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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject: Monopoly Money
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1993 18:23:15 -0500
>Corporate-issue script represents a debt that the corp may be called on
>to redeem. As such, it makes a great deal of sense for the the corp to
>want to control this, so it can control its debt obligation to random
>strangers.

The corp controls this debt by controlling how much money it issues, not
by who is holing it. If Area prints $100, they only owe $100, whether it's
to employees, customers, or Horror Mechwarriors.

>At the same time, making corp script only accepted from
>employees provides you with a stronger control over them; if they hold
>substantial amounts of corp script, they have an incentive to stay with
>you.

True. But you're approaching it from the wrong direction. Rather than
say corp scrip is valid only from employees, take it from anyone but
don't pay the employees in anything but scrip. Even if they exchange it
for Nuyen, they have the incentive to keep the corps strong because if
it falters their exchange rate will be worse than Lira (or Pesos, for those
of you who haven't lived in Europe).

>Trading in corp script by non-corpers is not technically illegal except
>in the corp extraterritoriality zones. It's just not accepted outside them
>in situations where it would be too much of a hassle to redeem, and it will
>be accepted for less than its nominal true value, since it has to be fenced
>to be worth anything.

Also true. It will only be accepted outside the corporate grounds if the
accepting agency will get something out of it. BTW, Pizza Hut gives REALLY
BAD exchange rates in Germany. Go to a bank before you hit the hut.

>Corps can issue true currency if they want to; they're called 'stocks'
>and 'bonds'.

To an extent, this is also true; a dollar bill is in many ways just a
certificate or bond backed by the government. Six of one, say I, though
I'm sure there are some subtle nuances between them.

J Roberson
Message no. 2
From: The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject: Monopoly Money ][
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1993 21:24:42 -0500
From Dave
>Actually, it is not true that the only thing backing up currency is faith.
>The U.S. government does not print money based on what value it can deliver,
>but rather it prints money based on the value of production of goods and servic
>es made in the U.S.

So the corp has to provide those goods and services. Okay. . .it's good to
know I can put my trust in something besides God when it comes to my money.

>. . .that's called inflation
>Thats because there is more currency than needed to buy US produced stuff -
>so the value of the currency falls.

This can happen to corps to, neh? I assume there are some times when inflation
is not an unwise choice.

From Chris
>Corporate script is a neat dodge to recover money money *from
>employees* so that they cost you less. In the ultimate case, where
>employees are paid soley in your script, they cost you only the
>production cost of the goods they use, instead of their nominal salary
>(generally higher).
Good. I agree with that. But I still think outsiders can use scrip, and
may be encouraged to.

>Letting outsiders use your script removes this dodge; suddenly the
>script's price is the 'opportunity cost' -- the amount of *real* money
>that would have otherwise come back to you when they bought your goods
>with real money. This represents a net loss to the corporation, so the
>corporation doesn't like it.

If you charge only base price, yes. Let's take an example; the money
will be measured in the same units, to better illustrate.

Let's saya Renraku computer costs $10 on the open market. You can't
buy it a MCT, but Computerland, NNB, etc will sell it for ~$10. If they're
a discount store like NNB, maybe $9.

It costs $4 to produce it. You can A) sell it to you employees for $4
and get them with the program, or B)sell it in your stores for $6 to
anyone with your scrip. That entices people to use your money, they save
3 or 4 bucks and you make 2. If you do lots of crossover (like include
a buck with the computer, like rebates with cars or proofs of purchase
with kiddie food) you give them more of your money, getting them to either
let it rot, exchange for lower value, or continue buying your products
(Renraku Word for Matrix, sExcells, and other programs).

>It's simpler to use sepperate currencies for outside and inside.
I agree. I think corp scrip is a sill idea in the first place, and especially
the way they seem to have presented it in Shadowrun.

>Note that it does no good to jack up the prices employees pay for
>goods bought with corporate script; this merely has the net effect of
>lowering their salary, making it less attractive to work for you. Expect
>grumbling, difficulty recruiting, and some desertions.

Ah, but done properly they wouldn't know the difference. Besides, if I were
a typical wage-slave, I wouldn't quit my job for the world-unless I had
another definite option coming up.

J Roberson
The early worm gets eaten by the bird

Further Reading

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These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!