Critically investigate the social responsibility of corporations in 21st century capitalist societies by focusing on the inevitable conflicts that the drive for profits will produce in the face of other pressing social concerns, like poverty, the push for diversity, and the exploitation of workers.

The project of this course is to critically investigate the social responsibility of corporations in 21st century capitalist societies by focusing on the inevitable conflicts that the drive for profits will produce in the face of other pressing social concerns, like poverty, the push for diversity, and the exploitation of workers.

In Competency 1, we have taken an important first step in this project by reviewing the dominant theory of corporate social responsibility (to increase profits), the nature of workplace conflicts and social problems, and the social problem of poverty.

Assignment

For this post-test, therefore, you must compose a 1500-2000 word essay in which you answer the following questions:

Think about the issue of poverty. The basic idea of the Social Problems textbook is that social problems, like poverty, are not primarily caused by or the result of personal decision-making or character. What are two social causes of poverty in our world? How do these factors end up causing or continuing to maintain an impoverished class of citizens?

Nonetheless, we tend to fall into the commonly held view that poverty is the result of personal decision-making and character. How does this happen? What factors blind us to the social reality of poverty? What common beliefs, opinions, or assumptions about work and action work to hide the social reality of poverty from us?

Reading Material (sources)

Shareholder Theory
Milton Friedman, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase profits,” http://websites.umich.edu/~thecore/doc/Friedman.pdf
Justin Fox, The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase What Exactly? https://hbr.org/2012/04/you-might-disagree-with-milton
John Friedman, “Milton Friedman Was Wrong About Corporate Social Responsibility,” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/milton-friedman-was-wrong_b_3417866?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAz3iYPDv-XYE0fd6Zy9gra1swCoZGn0ay-hcDVlWdOwL0XKhmVz4aZ6a8yvP3EW2lZlk4iX5j6OVJxLqJ1gfzn_q1GLQH_ckPaT7xC2Y0GSSf2JgPibczlb-thEKRtWCK0mFLVxoByUOlzr9qYR8-AEO1PPM-fKqKiPgtstQ8Rz
Steve Denning, “The Origin of ‘The World’s Dumbest Idea’: Milton Friedman,” https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2013/06/26/the-origin-of-the-worlds-dumbest-idea-milton-friedman/?sh=69015034870e
Conflicts
University of Minnesota: Organizational Behavior (Chapter 10)
Social Problems and Poverty
University of Minnesota: Social Problems: Continuity and Change (Chapters 1 and 2)