Reforming Capitalism The Scientific Worldview and Business [Hardcover]

This book examines the role that the traditional understanding of science plays in how we understand the capitalistic system and how it informs business and business school education. Science serves many purposes in business organizations; it is much more than just a method to gain knowledge about business problems. It acculturates students to a certain way of thinking about the world and provides a rationale for the things business does and a justification for its purposes in society. It then utilizes the philosophy of Classical American Pragmatism to view science in a different manner, reconceptualizing the multiple environments in which business functions. Author Rogene Buchholz traces the implications of this view for our understanding of the corporation, how science is used in business organizations, the recent financial crisis, and finally what it means for management and management education. No other book examines capitalism and the business system from this unique and timely perspective.

Introduction  Part 1: The Traditional Scientific Worldview 1. The Rise of Modern Science and Its Characteristics  2. Values and Ethics  3. Economics  4. Politics  5. Culture  6. Nature  Part 2: Toward A New Understanding of Science  7. The Pragmatic View of Science and Its Characteristics  8. Pragmatism and Values  9. Pragmatism and Economics  10. Pragmatism and Politics  11. Pragmatism and Culture  12. Pragmatism and Nature  Part Three: Implications for Business  13. The Corporation and Community  14. Business and Science  15. Financial Armageddon  16. Management and an Ethic of Service.  Selected Bibliography.  Notes.  Index

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