Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-cc8bf7c57-j4qg9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-10T04:14:37.662Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Introduction - The Corporation in the Public Square

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2012

Archie B. Carroll
Affiliation:
University of Georgia
Kenneth J. Lipartito
Affiliation:
Florida International University
James E. Post
Affiliation:
Boston University
Patricia H. Werhane
Affiliation:
DePaul University, Chicago
Kenneth E. Goodpaster
Affiliation:
University of St Thomas, Minnesota
Get access

Summary

For two centuries, Americans have tried to reconcile two realities of modern capitalism. Corporations – capitalism's dominant organizational form – are very efficient mechanisms for producing wealth, meeting consumer needs, and building industries that employ millions. Yet corporations also often impose costly externalities on communities and the natural environment and cause unwanted transformational change. Government, citizens, and often business leaders themselves, have responded by insisting that corporations – individually and as a group – assume responsibility for more than their narrow economic results.

Corporate responsibility remains, however, a controversial concept. Should businesses have responsibility for providing society with health care, racial equality, support for education, arts and culture, while also minimizing climate change, promoting social optimism, participating in national politics, and effecting economic redistribution of wealth? Or should these “public goods” be the domain of government? Do corporations represent a progressive or regressive force in society? How has the debate over the appropriate degree of corporate responsibility evolved during different eras of American history, and how have corporations responded? The debate has grown broader and more complex as corporations have expanded their commercial influence, technological advances, and geographical reach. Where is it heading in the next few decades? When the revenues of our largest corporations exceed the gross domestic product of nations, and corporate profits set new records while vast segments of the population remain unemployed, people are prone to question the role, responsibility, and power of business.

Type
Chapter
Information
Corporate Responsibility
The American Experience
, pp. 1 - 28
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×