Preview

Milton Freeman, By John Milton Friedman By Milton Friedman

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
147 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Milton Freeman, By John Milton Friedman By Milton Friedman
According to Friedman, a ‘good’ corporation is not one that undertakes activities only because they are ethically sound, but because they are economically viable. Milton Friedman argued against spending shareholder’s money for anything that does not directly contribute to increasing shareholder wealth or profit. His main argument stems from his views on what constitutes ethical spending. In other words, he noted that it is not appropriate for a corporate executive or director to embark on social objectives or programs because there is little incentive for prudent expenditure, particularly when one is spending money owed to the shareholders through dividends. In addition, companies should not engage in any charitable activities or dedicate

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Promoting a social justice may be justified, because it has been proven to create the competitive advantage by creating loyal employees, which directly leads to attaining loyal costumers. This may create an argument on flip side, that it may increase the administrative expenses which may also distracts the executive, as well as managers from their soul responsibility looking to increase the profits. This idea of profit maximization is well supported by the greatly Friedman, who particularly rejected the idea off business leaders articulating new visions that consider any business aspect than the profit maximizations them selves. The survey of corporate social responsibility research says, “ It creates administrative expenses, distracts executives, confuses economic goal, and subtracts from social welfare when the corporation is less efficient.” (The good company, 22)…

    • 2712 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bus 351 Research Paper

    • 2027 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Renowned author Milton Friedman stated that: “The business of business is business”. He believes that society’s interests are in direct contrast to corporate management’s ideologies. In an attempt to promote their own causes and still enlist the support of society, organizations have implemented Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This concept proves to be a disillusioned attempt by companies that claim to already be practicing CSR, to satisfy campaign groups that insist that they need to do more to mitigate their social issues. As other countries in the world, especially Continental and Central Europe are moving toward the Anglo-Saxon shareholder value model; many debates arise and prove to have global…

    • 2027 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    According to Milton Friedman, all of the following are reasons not to use corporate funds to serve social causes EXCEPT:…

    • 12131 Words
    • 49 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    MGT/498 ETHICS

    • 1056 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To increase the importance of strong ethical significance, this paper will clarify the principle character of ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility in relative to an organizations strategy. Furthermore, consideration will be given to the assortment of shareholders that control a business stratagem. Lastly, classification will be given to a company that practiced unethical behavior, social responsibility, and sustainability in their daily functions.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The book, Free to Choose: A Personal Statement by Milton and Rose Friedman is one which embodies, not only the personal views of one of history’s most influential economic authorities, but also provides a practical guide for understanding economics, as a whole. In the work, Friedman and his wife advocate laissez faire or “let do” economics, which advocates the idea that markets function most efficiently when free from government control and taxation. The book was also made into a popular television mini-series for PBS in 1980, each of the ten chapters being covered by an individual episode. Throughout the work, the Friedmans cite examples throughout history and the world to support the assertion that free markets promote economic progress and that attempts to control markets inhibit it.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    It is overwhelming how corporations have embedded a social responsibility in their mission statements and company objectives. This leaves us with one assertion that is that corporations do have some level of obligation towards society’s morality; however, the corporation itself is not a moral agent (Klaus M. Leisinger). The discussion that follows is about corporations being moral agents or otherwise; however I will reach a conclusion that corporations do have an obligation that extends beyond obeying the law; evens so this obligation have been derived from the corporations quest for profit making. Corporation’s obligation…

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    guide reading

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Friedman argues that the objective of a corporation is to maximize the profits within the guidelines of the law in the free and open society. If the corporate executive has a “social responsibility”, which means his is to act that is not in the interest of his employers.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Case 12

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Friedman’s reaction towards Mackey’s statement regarding donation of 5% of net profits to philanthropy was negative. Friedman said that if it was not for the US system of tax laws, then the company would not have given out donations. He also states that it is not fair for the investors that their money is going away; it’s their money they have the right to do whatever they want with it. Finally, I believe that if an organization works under CSR framework and takes into consideration all different stakeholders affected by…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Thirty-five years ago, Milton Friedman wrote a famous article for The New York Times Magazine whose title aptly summed up its main point: "The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits." Friedman had no patience for capitalists who claimed that "business is not concerned 'merely' with profit but also with promoting desirable 'social' ends; that business has a 'social conscience' and takes seriously its responsibilities for providing employment, eliminating discrimination, avoiding pollution and whatever else may be the catchwords of the contemporary crop of reformers." Friedman wrote that such people are "preaching pure and unadulterated socialism. Businessmen who talk this way are unwitting puppets of the intellectual forces that have been undermining the basis of a free society these past decades."…

    • 2335 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As we learned from the class lectures and Julia’s talk on last class, the Board of Directors is primarily loyal to shareholders and has the fiduciary duties of taking care of shareholder wealth. So the rising question now is: “Is Corporation Social Responsibility (CSR) conflicted with the bottom line?” It’s not a easy question to answer, because CSR should mostly contribute to a corporation’s intangible asset and long-term profit, both of which are hared to measure. However, some past cases have illustrated that market does value CSR and such appreciation can transit to be values for shareholders. One best example here is the Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol case, in which some drugs on sale were positioned by individuals, and the corporation decided to remove all Tylenol drugs on market with public announcement of warnings to consumers; the declined market share was quickly recovered with climbing stock price once Johnson & Johnson re-launched its products due to its earned public reputation of being safe and responsible. Moreover, even though we can’t be sure of CSR’s positive impacts, there’s significant certainty that public reveal of non-socially-responsible behaviors of corporations would definite hurt shareholder benefits, and there were so many examples to tell revealed in the financial crisis. In addition, it’s a trend of more socially responsible consumptions and I think the trend is speeding up with rising living standards and greater awareness of environmental and social problems worldwide.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Famous encomiast Milton Friedman argues that “capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom.” In other words to obtain a total democracy, capitalism should be a key element. Although Freidman’s argument is agreeable, it lacks important characteristics that are used to create a strong argument. Arguments have rules and regulations that should be followed to make them creditable, logical, and understood by the audience. Milton Friedman ideas can be agreed with, but his argument is not convictable. Friedman’s argument is missing important qualities of a good argument these include failure to have the proper thought organization, only arguing to support his claim, and lack of solid evidence.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because classical economic thinking provided no insight to the causes or remedy for the economic disparity of the Great Depression, John Maynard Keyes’ theory that free markets alone could not effectively lead to full employment was able to gain traction. The idea that government intervention was necessary for an economy to be fully function incited much criticism from classical economists, especially in the latter half of the 1900’s. Milton Friedman was a leading economist at the forefront of this counter revolution, and he became a very influential advocate for free markets around the world. Many of his ideas for market policy, however, are criticized for being too misleading or overzealous.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In recent years, Corporate and Social Responsibility has become an ever increasing concern and source of community debate. It is now socially accepted that corporations have some ongoing responsibility, though sometimes ignored, to set a good example, make decisions based on social good and on ensuring positive environmental practices.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Milton Friedman

    • 3278 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Born on the 31st of July 1912, Milton Friedman was an American Statistician, Republican economist and teacher at the University of Chicago. He was the leading force apposing ‘New Keynesian’ styles of economics, and based his theory off of contrasting ‘naïve Keynesian’ (as he called it), however his theories changed as he began to accept some Keynesian economical styles in times of trouble. He famously said "We are all Keynesians now" to President Nixon, referring that sometimes this economical style is inevitable. Friedman’s alternative macroeconomic policy known as "monetarism" grew in popularity during the second half of the 20th century, especially with middle and upper class Americans. He hypothesized there existed a "natural" rate of unemployment, and argued that governments could lower unemployment above this rate (through economical stimulation and job creation) however this would come at the cost of accelerated inflation. Among this, Friedman opposed the existence of the Federal Reserve (centralized government bank) and believed that a steady, small expansion of the money supply was the only prudent policy. Friedman managed to excel throughout life, accomplishing a leading role on the Reagan platform, and being noted as the second most influential economist of the 20th century.…

    • 3278 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Milton Friedman

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Milton Friedman, like so many great life stories, was the subject of a very tough childhood. He was son to a couple of poor immigrants, born on 31 July 1912, in New York, America. At the age of fifteen, Friedman's father died. Despite this, he won a scholarship to both Rutgers University and the University of Chicago, where he achieved a Bachelor of the Arts degree in economics. The very next year he received an MA at Chicago University. He then worked for the National Bureau of Economic Research (from 1937) while teaching at many universities, but it was only at Chicago in 1946 that he was given the title of 'professor of economics'. Thirty years later, in 1976, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics, "for his achievements in the field of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilisation policy." Through his life, Friedman has published many books, articles in newspapers and periodicals. He has also appeared on radio and television in countless interviews.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays