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Importance of managerial role
Milton Friedman contributions to economics
Milton Friedman contributions to economics
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The Evolution of the Corporation
The Evolution of the Corporation
In a capitalist society where the growth and power of corporations are ever evolving it is critical to determine the effects and consequences this evolution brings upon the business world. The Stockholder Theory maintains that managers should act merely as agents to the stockholder and only serve their interests-the maximization of profits (45). Milton Friedman's argument being, they are the owners of the business, and hence they should be entitled to all profits (45). Although this simple profit-motive concept may achieve the desired result, and address all of the interests of the stakeholders it lacks compassion that is so prevalent, and in my opinion superior, in the following theory.
In Edward Freeman's A Stakeholder Theory of the Modern Corporation he suggests a transformation of the corporate system by replacing the notion that managers have a duty to stockholders with the concept that managers bear a fiduciary relationship to stakeholders (56). In its narrow definition stakeholders refer to customers, suppliers, management, owners, employees and the local community- those that are vital to the survival and success of the corporation. This direct approach of focusing on the interests of all those that are vital to its survival embraces all of the elements that have evolved in our society as a result of the absence of direct concern or lack of morality for the stakeholders in the Stockholders Theory.
Over the years, the sole pursuit of managerial capitalism, the basis of the Stockholder Theory, in its unconstrained manner through deception and manipulation has resulted in the promulgation of laws to protect the interests of stakeholders...
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...others takes precedent over ourselves? Some of us would like to think so but this is a topic for another paper.
Works Cited
Beachamp, Tom L., and Norman Bowie (eds). Ethical Theory and Business. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
Freeman, Edward R. and William E. Evans, A Stakeholder Theory of the Modern Corporation: Kantian Capitalism. Business Ethics Quarterly 3/4. (1988 and 1993): 55-65. In Beachamp, Tom L., and Norman Bowie (eds). Ethical Theory and Business. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall,
Friedman, Milton. The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits. New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970: 50-55. In Beachamp, Tom L., and Norman Bowie (eds). Ethical Theory and Business. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
Ethics: The Big Questions , edit ed by James P. Sterba, 259 -275. Malden, Massachusets: Blackwel Publishers Ltd, 1998.
Margaret R.,DeCosse, David, Andre, Claire, & Hanson Markkula, Kirk O. (1988). Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Issues in Ethics, V. 1, N. 2. Sobel, Russell S. &
Adolph A. Berle argued for “Shareholder Primacy” in that he believed that the corporation exists only to make money for its shareholders.
Verschoor, CMA, Curtis C. "Ethics: Do The Right Thing." Strategic Finance (2006). Retrieved on 18 September 2006 .
In this essay we are taking a look at the famous Milton Friedman's essay "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profit ". The following paper is an attempt to critically evaluate the article in consideration of Freeman Stakeholder Theory.
Wee, Heesun. “Corporate Ethics: Right Makes Might.” Business Week Online. Ed. Douglas Harbrecht. 11 Apr. 2002. 3 Mar. 2005.
Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2013). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases: 2011 custom edition (9th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Mayhew, Robert. The Journal of Ethics , Vol. 1, No. 4 (1997) , pp. 325-340
The book Management Ethics, by Norman E. Bowie and Patricia H. Werhane, discusses the role that the manager has in an organization and often face a dilemma between stockholder theory and stakeholder theory. Stockholder theory argues that the manager should act only in the best interest of the stockholder, commonly to produce profits. Conversely, stakeholder theory argues that the manager act in the best interests of all stakeholders including (but not limited to): employees, customers, society, the environment as well as the stockholders. Firm’s that promote stockholder theory would theoretically be forcing blind spots onto the managers decisions, much like a carriage horse that receives blinkers (e.g. blinders) so that it can only see the road directly ahead. Unfortunately, stockholder theory will not promote the most ethical behavior as many decisions which are good for stockholders will be harmful to some stakeholders. Further, government has gone so far as to protect stockholder theory with the business judgement rule. According to Management Ethics, this rule is “a legal principle that assumes the manager is acting in the interests of the corporation in the day-to-day managing of the business.” This law demonstrates how government has been negatively influenced by business rather than always serving the good of society. As humans become aware of their Blind Spots, hopefully these gaps in ethical thinking fade away and are replaced with knowledgeable and ethically sound
In today's business world, companies are forced to make quick decisions involving large amounts of capital and labor. The risk involved in such decisions is substantial, as firm leaders are forced to constantly evaluate their company's position and search for new ways of updating developments. Normally when facing financial crisis, a corporation's solution is reducing input costs while increasing its output volume by implementing cost-cutting strategies such us outsourcing or laying off employees. Every corporation is different and has its own unique corporate culture so cost-cutting may not be the most appropriate solution to each company¡¦s problems. A successful corporation should always put the shareholders in priority as any company's policy changing or decision making may significantly affect the shareholders' right. Who are the shareholders? They are the customers, employees, and stockholders who are the important human factors to decide the success or failure of an organization.
Stakeholders are those groups or individual in society that have a direct interest in the performance and activities of business. The main stakeholders are employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, financiers and the local community. Stakeholders may not hold any formal authority over the organization, but theorists such as Professor Charles Handy believe that a firm’s best long-term interests are served by paying close attention to the needs of each of these stakeholders. The modern view is that a firm has responsibilities to all its stakeholders i.e. everyone with a legitimate interest in the company. These include shareholders, competitors, government, employees, directors, distributors, customers, sub-contractors, pressure groups and local community. Although a company’s directors owes a legal duty to the shareholders, they also have moral responsibilities to other stakeholder group’s objectives in their entirely. As a firm can’t meet all stakeholders’ objectives in their entirety, they have to compromise. A company should try to serve the needs of these groups or individuals, but whilst some needs are common, other needs conflict. By the development of this second runway, the public and stakeholders are affected in one or other way and it can be positive and negative.
Although primary objective for managers is to maximise shareholders’ wealth, but many firms are started to focus on other stakeholders’ interests in recent years. Company can prevent transfer the damage of stakeholders’ wealth to shareholders when focus on stakeholders’ interests. In other words, “social responsibility” for the companies is to maintenance stakeholders’ relations in order to provide long-term interests to shareholders. By this way, conflict, turnover and litigation of stakeholders can be minimise. Obviously, company can achieve their primary objective by cooperation with stakeholders instead of conflict with stakeholders (Smart, Megginson, Gitman, 2002).
Shaw, W. & Barry, V. (2010). Moral issues in business (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
4. Unknown. Ethics. Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. 29th March 2004. http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/COEN288/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf
K, . N., ER, w., DAVID, K., PAUL, M., WALTER, O., & EVANS, A. (2012). Corporate governance theories and their application to boards of directors: A critical literature review . Prime Journal of Business Administration and Management (BAM), 2(12)(2251-1261), 782-787.