Join us on Tuesday evening for the classic economic discussion

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Good afternoon,

We are delighted to welcome a squad of immaculate special guests for our latest webinar this coming Tuesday evening.

Michael R. Strain from the American Enterprise Institute, Oliver Wiseman from The Critic, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author, will be joining me to discuss the age-old debate about the role of a corporation ([link removed]) .
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Register for this ASI Webinar ([link removed])


** Shareholders and stakeholders: who benefits from enterprise?
Tuesday, 24 November 2020 at 6.00pm UK time
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Journalists, academics, and even some business leaders are demanding that companies stop focusing so much on delivering profit to shareholders and more on creating value for their stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, and more broadly, communities and the environment.

This, they argue, is a necessary corrective to Milton Friedman-inspired shareholder supremacy that has led to short termism, a lack of investment in innovation, skills and the communities. Many companies have also begun taking explicitly political positions on issues like racial justice and refugee rights.

Those inspired by Friedman would argue, however, that there is no true contradiction and businesses are doing a social good by delivering a profit. Because a business that delivers a useful product while paying their employees, suppliers and taxes is doing a social good — like a pharmaceutical giant delivering a life-saving vaccine to end a pandemic. The focus on ‘stakeholders,’ on the other hand, risks empowering unaccountable managers ‘shirking’ from their legal responsibilities and undermining broader faith in the free market system.

To discuss the role of enterprise in society we have assembled an A-team of thinkers from across journalism, industry, and academia:
* Matthew Lesh is the Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute (Host)
* Michael R. Strain is the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy and the Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
* Oliver Wiseman is the US editor of The Critic
* Vivek Ramaswamy is an author and entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Roivant Sciences

Details:

Date: Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm (UK time)

The webinar will begin at 6.00pm, with an audience Q&A session taking place at approximately 6.45pm. The webinar will conclude at 7.00pm.

Looking forward to seeing you there.
Best regards

Matthew

Matthew Lesh, Head of Research
Adam Smith Institute
23 Great Smith St,
London SW1P 3DJ

Web: adamsmith.org (mailto:[email protected])
Email: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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