Arena Books (Publishers)

for industrial resurgence

ISBN 0-9538460-4-0

This is the third of three ground-breaking studies on the philosophy of New Socialism by Robert Corfe.

If Socialism or Labour administrations are to be assured repeated electoral gains, and not encounter defeat, as so often in the past, through the failure of economic policies, then a high priority must be given to ensuring the business or industrial success of the real or job-creating economy. This book is concerned with those conditions necessary for regenerating the productive sector, particularly manufacturing and the primary industries.

It is interesting that the author is able to identify desirable competition, efficiency, and the maximising of market share, with the needs of justice and equity in the workplace. An enterprise in the modern world which fails to carry forward the full commitment of its employees is seldom destined for long-term success.

But business in the decades ahead will be faced by problems of a magnitude which did not confront earlier generations. Community interests and environmental threats will call for intervention on a scale demanding much closer co-operation between government and business.

The author argues, from the perspective of his long experience in industry, that New Socialism alone is likely to have the vision, intelligence, and tact, required in integrating the conflicting demands between the market, capital, labour, and the environment. For example, whilst in the past economic thinking has always emphasised the need to increase quantity of output, in the future the emphasis is likely to be on quality. The problems of the Third World with regard to productivity and employment are given special attention. There is criticism of the failure of existing international institutions, and some detail is given to the need for empowering the hidden or dead capital of the poor.

Whilst in earlier books Corfe analysed the macro-economic foundations for New Socialism, in this he outlines practical proposals for ensuring great efficiency, and describes the structures which need to be put in place in liaising between business and government for greater prosperity.

The book is divided into the following 6 parts: The International Dimension, 7 chapters; Strategies For National Prosperity, 11 chapters; Job Creation For Social Wealth, 14 chapters; Reforming The Business Enterprise, 4 chapters; Forty-Three Failing Britain: An Exercise In The Critique of Rentier Capitalism, 6 chapters; and, The Declaration of Socialist Business Values, 11 sections.

Book Contents

Part I - Redefining The Benefits of Free Trade

1 – Why The Business Community Should Be Committed To New Socialism 2 – The Political Threat of Global Capitalism 3 – How The Nation State Defines The Democratic Community 4 – Creating Free Trade For The Majority 5 – Internal Capitalisation In The Third World 6 – Competition & Protection 7 – How Environmental Issues Will Change Industrial Policy

Part II - Strategies For National Prosperity

8 – Productivity Defined 9 – The Bane of Rentier Capitalism 10 – The Meaning of Wealth Creation 11 – The Pursuit of Business For Its Own Sake 12 – Identifying The Right Objectives 13 – Ownership As a Stewardship 14 – Industrial Democracy & Worker Investment 15 – Government Policies For Industry 16 – A New Investment Source For Productivity 17 – Creative Intervention & The Business Adviser 18 – Monopoly & Efficiency

Part III - Job Creation For Social Wealth

19 – Social & Unsocial Wealth Creation 20 – How Industry & Jobs Are Undermined 21 – How Rentier Business Practices Destroy Productivity 22 – Political Alignments Fail To Reflect Economic Realities 23 – Scale of The Damaging Rentier Economy 24 – The Monster That Turned on Productivity 25 – Where Blame Must Lie 26 – Rentier Versus Productive Capitalism 27 – Occupational Priorities According To Productivity 28 – Money-Power In Britain Greater Than Elsewhere 29 – Our Competitors Put Productivity First 30 - Invisible Barriers Against British Trade 31 – Proposals For Promoting Job-Creating Productivity 32 – A Message For The World

Part IV - Reforming The Business Enterprise

33 – The Company: Identifying Its Intrinsic Purpose 34 – “Usury” – Is It Relevant Today? 35 – The Company: Fairness & Efficiency As one 36 – A General Purposes Clause For the Company

Part V - Forty-Three Failing Britain: An Exercise In The Critique of Rentier Capitalism

37 – Industrialists Against Industry 38 – The Ideology of Industrial Decline 39 – Counterblast To The Forty-Three 40 – The Purpose of Industry 41 – The Bifurcation of Capitalism 42 – Identifying Productive Profitability

Part VI - Declaration of Socialist Business Values

1 – The Social Purpose of Industry 2 – Safeguarding Community Interests 3 – The Proper Rationale of Business 4 – How To Fund Business 5 – Politicising Business Activity 6 – First Steps Towards Prosperity 7 – Reforming The Financial Institutions 8 – Towards Creative Intervention 9 – Overcoming The Imbalance of Trade 10 – Extended Role of The Trade Unions 11 – Collective Responsibility For Industrial Success