Businesspeople as Social Leaders

This chapter starts with society’s view of businesspeople and then examines what businesspeople can do with respect to social issues. The conversation touches on charity in Turkey, education, equal opportunity, and the relationship between the private sector and NGOs.

Bülent Eczacıbaşı’s analysis of the topic is based on personal experiences and the Eczacıbaşı Group’s social responsibility projects. He examines the evolution of private-public sector dialogue in Turkey and shares his thoughts about the importance of having a powerful civil society and a robust approach to social responsibility.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . read the transcript of the conversation with ALİ ÇARKOĞLU and IŞIK ÖZEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Önemli olan iyi örnekler oluşturmak ve bunları örnek olarak topluma sunmak
Problemleri olduğu gibi, güçlü yönleri de var aile şirketlerinin.
En önemli sorun hissedarlık, yöneticilik ve aile.
Yaşlılık insanların olduğu kadar şirketlerin de bir gerçeği...
Bireyci bir kültüre sahip olmadığımız için, profesyonellik eğilimimiz düşük güven esaslı gidiyor.
Aile anayasası bir dökumandan öte bir düşünce süreci.
Örgütsel yapı yaratıcı düşünmeyi engelleyici olmamalı.
Aile anayasasını kabul ettirecek olan da aslında kurucu ve kurucunun otoritesi.
Etik davranmadığında uzun vadede sen zarar görürsün, şirketini ayakta tutamazsın.
Liderlerin sadece rakamlardan değil değerlerden de bahsetmeleri gerekir.
Girişimcilik ve yenilikçiliğin kaynağı zorlanmaktır.
Girişimcilik doğuştan olan bir özellik midir yoksa öğrenilebilir bir özellik midir?
Yeni kuşağın liderleri en az kendileri kadar eğitimli ve yetenekli insanlarla çalışacaklar ve onları başka türlü yönetemeyecekler.
Ailenin sosyal sermayesi şirket için önemli bir kaynak.

Interview Partners

ALİ ÇARKOĞLU

With a BA and an MA in Economics from Boğaziçi University, a further MA in Economics from Rutgers University, and a PhD in International Relations from Koç University’s College of Administrative Studies and Economics, Ali Çarkoğlu taught at Boğaziçi University (1994-2002) and Sabancı University (2002-2010). During the 2008-2009 academic year, he conducted research at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences. His research focuses on behavioral political science and seeks answers to a variety of questions regarding voting behavior, public choice, and party politics. His field studies on university student choices, religiosity, the relationship between political Islam and political behavior, charity in Muslim societies, corruption, the informal economy, views on EU membership and voting behavior were supported by research grants from the Turkish Science and Technology Research Council (TÜBİTAK), the United States Institute of Peace, the Ford Foundation, the Nuffield Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and Boğaziçi, Sabancı, Işık and Koç Universities. He has served on the editorial board of Turkish Studies since its founding and was research director at the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) between 2000 and 2001. His publications have appeared in edited volumes and journals such as the European Journal of Political Research, Electoral Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Political Studies. Çarkoğlu has also co-authored two titles with Ersin Kalaycıoğlu: Turkish Democracy Today: Elections, Protest and Stability in an Islamic Society (2007) and The Rising Tide of Conservatism in Turkey (2009).

IŞIK ÖZEL

With a BA in Economics from the Middle East Technical University, an MA in Economic History from Boğaziçi University, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Washington, Işık Özel currently teaches at the Carlos III University of Madrid, where she is a member of the Juan March Institute. She previously taught at Sabancı University (2007-2017) and held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI). She worked as a visiting professor and research fellow at several institutions, including the Hertie School of Governance (Berlin), Instituto de Empresa (Madrid), Colegio de Mexico, and the Freie Universität Berlin. Broadly situated in comparative political economy, Özel’s research interests include the politics and consequences of institutional change in middle-income countries, particularly focusing on social policy, education, regulation, and governance. Her work has appeared in international journals such as Socio-Economic Review; The Review of International Political Economy; the Journal of European Public Policy, Regulation & Governance; and Democratization among others. She is the author of State-Business Alliances and Economic Development, Turkey, Mexico and North Africa (2014) as well as numerous articles and book chapters.