Corporations and Politics

BA 4307-001
Fall 2007
Padmakumar Nair, Ph.D., Dr. Eng.
972-883-6264
Office Hours: by appointment; SOM 4.208
Padmakumar.nair@utdallas.edu

Time: Thursdays 01.00 to 03:45 AM

Place: SOM 1.217

Books and Other Reading Materials:

1. Steiner and Steiner, Business, Government, and Society, McGraw Hill, 11th edition.
2. Browne & Keeley, Asking the Right Questions, Prentice Hall, 2003.
3. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
4. Daily newspapers and business periodicals - Wall Street Journal suggested.

Readings: The readings can be downloaded from the library website (go to eJournals:
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collections/journals.htm )

Readings
1. Henry Mintzberg. 1996. “Managing Government, Governing Management”, Harvard
Business Review, May-June 1996
2. Bane, M.J. & Ellwood, D.T. 1991. “Is American Business Working for the Poor”, Harvard
Business Review, Sept.-Oct. 1991
3. Charles Handy, 2002, “What is a Business For”, HBR, Dec. 1, 2002

Introduction
The business world and the political world are intertwined. Each has the power to affect the other to
some degree. In this class we will be discussing the power each sector has over the other as well as
the amplitude, intensity, and possibility of the consequences of business-political engagements. We
will examine historical as well as current political events and relate them to the business world through
the use of critical thinking skills. We will also attempt to predict future government, social, and
corporate actions.

Class Participation [30% of your grade]

The class participation component means that you must come to class prepared to discuss the
assigned reading and the clipping you brought as homework. I must be able to know your name and
your level of participation for you to receive participation credit. I will call on people at random if
necessary to make sure that the quiet students have a chance. Attendance is required in this course.
Students who attend all class sessions and participate always perform better on the exam and the term
paper. Each week, students will be called on randomly to discuss the case assigned for the week.
Some case discussions will be role play activities, others will be debates. If you are not present when
your name is called or if you do not participate in the discussion, you will receive a zero for this portion
of the grade.

Assignment I (Weekly Homework) [20%]

Your weekly homework assignment is to bring in a current event clipping from a daily newspaper (New
York Times, Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, etc.), a business periodical (Business Week,
Fortune, etc.) or the internet that directly relates to the topic of the week, for example: foreign trade,
worker safety, or pollution.
Please attach your news story to another sheet of paper that includes the following:
1. Explaining why this news item is important to business
2. How does it relate to the topic/readings assigned for the week
3. Criticize the way the article is written by applying the questions of critical thinking
Late homework will not be accepted. Homework is due every week from week 2 except on
exam day and on the last day of the class.

Assignment II (Term Paper Project) [30%]

Part 1: Choose an industry or firm that is of particular interest to you and that is also in the news
(examples are tobacco, dietary supplements, sub-prime mortgage, credit cards) which represents a
business/society or business/government problem. To get topic approval, you must write a one-page
paper explaining what your topic encompasses and how it is related to the course. Topics will be
approved on a first come, first served basis . A list of potential topics is available on my website. Topics
related to cases in the textbook may not be used.
¾ Due: NO LATER THAN 9/6 [Sept. 06th], 12:30pm
¾ 1/3rd of the total project points
¾ One page – Turn in a hard copy and Upload through WebCT - Assignments

Part 2: Take that industry or firm research and write up the details of the impact of regulations or
lawsuits on the industry and the impact of the industry on government and society both in the past and
currently. Assume that you are writing a case study to add to our textbook. Present the facts and only
the facts: this is not the time for opinion. This is the research portion of the project.
¾ Part 2 Requirements:
o State the problem/Facts only
ƒ Who What When Where
ƒ Give some historical background
o Describe the situation
ƒ What events are occurring socially?
ƒ What events are occurring economically?
ƒ What events are occurring politically, etc?
o Use timelines, maps, graphs if necessary to illustrate your case
 ¾ Due: NO LATER THAN 10/04 [October 4th], 12:30pm
¾ 1/3rd of total project points
¾ Approximately 3-4 pages
¾ Turn in a hard copy and Upload through WebCT - Assignments

Part 3: Take the case that you produced in Part 1 and 2 and be prepared for class discussion
whenever called for. This is the time for your opinions – not research! Pretend that you are the CEO.
Identify the stakeholders, threats and opportunities in the social & political environment. What actions
should be taken by the firm? If you were CEO, what decisions would you make? Support your
recommendations.

¾ For the class discussion you should be prepared by doing the following:
o Identify the stakeholders
ƒ Who are they?
ƒ How important are they to this problem?
o SWOT analysis
ƒ Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the firm/industry.
ƒ What opportunities are available to the firm in the environment?
ƒ What threats await the firm in the environment?
o List possible alternative strategies
ƒ Rank the alternatives or assign probabilities
ƒ Which of these strategies do you recommend and why?
o Be sure to write a strong conclusion – case analysis is based on a well-supported
argument!
¾ Due: You should be prepared to discuss this in the class whenever called for from
October 25th.

Term paper format & rules:

¾ For each part you will be turning in a hard copy as well as uploading to WebCT
¾ Parts 1 and 2 are required as papers.
¾ Late papers will not be accepted.
¾ Use the MLA Handbook and follow the rules of format for papers regarding spacing,
headers, references, citations, etc.
¾ You must list references – I expect you to go to the library for sources. The Internet
may be used but only along with other sources. If your paper has only Internet sources,
it is an automatic zero!
¾ Word processing programs have spelling and grammar checking capabilities – use
them!

Exams I [20%]

The exam will consist of multiple choice questions. The questions are primarily from the lectures and
discussions, but you should make sure that you understand the subject matter in the textbook.
GRADING

1. Class Participation (includes readings and case discussions) 30%

2. Assignment I (Weekly Homework) 20%
3. Assignment II (Term Paper Project) 30%
3. Exam I (includes questions from the readings and cases) 20%
Total 100%

Week/Day Course Content

Week 1
August 16 COURSE OVERVIEW / EXPECTATIONS/OBJECTIVES
2007
Week 2 Business, Government and Society: An Introduction
August 23 Chapters 1 and 2
2007 Reading 1
Exxon Mobil
Royal Dutch Shell
Week 3 Power of Business
August 30 Chapters 3 and 4
2007 Reading 2
The American Tobacco Company
Mary Jones
Week 4 Corporate Social Responsibility
September 6 Chapters 5 and 6
2007 Merck
The Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project
Week 5 Ethics
September 13 Chapters 7 and 8
2007 Reading 3
Arthur Andersen
Realtors…
Week 6 Politics and Regulations
September 20 Chapters 9, 10 and 11
2007 Public Law 108-357
Lockheed Martin
Week 7 Politics and Regulations (cont…)
September 27 Chapters 9, 10 and 11
2007 Lockheed Martin
Ted Turner attacks Media Giants
Week 8 Global Corporations and Globalization
October 04 Chapters 12 and 13
2007 The Coca-Cola Company
McDonald’s Corporation
Week 9 Pollution and Environmental Quality
October 11 Chapters 14 and 15
2007 The Indian Health Service
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
Week 10 Exam I
October 18
2007 NO HOME WORK
Week 11 Consumerism
October 25 Chapter 16
2007 Harvey W. Wiley
Week 12 External Forces and Changing Workplace
November 01 Chapter 17
2007 Ford Motor Company
Week 13 Civil Rights at Work
November 08 Chapter 18
2007 Civil Rights at Work
Week 14 Reflection
November 15
2007 NO HOME WORK

Readings
1. Henry Mintzberg. 1996. “Managing Government, Governing Management”, Harvard
Business Review, May-June 1996
2. Bane, M.J. & Ellwood, D.T. 1991. “Is American Business Working for the Poor”, Harvard
Business Review, Sept.-Oct. 1991
3. Charles Handy, 2002, “What is a Business For”, HBR, Dec. 1, 2002