MGMT 205 BIT Intersection Between Politics and Business Essay
On April 14, 2021, the CEOs of hundreds of American corporations signed a public statementproclaiming We Stand for Democracy. The statement (triggered by the enactment of acontroversial voting rights law in Georgia and voter suppression actions in Texas and otherstates) asserts the following:
A Government of the people by the people.
A beautifully American ideal, but a reality denied to many for much of this nations history.
As Americans, we know that in our democracy we should not expect to agree on everything.
However, regardless of our political affiliations, we believe the very foundation of our electoral processrests upon the ability of each of us to cast our ballots for the candidates of our choice.
For American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us.
We should all feel a responsibility to defend the right to vote and to oppose any discriminatorylegislation or measures that restrict any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to casta ballot.
Voting is the lifeblood of our democracy and we call upon all Americans to join us in taking a non-partisan stand for this most basic and fundamental right of all Americans.
The signatories included the leaders of leading US technology companies (Apple, Dell, IBM, etal), financial companies (Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo), consulting firms(Bain, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey), manufacturers (Cisco, Ford, General Motors), andretail companies (Amazon, Nordstrom, Target).
The statement was applauded by some commentators as an appropriate exercise of businesspower in the highly polarized political environment of the United States. But it also provokedstrong criticism by leaders of the Republican Party (e.g., Mitch McConnell) and conservativemedia outlets (e.g., Fox News) claiming that the CEO letter overstepped the boundaries ofpolitical engagement by the American business community.