I totally agree.
What are the marginal costs of an extra person at a conference -
surely pretty low, especially if no food is provided. Even if they get a
conference schedule, the marginal cost of printing an extra few can't be large,
and they usually print a few extra to make sure all paying delegates have one
anyway.
Of course if loads of 'low paid / unwaged' turned up, or many waged abused
this, the whole thing would become uneconomic.
Maybe conferences could adopt a policy of - once the paying list is
full - having a few places, limited in number, for the first few 'unwaged / low
waged' applicants free. Say up to 5% or 10% of the total conference paid
places. A bit like the ancient idea of gleaning fields, leaving the edges
of your field unharvested, so the poor didnt have the indignity of
begging.
Dr Hillary J.
Shaw
Business Management and Marketing Group
Harper Adams University
College
Shrewsbury Road
Newport, Shropshire
TF10 8NB
www.fooddeserts.org
Has
anyone else wondered why the fees charged for the Mumbai conference assume
that everyone is either Faculty or Postgrad, with no provision for low-paid or
unwaged? Given that both Faculty & Postgraduates are liable to be
able to shift all or part of their fees, travel and subsistence onto their
departments, whereas unwaged people have to find the whole sum themselves, it
seems a bit thoughtless to assume that all non-students can afford to come at
the higher rate. I tried writing to one of the organisers back in April, they
said they'd think about it ...
Pam Shurmer-Smith
Pamela
Shurmer-Smith
Portsmouth
UK
For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For
Good this month.
