Entropy and Business

This article will discuss the theory of entropy and its relationship to the business world. There is a lot to cover.

I have a definition of entropy that I got out of a dictionary, probably the Unabridged Miriam Webster dictionary in my local library. The definition states that entropy is a measure of order of disorder in a system. Entropy always increases and available energy decreases in a closed system such as the universe.

I would add that since energy and matter are related as per Einstein’s famous equation of E = Mc^2 that the available matter also decreases. Further stated, the universe become smaller and weaker at every passing moment with every passing action of the reagents in the universe.

In order for anything to happen in the universe, consciousness has to bind itself to energy and work on the material universe. As such, the universe operates like a gigantic sacrificial system.

So what does this mean in the world of business and economics? Well, we already know that economics is called “The dismal science.” Resources in the universe are limited and are subject be being exhausted and despite the claims made by various business entities about how you will save money with them, I find that claim is never substantiated in the real world.

I am Jewish by birth and I studied Judaism with a number of noted teachers including the very famous and controversial Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Shlomo was giving a shiur (“lecture”) about how Jewish history has evolved. First we were enslaved in Egypt and then we broke free.

On the way out of Egypt, the Amalekites who were descended from Esau’s grandchild attacked us. Amalek simply says, “OK, you’re really cute! You are free for a few minutes but you will see you will be enslaved soon again.”

Shlomo said that he used to pay visits to local prisons and he’d ask about someone. The people still in the jail would say, “Yeah, that person is free now, but don’t worry they will be back soon.” Simply put the Amalek principle says, “You can’t beat me!”

Over the ages, we tangled with all the major world powers. Finally, we broke free of Greece and the Roman Empire showed up. Even though we have a 3rd Jewish commonwealth we are not our own people.

I was going for my two degrees in business at the time of the Bell system’s divestiture. I actually did a case study while in graduate school in the Boston University/Ben Gurion University of the Negev Joint Master of Science in Management program back in the mid “80s.