{"id":36253,"date":"2024-10-28T17:49:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T17:49:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/assessing-elon-musks-vision-and-business-practices-in-relation-to-sustainability\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T17:49:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T17:49:45","slug":"assessing-elon-musks-vision-and-business-practices-in-relation-to-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"questions","link":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/questions\/assessing-elon-musks-vision-and-business-practices-in-relation-to-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing Elon Musk\u2019s Vision and Business Practices in Relation to Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">To his supporters, Elon Musk (entrepreneur and co-founder of multiple companies \u2014 i.e. PayPal, Tesla, OpenAI) is a genius visionary who harnesses technology and capitalism to bring about sustainability and to ultimately save humanity. In contrast, Musk&#8217;s detractors criticize his techno-optimism and business model and consider at least some of his projects to be misguided, dangerous and unsustainable. In a short<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">analytical essay<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>(<strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">700-1450 words<\/strong>) assess the vision\/philosophy and business practices of Elon Musk in relation to sustainability.&nbsp; Explain how you think Musk conceptualizes sustainability, and how his companies\u2019 business practices relate to the values and approaches to sustainability we have been learning about in this course. The assignment is worth 20% of your final course grade.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">This is<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">not<\/strong><\/em><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>a persuasive essay. Your paper will likely slant one way or another, but you should not be focused on arguing for or against Elon Musk. Rather, try to understand how Musk conceptualizes sustainability (in theory) and how his business practices relate to the sustainability values and approaches discussed in this course, considering both the pros and the cons to Musk\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Your response should be written as an essay that uses APA-style or Chicago-style citations and the following format:<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Introduction (approx. 100-200 words):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">State your working definition of sustainability (be sure to properly cite all your ideas)<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Explain in summary what you believe is Elon Musk\u2019s conceptualization of sustainability<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">State how his (or his companies\u2019) vision\/philosophy and business practices relate to sustainability values and approaches.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Only a very brief introduction is needed (~3 sentences). Avoid overly broad introductory sentences and get right to the point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Body Paragraphs (approx. 100-200 words each):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Your essay must consider all of the following (consider using different paragraphs for each):\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Substantiate (with evidence, e.g., a reference) your opening claim about how Elon Musk (or his companies)<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">conceptualize<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>sustainability.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Draw on what you or others see as Elon Musk&#8217;s (or his companies\u2019) major<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">achievements<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong>within the realm of sustainability.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">In what ways does Musk\u2019s (or his companies\u2019) technology-oriented approach to sustainability intersect&nbsp;with the other<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">approaches<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>to sustainability (state-driven, market-based, and grassroots).<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">How are (or aren\u2019t) the<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">values<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong>underlying sustainability (i.e., efficiency, democracy, social justice and the &#8220;good life&#8221;) reflected in Musk&#8217;s business ventures?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Consider using a body paragraph to elaborate on what you think are the most significant strengths\/pros AND weaknesses\/cons of Elon Musk\u2019s vision\/philosophy and business practices in relation to your definition of sustainability stated in your introduction.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">There is no set number of body paragraphs required. Rather, each paragraph should express a single idea or argument. But remember to respect the word limit.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Each of your claims should be<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">substantiated<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>by using specific evidence (i.e., facts, references, logic). See the links below to help you find evidence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Conclusion (approx. 100-250 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Your conclusion should do more than simply restate what you\u2019ve already written. Here are some ideas for how to approach your conclusion:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Answer the question, \u201cSo what?\u201d Why\/should we care what Elon Musk thinks or does?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">What are the short-\/long-term implications or consequences (intended or unintended) of Musk\u2019s vision and business practice for sustainability?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Comment on where you think Musk (or his companies\u2019) vision and\/or practices fall short in terms of your own definition of sustainability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Please put the total word count of your essay after the last sentence of your conclusion (before the bibliography).<br style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><br style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Bibliography<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong>(APA-style. Does not count towards word count)<strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><br style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 30px -30px 20px -50px; padding: 20px 20px 20px 50px; font-size: 28px; line-height: 1.1; cursor: auto;\">Some questions to help with critical thinking<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Some of the following questions might help you to start thinking critically about this topic. You may address some of these in your essay, but you will not have the word space to address all these questions. These questions are really intended to get you thinking.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Why is there interest from investors and governments in Musk&#8217;s companies but not other measures for realizing sustainability (e.g., building basic water and sanitation infrastructure that could save millions of lives each year)? Or significant investments in city buses that would immediately reduce congestion and vehicle emissions? Or energy conservation (insulating houses)?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Consider the full life cycle analysis of products\/services being offered by Musk&#8217;s companies and the corresponding socio-ecological impacts\/implications.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Is colonizing mars an appropriate goal for sustainability? Why is this not one of the SDGs?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">How does SpaceX&#8217;s goal of space tourism relate to sustainability?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">SpaceX&#8217;s main consumer (i.e., source of revenue) is the government and the U.S. Department of Defence in particular. Is the U.S.&#8217;s billions of dollars spent on military defence ethical given the fundamental sustainability problems facing the world?<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">How are the employees of Musk&#8217;s companies treated?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Your answer should draw on support from the course materials and external sources (suggestions below, but you may also find your own). Ensure you cite properly, as laid out in the general assignment instructions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"margin: 25px 0px 20px -10px; padding: 20px 10px 10px; font-size: 26px; line-height: 1.1; cursor: auto;\">External resources you may find helpful in composing your response:<\/h3>\n<ul style=\"margin: 10px 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Reading the Wikipedia entry for<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>can provide you with a basic overview<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Watch or listen to one of the many interviews with Elon Musk circulating on the internet (make sure you cite any source video).\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">E.g., Elon Musk on the Joe Rogan Show discussing the&nbsp;<a style=\"cursor: auto;\">colonization of the galaxy<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>or this more&nbsp;<a style=\"cursor: auto;\">wide-ranging interview<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Articles<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">praising<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>the sustainability credentials of Musk\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Grassi, M. (2017, February).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk: Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">An overall positive biographical overview of Musk: Vanc, A.&nbsp; (2020, May 22).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;Bloomberg Businessweek.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Articles explaining and<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><strong style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">critiquing<\/strong><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>the role of government loans and tax subsidies in advancing Tesla&#8217;s success as a private company:\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Hirsch, J. (2015, May 30).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk&#8217;s growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in government subsidies.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">LA Times<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Harkinson, J. (2013, September)&nbsp;<a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them?<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>Mother Jones<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">A critical podcast (43mins) on the current space race driven by billionaires including Musk: Marx, P. (2021). Demystifying the Billionaire Space Race.<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Tech Won&#8217;t Save Us.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>Apple Podcast.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Some articles discussing SpaceX&#8217;s involvement in military contracts:\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Duffy, K. (2022, January 20).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">SpaceX wins $102 million Air Force contract to transport military cargo and humanitarian aid around the world in a rocket.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Business Insider.<\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Duffy, K. (2020, October 18).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk&#8217;s SpaceX keeps winning US military contracts \u2014 here&#8217;s why, according to an aerospace expert.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Business Insider.<\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Duffy, KI. (2020, October 9).&nbsp;<a style=\"cursor: auto;\">The US military and Elon Musk are planning a 7,500-mph rocket that can deliver weapons anywhere in the world in an hour.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Business Insider.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">D\u00f6pfner, M. (2022, Mar 26).<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk discusses the war in Ukraine and the importance of nuclear power \u2014 and why Benjamin Franklin would be &#8216;the most fun at dinner&#8217;.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a>&nbsp;<em style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Business Insider.<\/em><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">The labour practice of Elon Musk\/his companies:\n<ul style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 4px 0px 0px; font-size: 16px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">Gonzalez, Lorena. November 23, 2022.<span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span><a style=\"cursor: auto;\">Elon Musk&#8217;s handling of Twitter is nothing new for him or corporate America.<span style=\"margin-right: 5px; cursor: auto; color: inherit;\"><\/span><\/a><span style=\"cursor: auto; color: inherit;\">&nbsp;<\/span>San Franciso Chronicle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To his supporters, Elon Musk (entrepreneur and co-founder of multiple companies \u2014 i.e. PayPal, Tesla, OpenAI) is a genius visionary who harnesses technology and capitalism to bring about sustainability and to ultimately save humanity. In contrast, Musk&#8217;s detractors criticize his techno-optimism and business model and consider at least some of his projects to be misguided, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"disciplines":[64],"paper_types":[],"tagged":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/36253"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/questions"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/36253\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"disciplines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disciplines?post=36253"},{"taxonomy":"paper_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper_types?post=36253"},{"taxonomy":"tagged","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.writemyessays.app\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tagged?post=36253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}