Corporations dominate our societies. They employ us, sell to us and influence how we think and who we vote for, while their economic interests dictate local, national and global agendas. Written in clear and accessible terms, this much-needed textbook provides critical perspectives on all aspects of the relationship between business and society: from an historical analysis of the spread of capitalism as the foundation of the 'corporate' revolution in the late nineteenth century to the regulation, ethics and exclusionary implications of business in contemporary society. Furthermore, it examines how corporate power and capitalism might be resisted, outlining a range of alternatives, from the social economy through to new forms of open access or commons ownership.
This book brings together leading scholars in the field of stakeholder management to bring to light new and cutting edge perspectives on this important field. It is intended as a resource for both emerging and established scholars to create innovative advances in stakeholder management.
As consumers, our access to—and appetite for—information about what and how we buy continues to grow. Powered by social media, increasingly we look at the companies behind the products and are disappointed when their actions do not meet our expectations. With engaged citizens acting as 24/7 auditors of corporate behavior, one formerly trusted company after another has had their business disrupted with astonishing velocity in the wake of what, in the past, might have been written off as a bad media cycle. Gone are the days when a company could hide behind “socially responsible” branding or when marketing controlled the corporate narrative. That control has shifted to engaged stakeholders in the new social landscape, requiring a more radical change to company practices. James Rubin and Barie Carmichael provide a strategic roadmap for businesses to navigate the new era, rebuild trust, and find their voice. Reset traces the global decline of trust in business at the same time that the public’s expectations for business’s role in society is increasing. Today, businesses must bridge this widening gap at a time when online stakeholders are committed to holding business accountable for its behavior, with unprecedented internal and external scrutiny. This requires strategic solutions anchored in a critical outside-in understanding of the stakeholder footprint of the business model. Reset offers case studies of reputations lost and found, suggesting fundamental strategies to mitigate risk and build the corporate brand. In this new era of instant transparency, corporate behavior has become the proof of corporate character for recruiting and retaining both customers and the next generation of talent. Offering essential advice for managing brand, reputation, and risk, this book is a guide to navigating the pitfalls and taking advantage of the opportunities of the reset.
A roadmap to improve corporate social responsibility The 2016 U.S. Presidential Campaign focused a good deal of attention on the role of corporations in society, from both sides of the aisle. In the lead up to the election, big companies were accused of profiteering, plundering the environment, and ignoring (even exacerbating) societal ills ranging from illiteracy and discrimination to obesity and opioid addiction. Income inequality was laid squarely at the feet of us companies. The Trump administration then moved swiftly to scrap fiscal, social, and environmental rules that purportedly hobble business, to redirect or shut down cabinet offices historically protecting the public good, and to roll back clean power, consumer protection, living wage, healthy eating initiatives and even basic public funding for public schools. To many eyes, and the lens of history, this may usher in a new era of cowboy capitalism with big companies, unfettered by regulation and encouraged by the presidential bully pulpit, free to go about the business of making money—no matter the consequences to consumers and the commonwealth. While this may please some companies in the short term, the long term consequences might result in just the opposite. And while the new administration promises to reduce "foreign aid" and the social safety net, Stanley S. Litow believes big companies will be motivated to step up their efforts to create jobs, reduce poverty, improve education and health, and address climate change issues — both domestically and around the world. For some leaders in the private sector this is not a matter of public relations or charity. It is integral to their corporate strategy—resulting in creating new markets, reducing risks, attracting and retaining top talent, and generating growth and realizing opportunities. Through case studies (many of which the author spearheaded at IBM), The Challenge for Business and Society provides clear guidance for companies to build their own corporate sustainability and social responsibility plans positively effecting their bottom lines producing real return on their investments. This book will help: • Create an effective corporate social responsibility and sustainability plan • Provide long-term bottom line benefit • Protect and enrich brand value • Recruit and retain top talent Perfect for CEOs, CFOs, Human Resource/Corporate Affairs executives, but also for government and not-for-profit leaders, this book helps you come up with a solid plan for giving back to society, producing real sustainable value.
The heightening impact of ecological and societal crises makes sustainability an increasingly urgent imperative, requiring a fundamental shift in how we understand and practice management and business. In this book, the authors set out the key characteristics of sustainability such as its temporal and multilevel effects and highlight the complex array of sustainability risks and opportunities for business and management. Setting business within a systems perspective, the authors outline different sustainability discourses that frame how business responds to the sustainability imperative. They call for the normative and scientific approaches to sustainability to be merged so that a new transdisciplinary approach that brings together the material and relational traditions in sustainability management is developed. Sustainability work is understood as the reframing of tools, technologies, practices and business strategies to respond to the imperative. The book concludes by highlighting dynamic features of the imperative as it is shaped by the urgent need to restore and regenerate social and ecological systems. Sustainability transitions such as the Circular Economy and Net Zero are suggested as inspiration for profound business transformation. By facing the intractable complexity associated with sustainability, this book challenges students and scholars to draw from across the sciences and social sciences to understand, reflect upon and deliver responsible business outcomes in contemporary society.
Business and Society: Stakeholder Relations, Ethics and Public Policy by Lawrence/Weber/Post, has continued through several successive author teams to be the market-leader in its field. For over thirty years, Business and Society has been updated and reinvented in response to society’s relationship to business. Business and Society, 11e highlights why government regulation is sometimes required as well as new models of business-community collaboration. Business and Society, 11e is a book with a point of view. Lawrence, Weber and Post believe that businesses have social (as well as economic) responsibilities to society; that business and government both have important roles to play in the modern economy; and that ethics and integrity are essential to personal fulfillment and to business success. The book is designed to be easily modularized; an instructor who wishes to focus on a particular portion of the material may select individual chapters or cases to be packaged in a Primis custom product.
BUSINESS AND SOCIETY employs a stakeholder management framework. This framework emphasizes a business's social, legal, political, andethical responsibilities to both external and internal groups that have a stake, or interest, in that business. It is a fundamental goal of the course that students really get that responsible business decision makers strive to balance and protect the interests of various stakeholders-investors, employees, community, environment, etc. An emphasis is also placed on the fact that one needs to understand that business situations will continually arise that will truly test ones values and ethics. BUSINESS AND SOCIETY not only exposes students to diverse and important stakeholder and ethical frameworks for considering and protecting stakeholder interests, through its use of cases andother real-world applications, this text enhances the precision with which students think about and practice ethical decision making.Opportunities to apply stakeholder and ethical systems to specific business problems abound, and questions are provided with all cases andapplications to focus student reasoning, ensuring excellent preparation for class discussions.
The Best of Peter F. Drucker on Non-Profits and the Public Sector Peter F. Drucker's classic and timeless insights on improving effectiveness in the public sector--including government agencies, hospitals, universities, and other nonprofits--are as relevant now as when they were written. In these prescient essays, Drucker explores the merits of proper governance for nonprofits and the public sector by offering advice and guidance on effective business management strategies to help leaders of these organizations better understand, and manage, the complex challenges they face in our volatile world. Public sector leaders will learn how to apply many of Drucker's trusted management practices to nonprofits. In this practical guide, Drucker offers insights on a range of perennial issues: the global economy board governance environmental challenges succession planning and other essential management topics Packed with evergreen advice from the world's most trusted management thinker, Peter F. Drucker on Nonprofits and the Public Sector is regarded as essential reading for all leaders in this sector of the economy.
Understanding the interrelationship of business, society and government is vital to working at any level in a company of any size. This text uses a case analysis approach to explore this interrelationship in today’s high-tech global community. The authors crystallize the complex array of issues that business leaders, managers, and employees face in market and nonmarket environments, from balancing stakeholder interests and dealing with government regulations to managing crises and making socially responsible and ethical decisions. Technical concepts come to life through a variety of cases and case questions, thought-provoking personal and professional applications, ethical dilemmas, and practical exercises. Furthermore, an appendix offers approaches to case analysis and includes a case analysis table that serves as a model for students and professors. With its thorough coverage of relevant issues and skill-building elements to stimulate critical thinking, this text will prepare students to understand and confront real-world business concerns.
