Business, Government and Society (POL205)

Relationships between business, government, and society are increasingly complex, dynamic, and symbiotic. Using the business unit as a starting point, we trace its involvement and interactions with key partners as well as internal and external stakeholders (e.g., investors, employees, customers, non-governmental organizations, etc) at various sites of activity such as the marketplace, workplace, and the legislative and political arenas. We discuss the systems of accountability now required and expected of transnational corporations operating in the global marketplace. Finally, we examine several case studies selected from the Asia-Pacific in the light of the core concepts discussed in the course.

• Overview of Business, Government and Society
• Government in Business
• The Case against Government Regulation
• Business in Government
• Business in Society
• The Social Responsibility and Impact of Businesses

• Explain how the business, governmental and social spheres intersect and interact with each other
• Compare different models of state-market relations in society
• Examine the case for and against government intervention into the private sector
• Assess the ethical arguments for and against living in a market society
• Review the social impact of businesses in wider society beyond profit-maximisation
• Appraise the ways in which market norms penetrate into social life and their dangers
• Develop corporate initiatives to address specific community problems and issues related to corporate social responsibility