The Fire of Invention: Civil Society and the Future of the Corporation - Hardcover

Novak, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0847686647 ISBN 13: 9780847686643

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1997

Synopsis

Many Americans today consider the corporation to be the number one public enemy. Downsizing, corporate greed, an exclusive focus on the needs of shareholders at the expense of workers-the list of complaints from the left and right is long and growing. In this penetrating and insightful book, Michael Novak, regarded by some as America's foremost social thinker, and author of such internationally acclaimed bestsellers as The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism and Business as a Calling, argues that these critics ask the corporation to be something it is not, and they overlook the functions that it performs best-the cultivation of civil society, the fortification of democracy, and the elevation of the poor. Borrowing a phrase from Abraham Lincoln, Novak shows how the corporation weds the fire of invention to the fuel of interest to generate a creative, dynamic, and civic-minded citizenry.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Many Americans today consider the corporation to be public enemy number one. Downsizing, corporate greed, an exclusive focus on the needs of shareholders at the expense of workers - the list of complaints is long and growing. In this powerful new book, prominent scholar Michael Novak argues that these critics ask the corporation to be something it is not, and they overlook the functions that it performs best - the cultivation of civil society, the fortification of democracy, and the elevation of the poor. Borrowing a phrase from Abraham Lincoln, Novak shows how the corporation weds "the fire of invention" to the "fuel of interest" to generate a creative, dynamic, and civic minded citizenry. The Fire of Invention examines and illuminates many crucial debates: What is the purpose of the corporation? How should a corporation be governed? How much corporate independence from government regulation is desirable? How can businesses prepare for the complex economic and ethical challenges of the next century? This important book will fundamentally change the way Americans think about big business.

About the Author:

Michael Novak is the author of more than twenty-five books, a co-founder and former publisher of Crisis, and a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Forbes. Novak is the winner of the 1994 Templeton Prize. He lives in Washington DC.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0847686647
• ISBN 13: 9780847686643
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192