Please consider attending:
"Business as a System of Power: The Danger of Authoritarianism"
Tuesday, Aug 7 2007 10:30AM - 11:50AM at Philadelphia Marriott in Room 405
Sponsored by Critical Management Studies
Chair: David Jacobs; Morgan State U.
Research in the discipline of Social Issues in Management produces some evidence
of a growing sector of "socially responsible" and "socially responsive"
businesses whose approaches to stakeholders demonstrate flexibility and democratic
accountability rather than authoritarianism. The conventional wisdom among SIM scholars
is that such behaviors are diffusing and becoming hegemonic in the business community.
On the other hand, many sociological and political studies emphasize the problems
or corporate power. The consolidation of enterprises, the absence of effective global
controls, the decline of unionism and other countervailing power, and the increasing
economic and social distance between employees and executives have combined to strengthen
the rejectionist front among employers. Employers have the political power and global
freedom to contest stakeholder power, subvert regulatory regimes, and abandon socially
responsible practices if they choose.
Robert Brady was an economist at Berkeley. His _Business as a System of Power_ explored
the relationship between rationalization and power accumulation in big business
and fascism. He studied the practices and politics of employers' associations
including the Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers in the
US and similar organizations in Germany, Italy, France, and Japan. He argued that
these organizations were inclined toward authoritarianism and provided details of
their engagement with fascist movements.
The participants in this symposium will consider “Business as a System of Power"
in the contemporary environment. Preliminary evidence suggests that the authoritarian
politics of segments of the business community constrain those firms committed to
problem-solving stakeholder bargains and thereby increases the cost of "doing
good."
Search Terms: Authoritarianism , Corporate Power , Business Associations
"Peter Drucker's Assessment of the Origins of Fascism"
Presenter: Rosetta Morris; Morgan State U.
“Coors and the Dualistic Strategy of Social and Political Engagement”
Presenter: Jordi Comas; Bucknell U and IESE Business School
"The Ergonomics Wars"
Presenter: Matthew Lang; Morgan State U.
"The Business Community and the Employee Free Choice Act"
Presenter: Sheldon Friedman; AFL-CIO Voice@Work Campaign
Thank you.
David Jacobs
David C. Jacobs
Earl Graves School of Business and Management
Morgan State University
Baltimore, Maryland
htp://dcjacobs.home.netcom.com/
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