instead of helping others and being kind, and by doing so makes actions a form of economic transactions. The idea of gift exchange goes against the idea of financial incentives and allows people to receive a different form of incentives.  There are many different ways to increase productivity in schools and in the work place. Let’s say that some key aspects in improving production it to track the amount of time you spend on tasks, create self-imposed deadlines, minimize interruptions, and support your team members. I...