Analysis

Get woke or go broke?

01.27.2020 - By BBC Radio 4Play

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When you buy your trainers, do you want to make a political statement? Businesses want to attract consumers by advertising their commitment to liberal causes like diversity and tackling climate change. It is a phenomenon known as woke capitalism. But is it a welcome sign that multinationals are becoming socially responsible? Or is it just the latest trick by business to persuade us to part with our cash, and a smokescreen to disguise the reluctance of many companies to pay their fair share of taxes? The Economist's Philip Coggan asks whether it's a case of getting woke or going broke. Contributors:

Dr Eliane Glaser - author of Get Real: How to See Through the Hype, Spin and Lies in Modern Life

Dan Mobley - Corporate Relations Director, Diageo

Saker Nusseibeh - Chief Executive at Hermes Investment

Anand Giridharadas - author of Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World

Kris Brown - president of Brady United, a gun violence prevention organisation

Abas Mirzaei - Professor of Marketing at Macquarie Business School

Doug Stewart - Chief Executive of Green Energy UK Producer: Ben Carter

Editor: Jasper Corbett

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