Project Summary: GBA 2013: Social and Ethical Issues in Business Interactive Lesson Number 20 of 20 Copyright c Dale Lee Clark 2013 All Rights Reserved All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare-Baruch Spinoza If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.-Marcus Aurelius QUESTION#1: 1. Why are you pursuing a degree in business? Provide reasons for what you believe. Why should I agree with you? ii Lecture Outline Notes The Great Horseshoe (toilet seat?) of Corporate Control. . . Why must we look after our corporations? The pros and cons of growth. Social Responsibility as a mechanism for balancing the pros and cons of unfettered growth. The Candidates for Corporate Control Nationalize it! Can we pull it off? What two situations seem appropriate for government intervention (Nationaliza- tion)? Democratize it! No taxation without representation The four basic forms of Corporate Democracy Why are democracies so difficult to implement within businesses? A paradox of success? Regulate it! Regulatory committees as external constraints. The inflexibility of regulations. Enforcement Conflict of interests? Some situations demand regulation. Such as? Pressure it! When regulation does not work Civil Disobedience, Boycotts, Withholding funding, etc. iii Induce it! Tax credits (You wanna buy some protection?) Ignore it! The ethics of the market? Is this realistic? Relies on the rationality of those that make up the market. A contradiction in terms. Trust it! Relies on the character of those that make up the market. What about a corporate culture that generates social irresponsibility? The na vet e of pure economic theory. The reason for this class. There is no single answer. . . QUESTION #2 1. You have your degree, and you have the job that you have always wanted. Now what are you going to do? Provide reasons for what you believe. Why should I agree with you?