Corporate Reckoning - by Sarah Federman (Paperback)

About the Book

"Increasingly, corporate executives are asked to atone for their predecessors' moral transgressions, this book shows them how to respond in ways that are good for them and good for others"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

How corporations can address legacies of historical oppression in ways that are good for them and good for others.

Increasingly, corporate executives find themselves called upon to atone for their predecessors' moral transgressions. While many are prepared to address inherited failed product lines or dysfunctional teams, few know how to handle demands that their enterprise address legacies of mass atrocity such as slavery, genocide, or colonialism. In Corporate Reckoning, Sarah Federman provides a corporate atonement model for corporate leaders and employees across industries around the world.

When survivors and descendants demand reckoning, many corporate leaders initially shirk the responsibilities that follow from these requests. They may claim that history belongs to the historians, that their company's activities were legal at the time, or that too much time has passed. If it comes to it, courts will rule in their favor, they reassure themselves. Others avoid these issues simply because they have no idea how to address them.

Demands for reckoning ebb and flow, but these histories do not disappear. This book offers a way forward that serves companies and those affected by these historical harms. Taking responsibility for irreparable harm is not easy or comfortable. Despite the dilemmas and difficulties, the only way out is through.

Review Quotes

ENDORSEMENTS

"Corporate Reckoning challenges leaders to confront not just the future they want to create but the past they prefer to forget. A vital guide for anyone serious about building a truly net positive company."
--Paul Polman, business leader, investor, philanthropist

"In this courageous and beautifully written book, Sarah Federman draws on powerful narratives, rigorous research, and a rare moral clarity. Anyone concerned with the future of responsible organizing should read this book."
--Roy Suddaby, University of Victoria, Canada

"An illuminating survey of contemporary institutional remedies and a clarion call for reparatory action. Both organizational leaders and the advocates who keep after them will find sound advice and inspiring cases within this highly engaging and timely book."
--Margaret Burnham, Northeastern University; author of By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow's Legal Executioners

"Professor Federman's book is an important contribution to the growing literature about corporate accountability."
--Paul Hoffman, UC Irvine School of Law

About the Author

Sarah Federman is Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution at the University of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies. She is the author of the award-winning books Transformative Negotiation and Last Train to Auschwitz, as well as two coauthored anthologies, Introduction to Conflict Resolution and Narratives of Mass Atrocity. In 2022, Federman testified before Congress concerning the responsibility of US banks to respond to their slavery ties. Federman's TEDx talk on this topic has been selected by TED's main conference for wider promotion and will be released soon.