Abstract
Of course they do. But for all sorts of reasons, specifying precisely what responsibilities business corporations do and do not have, as well as providing convincing arguments for each of these, is a notoriously difficult task. Some of the difficulties are tellingly examined by Professor Barry; others, however, are not. His wholesale dismissal of any basis for affirming the morally obligatory character of what are usually termed corporate social responsibilities strikes me as lame. While he may think he is making a tough-minded argument in favor of profit maximization pure and simple, his various observations maintain an aura of unreality that may render them dubious to anyone who is familiar with how businesses actually operate.