Management in Politics

Abstract

That business is in politics as a necessity for eco nomic survival goes without saying. But the businessman in politics is another matter. For many years business has op erated mainly behind the façade of pressure groups and through the agency of the lobbyist. Businessmen have also sought political advantage through the use of publicity and the new "profession" of public relations. A survey shows that their ac tive participation in politics has not been as great as might be supposed. But enlightened businessmen seem to feel that members of management should take a more active part, not just in politics but, it would seem, in party politics. Today, for the most part, they prefer to work on the sidelines, and then not very actively, or through trade associations. Some of the reasons for this include social ostracism and the fear of tread ing on other people's toes. But the businessman has too much at stake in this complex world, where "we are in the midst of a revival of a truly political economy, whose major economic problems are political in nature." The authors suggest that less lobbying and more outright participation in politics by management and research is needed in the business community in order to meet fairly the many political and economic pres sures of the day.