Jane Burston: Putting Profit
in its Place
Wed, 13 Nov 13 http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/fourthought
Jane Burston argues that by
placing too much emphasis on profit, companies behave in an unethical way, and
it is time for social purpose to take centre stage. Listen to the extract up to
minute 6:16 and try to answer the following questions.
1. Some of the language Ms. Burston uses has been extracted in the following
lines. Since some of it refers to banking scandals and circumventing labour
regulations, you may need to check some of the meaning through the links
provided:
My hopes had been pinned on a lecture called Business and social purpose
Large scale oil spillages
A stationery
company that had developed a terrible reputation for running the small companies
in its sector aground
Reality bites
Cut corners
and cut costs
3. In Ms. Burston’s experience at Harvard, what was the solution put forward
to make up for and dispel the company’s reputation?
4. How does the speaker justify and exemplify the following statement: ‘So
long as businesses have profit as the end goal, they will inevitably be
unethical’?
5. What threefold solution does Ms. Burston suggest in order for this business
model to be changed?