1. How do Carroll and Buchholtz define 'business' and 'society'? How does their conceptualization of the 'societal macroenvironment' (define this too) help to frame a particular understanding of the social problems generated throught the relationship between business and society? What seems to be missing from this map of the 'macroenvironment'? Explain what they mean by 'pluralism' and the major stakeholder-business relationships. Pick one 'business issue' discussed by the authors that involves "business's use and percieved abuse of power" (p. 16) and identify the stakeholder-business relationships that are involved within it.
2. What recent (since 2000) high-profile incidents-- corporate scandals, economic and environmental crises, etc.-- have raised serious questions about the relationship between business and society?
3. How does their characterization of society as 'pluralistic' differ from Marx's 'class-based' conception? Does a relative 'equilibrium of power' accurately characterize our society?
4. Why do "we have an environment that is so conducive to the criticism of business" (p. 16)? What are the "factors that have arisen in the social environment have created an atmosphere in which business criticism has taken place and flourished."(p. 11)?
5. How has the response by business reflected "an increased concern for the social environment and a changed social contract (relationship) between business and society."?
6. How do the authors define 'power'? What is 'business' or 'corporate' power? What are 'levels of power' and the 'spheres of power' in which it is exercized (reflect on Fig. 1.5)?
7. The author's argue that a new social contract between business and society is emerging. What happened to the 'old' social contract?
8. What is the 'managerial approach' that the authors outline as their framework for understanding the relation between business and society? What does it have to do with 'business ethics'? Who might find this approach most useful? How would other 'stakeholders' take a different approach?
9. Look at the definitions of 'sustainability' on p. 24. Are definitions 1 and 4 compatible? How do they differ?
10. Who are the major 'stakeholders' in firms/corporations?