More on Corporate Responses to the Protests and Riots

The following will likely not make much sense if you haven’t read the preceding relevant discussion, most of which can be found here. The core issue addressed is whether the decision of many corporations to strongly support Black Lives Matter while staying silent on the riots should be insulated from scrutiny by the business judgment rule. I have put my original comments in bold, responses by Idriss Z in italics, and my further responses in plain text. In addition to comments on the substance of this post, I hope readers will let me know if the formatting can be improved.

"Are the corporate executives making these decisions doing so in accordance with their fiduciary duty to become informed of all material information reasonably available (which requires consideration of the impact of these decisions on the bottom line)..."

IZ- Of course they are! Many cases have held that companies can acquire much goodwill and better pr from such community action (examples have included charitable donations and philanthropy to local schools, including HBCUs). Or a more "hip" take: African American culture might be the most profitable marketing material source in the world, people all over the global love the various arts that come from our (unfortunately) marginalized communities.

You provide good reasons for concluding the decision is rational, but that does not tell us whether it was properly informed. Those are two different inquiries. For example, if the type of polling data I set forth in my prior comments (from here) was available, then that likely should have been considered. Charitable contribution cases are best treated separately from cases involving ordinary business decisions.

"..., or are they simply acting on the basis of some echo-chamber supported confidence in the obvious rightness of their beliefs"

IZ- One of the best aspects of the American system compared to those of the English commonwealths in my estimation is the lack of mental probing done to business decision-makers. What a ridiculous assertion it would be that there was some pro-Black echo-chamber effect in board rooms that are under criticism for having virtually no Black board members, right? Moreover, where are you getting their ideas or confidences in their beliefs from? You wouldn't be just making it up?

How free from scrutiny corporate decision-makers should be in cases like this is the issue. Many people believe the heightened political divisions of our day don’t constitute a good reason for additional scrutiny. As I’ve written elsewhere, I believe they do. Under my proposal, if a corporate decision appears to be sufficiently politicized, then our lack of knowledge regarding the decision-making process becomes a reason for increased scrutiny, not a reason for continued insulation of the decision. Whether the decision in this case is objectively politicized enough to warrant additional scrutiny would be a question of fact. One might point to the fact that, according to at least one poll, 71% of Americans supported National Guard intervention in the riots (more on that poll here), while 62% do not strongly support BLM (assuming we can read failure to choose "strongly support" as “don’t strongly support”). Yet corporate decision-makers made strong statements in support of BLM while remaining silent on the riots. Finally, the echo-chamber I’m referring to is a progressive echo chamber -- and it can be all white.

"– completely ignoring, if not being downright disdainful of, the views of the half of the country that believes law and order, blue lives, and black lives all matter?"

IZ- Again, it is unclear where you're getting your facts from, I am unable any factual support for this. Also, I think you might want to check the poll numbers on people's preferences. Moreover, supporting BLM and Civil rights for marginalized communities does not put you in opposition to law, order, or any other life. In fact many have quite intelligently and correctly pointed out that suggesting that supporting BLM and Civil Rights does put you in opposition is flat-out racist. Moreover, many have also correctly pointed out that alleging that one who supports BLM and Civil Rights supports riots is also in completely disregard of the gulf separating factual and disingenuously racist. Or consider this: "half" the country believes the world is flat, must board members take factor that unscientific argument into their decisions?

I agree that the numbers matter.  And someone can agree with my proposal for heightened scrutiny of politicized decisions without agreeing that such scrutiny is appropriate here. Assuming we adopted heightened scrutiny for facially politicized decisions, the costs of heightened scrutiny argue in favor of keeping the scope of triggering facts narrow. Having said that, I think the polling I’ve identified so far provides at least some support for my position in that it concludes 71% of Americans supported some type of National Guard intervention in the riots, while 62% were reported to not strongly support BLM (including almost 30% of blacks, and almost 70% of whites). Of course, those numbers could be wrong and/or I could be wrong about the relevant weight/interpretation of those numbers. In all this, it’s important to keep in mind that the heightened scrutiny I’m advocating for merely seeks affirmation that corporate decision-makers are informing themselves of all material information reasonably available. It does not require a particular outcome. In this case, evidence that available relevant polling was considered would arguably be sufficient to carry that burden, even if the decisions remain the same.

Furthermore, I agree that there is no necessary conflict between “supporting BLM and Civil rights for marginalized communities” and supporting “law, order, or any other life.” In fact, we should expect them to support each other. I also agree that racists would want to draw connections between BLM and the riots. However, I don’t agree that corporate decision-makers can ignore relevant public opinion, including the relevant concerns of well-intentioned non-racists who may be having a hard time separating the protests from the riots, however misguided those concerns might be. Accordingly, if half the country believes the world is flat, then corporate decision-makers absolutely have a duty to consider that information when making a decision to roll out a “world is round” campaign. In fact, if the board is made up exclusively of round-earthers, and they refuse to even consider the contrary public opinion of half the nation (assuming those people would otherwise reasonably be deemed potential customers), then they would be acting in bad faith.  The centrality of this point to my proposal is difficult to overstate. Critically, however, nothing requires them to shelve the campaign based on that information. They just need to fully inform themselves of all information reasonably available, and have a rational business purpose for their ultimate decision– which typically shouldn’t be hard to do.

"Such a conscious disregard of reasonably available material information would constitute not only a breach of their duty of care, but also bad faith."

IZ- Well, as I've pointed out these "conscious disregards" would be impossible to prove and are only based on conjecture. Moreover, there is a duty of care to all members of the community, so supporting a group such as BLM and civil rights would be beneficial to all members, a rising tide raises all ships. Whereas disapproval of these groups might certainly fit your criterion as they are of benefit to exactly no one. Further, consider the ramifications of your approach-> would not every corporation face the exact same liability for putting their name on a College Football Bowl Game should a "riot" breakout?

An utter failure to properly inform oneself would suffice to support a finding of bad faith consistent with a conscious disregard of a known duty. If we shift the burden to corporate decision-makers to show that they properly informed themselves, and they are unable to carry that burden – that is sufficient. I certainly want the heightened scrutiny I propose to leave significant discretion to corporate decision-makers to appropriately consider the impact of decisions on stakeholders. Nothing I’m proposing should prevent corporate decision-makers from concluding that strong support for BLM is in the best interests of the corporation, while at the same time concluding silence on the riots is likewise best. The only way my proposal should interfere with those decisions is if the decision-makers failed to properly inform themselves.  Finally, the mere coincidence of a sponsorship decision and a riot would not trigger heightened scrutiny under my proposal.