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Capitalism at Risk: How Business Can Lead in an Era of Disruption
Joseph L. Bower, Donald K. David Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
Lynn S. Paine, Baker Foundation Professor, John G. McLean Professor of Business Administration,
Emerita
Presented on Tuesday, August 11, 2020
In their 2011 book Capitalism at Risk, HBS Professors Joseph Bower, Herman “Dutch” Leonard, and Lynn Paine argued that
market capitalism was under threat from an array of disruptive forces, including rising
income inequality, climate change, mass migration, and the deterioration of vital
preconditions such as the rule of law and good public health and education. They urged
business leaders to help mitigate these disruptors by turning them into opportunities
for business growth. Since that time, the threats have worsened and been aggravated
by corruption, misinformation, terrorism, and failed states, and critics of capitalism
have proliferated around the globe.
In this timely virtual program for HBS alumni—and in a newly expanded and updated
edition of their book—Professors Bower and Paine renew their call for business leaders
to rise to the challenge and share lessons from examples of successful efforts to
do so. Do you agree with their diagnosis? What is holding companies back? What can
your company do to make an impact?
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