Canadian Business and Society - The Business, Government and Civil Society Mosaic

With the growing complexity of decision-making and the interdependence of business, political, and social issues, effective management requires not only an understanding of processes inside a company, but also of how business, government, and civil society interact. Many treatments of this subject are overly generalized, or conversely take a narrowly focused approach. Some authors focus on selected stakeholders, others on particular tracts of interest such as, for example, ethics. Many include a seemingly endless treatment of a barrage of government acts and legislation in their attempt to contextualize “business” in “society.” While all of these are meritorious approaches to exploring “business and society” there is a need to present a more fulsome but yet focused view that is more closely representative of the organizations and their interactions occurring in the macro-environment in which future business managers will be required to operate in creating a sustainable competitive advantage for their organizations.