Soulful Corporations

In the light of multiple corporate debacles, financial crises and environmental disasters across the globe, the need for corporate goals to transition from simply maximising shareholder wealth to optimising stakeholder welfare is being echoed in various quarters. This book makes a distinct contribution by looking at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from a values-based perspective with a focus on providinga balance between corporate success and social well-being. The book emphasizes that corporations need to redefine their purposes to co-create long-term, sustainable and win–win solutions for multiple stakeholders through mutually-fulfilling and value-adding collaborative efforts. Through the ideal of ‘A Soulful Corporation’, the book proposes a new story where corporations, as associations of individuals, can identify their ‘collective spirits’ in terms of environmentally-aware, socially-inclusive and financially-rewarding missions. Some of the unique features of the book include: · A detailed study of the evolution of CSR from the ancient to contemporary times · Insights gained through empirical research and personal interviews with over 100 industry captains, CEOs, MDs and heads of the CSR function across companies and industries · Case studies on CSR practices and processes in leading Indian companies including the Tata Group, TVS Motor, HUL, Wipro, L&T, Bharat Petroleum, HDFC Bank, Birla Group, Reliance Industries and others. · Cases on unique social welfare projects in the areas of education, healthcare and drinking water supply · A ‘Society and Local Community Welfare Framework’and a ‘12-point Agenda for Affirmative Action’ that propose policy recommendations and provide corporations with a roadmap for their CSR journey in the light of the mandatory CSR spending introduced by the Government of India. The book has relevance to multiple stakeholders: students, academics, CSR researchers, policy-makers, industry captains, business managers and entrepreneurs.

Eugene McCarraher challenges the conventional view of capitalism as a force for disenchantment. From Puritan and evangelical valorizations of profit to the heavenly Fordist city, the mystically animated corporation, and the deification of the market, capitalism has hijacked our intrinsic longing for divinity, laying hold to our souls.

It may be hard to believe in an era of Walmart, Citizens United, and the Koch brothers, but corporations are on the decline. The number of American companies listed on the stock market dropped by half between 1996 and 2012. In recent years we've seen some of the most storied corporations go bankrupt (General Motors, Chrysler, Eastman Kodak) or disappear entirely (Bethlehem Steel, Lehman Brothers, Borders). Gerald Davis argues this is a root cause of the income inequality and social instability we face today. Corporations were once an integral part of building the middle class. He points out that in their heyday they offered millions of people lifetime employment, a stable career path, health insurance, and retirement pensions. They were like small private welfare states. The businesses that are replacing them will not fill the same role. For one thing, they employ far fewer people—the combined global workforces of Facebook, Yelp, Zynga, LinkedIn, Zillow, Tableau, Zulily, and Box are smaller than the number of people who lost their jobs when Circuit City was liquidated in 2009. And in the “sharing economy,” companies have no obligation to most of the people who work for them—at the end of 2014 Uber had over 160,000 “driver-partners” in the United States but recognized only about 2,000 people as actual employees. Davis tracks the rise of the large American corporation and the economic, social, and technological developments that have led to its decline. The future could see either increasing economic polarization, as careers turn into jobs and jobs turn into tasks, or a more democratic economy built from the grass roots. It's up to us.

One need only look at the news to be bombarded with examples of corporate malfeasance and the impact such behavior has on a company’s public image, customers, employees, and bottom line. And while these stories grab the headlines, some companies are adopting practices that display awareness of their impact on the globe, whether that be to the environment, its employees and suppliers, or communities in which they do business. What factors are leading to these decisions? What are the benefits and costs of making ethical business decisions and acting in a socially responsible way, however one defines it? Issues in Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility explores these foundational themes across a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, workplace surveillance, supply chain management, big data, the finance industry, and many more. Coupled with a broad introduction by Dr. David Weitzner, a professor of management at York University, this book provides students with the essential information they need to assess business practices through the lens of ethical decision-making and corporate social responsibility.

Why did Ratan Tata decide to pay for all the victims of 26/11 whether injured in the Taj or anywhere else? Why did HDFC ’s Aditya Puri insist that employees leave for home by 5.30 p.m.? How did HUL develop a cheaper, better product to beat its competitor, Nirma? What do Taj Hotels, HDFC, HUL, L&T and BPCL have in common? They are the win-win corporations! Based on over a decade of research, Shashank Shah takes these truly outstanding Indian companies and studies how they do business. Each of these companies has exceptional practices when it comes to stakeholder management. Whether the stakeholder is an employee, customer, investor, vendor or even society at large, these companies reveal how looking at everyone else’s interests doesn’t really mean compromising on your own. Often, the two complement each other and that is what makes a win-win solution for everyone. This book gives an inside look into what motivates exceptional companies and how they are a cut above the rest. Full of fascinating anecdotes, leadership philosophy and background stories of organizations, Win-Win Corporations is an inspiring read into what makes companies great.

"Truly a distinguished piece of work, based on new data that had not been analyzed before. There is an excellent combination of historical perspective, conscientious examination of a great mass of data, and penetrating analysis." --Robert Aaron Gordon, Charter Member of the Brookings Panel on Economic Activity "Contends that since the Second World War, a small number of 'giant, well-established' banks in a few major cities have re-emerged as the major group that controls large corporations. Places the financial control thesis in historical perspective from the Civil War to the present and then examines the control of the two hundred largest U.S. corporations in 1967-69 in terms of owner control, financial control, and no identified center of control. Also comments on the means of exercising control. ... the author finds that a substantial portion of the largest nonfinancial corporations in 1967-69 were under the control of financial institutions; the control is exercised through the ownership of stock and the role of the bankers as creditors of the corporations."--Journal of Economic Literature "Recent empirical evidence, made available through congressional hearings, reveals that large banking groups are exercising substantial influence over nonfinancial corporations. This is accomplished through stockholdings, creditor relationships, and directorship ties. In this excellent historical statistical analysis, Katz assesses the extent and impact of such control in a competitive economy." --Library Journal

Chapter 1 Introduction: U.S. Sociology, the American Dream, and the Specter of Karl Marx Part 2 Part I: Social Structure and Processes Chapter 3 Class Structure: Class, Not Strata: It's Not Just Where You Stand, But What You Stand For Chapter 4 Social Movements: An Argument for Understanding Social Movements as Class Movements Chapter 5 Gender: Marxist Theory and the Oppression of Women Chapter 6 Race: Classical and Recent Theoretical Developments in the Marxist Analysis of Race and Ethnicity Chapter 7 Social Change and Development: "A World After Its Own Image" The Marxist Paradigm and Theories of Capitalist Development on a World Scale Chapter 8 Labor: Labor's Crisis and the Crisis of Labor Studies: Toward a Retheorized Sociology of Labor Chapter 9 State and Politics: From the King of Prussia to the New World Order: Marxist Theories of State and Power Chapter 10 Corporations and the Economy: Marxist Scholarship and the Corporate Economy Chapter 11 Education and Knowledge: Reading Class: Marxist Theories of Education Chapter 12 Medicine and Public Health: The Study of the Health Care System: The Marxist Critique of a Dominant Paradigm Chapter 13 Religion: Marxist-Christian Dialogues: The Liberation of Theology Chapter 14 Crime and Law: Rediscovering Criminology: Lessons from the Marxist Tradition Chapter 15 Urban and Regional Development: Views of the City: Urban and Regional Sociology

Religion and spirituality have often been treated with a secular disdain by management theorists. Recently, the tide has begun to turn and there is a growing openness to cite spirituality in academic analysis and debate, and when considering issues of practical concern to those engaged in the actual business of management. This provocative book brings together a range of leading thinkers to consider the relationship between spirituality and corporate social responsibility. The book's contributors examine spirituality as an inherent dimension of corporate life even if it is only known through its absence - and through the negative consequences of this absence on people and the planet. With contributors from four continents, David Bubna-Litic has assembled a range of fascinating perspectives having their origins in traditions that include Christianity, Process Theology, Hinduism, Contemporary Buddhism, Deep Ecology, Humanism, Post-Modern and Post-Romantic Spirituality. Spirituality and Corporate Social Responsibility is a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in ways in which spirituality relates to what is or what should be driving businesses and organizations to more responsible behaviour.