Our society is dominated by corporations that employ us, sell to us, and influence local, national, and global agendas. Though we may take for granted the role of corporate business and capitalism in our day to day lives and assume it is inescapable, this hasn't always been the case. Business and Society provides a broad historical analysis of the spread of capitalism and the foundation of the corporate revolution in the late nineteenth century, while examining the challenges of regulation and ethics in contemporary business. In addition, it examines how corporate power and capitalism might be resisted, outlining a range of alternatives, from the social economy to new forms of open access or commons ownership. Written in a clear, accessible style, Business and Society offers an approachable introduction to a variety of perspectives from sociological, geographical, heterodox economic, ethical, political, legal and historical contexts.

Corporations dominate our societies. They employ us, sell to us and influence how we think and who we vote for, while their economic interests dictate local, national and global agendas. Written in clear and accessible terms, this much-needed textbook provides critical perspectives on all aspects of the relationship between business and society: from an historical analysis of the spread of capitalism as the foundation of the 'corporate' revolution in the late nineteenth century to the regulation, ethics and exclusionary implications of business in contemporary society. Furthermore, it examines how corporate power and capitalism might be resisted, outlining a range of alternatives, from the social economy through to new forms of open access or commons ownership.
Corporations dominate our societies. They employ us, sell to us and influence how we think and who we vote for, while their economic interests dictate local, national and global agendas. Written in clear and accessible terms, this much-needed textbook provides critical perspectives on all aspects of the relationship between business and society: from an historical analysis of the spread of capitalism as the foundation of the 'corporate' revolution in the late nineteenth century to the regulation, ethics and exclusionary implications of business in contemporary society. Furthermore, it examines how corporate power and capitalism might be resisted, outlining a range of alternatives, from the social economy through to new forms of open access or commons owne