Capitalism, corporations and the social contract : a critique of stakeholder theory

Intro -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- Competing perspectives on corporate responsibility -- Contrasting stakeholder and shareholder theories -- Stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility in a market economy -- A critique of stakeholder theory: the methodology -- A critique of stakeholder theory: the structure -- 2 An introduction to stakeholder theory -- The etymology of 'stake' and 'stakeholder' -- Stakeholder theory in organisations -- Ethics and strategy -- Normative arguments for stakeholder theory -- Conclusion -- 3 The philosophy of stakeholder theory -- Social contract theory -- John Rawls and social contract theory -- Fairness and distributive justice -- Conclusion -- 4 The corporation as a private association in a market economy -- An analysis of the concept of trade -- The ethical principles of a market economy -- The corporate objective in a market economy -- Conclusion -- 5 The corporation as a sovereign power in a market economy -- Stakeholder theory and the corporation as a commercial entity -- Stakeholder theory and the corporation as a 'social contract' -- Conclusion -- 6 Shareholder theory and its limitations -- The separation of ownership and control -- The consequentialist critique of stakeholder theory -- The deontological defence of shareholder theory -- The limits of contractual duties -- Ethical discretion in company law -- Conclusion -- 7 Conclusion -- References -- Index.