The Business of Business is Business
Introduction
John Williams seeks the original source of the aphorism "The Business of Business is Business"
Hello out there! As part of an article I am writing on ethics in Marketing I am searching for the origin of the aphorism "The Business of Business is Business".
It is variously attributed to Milton Friedman and Alfred P. Sloan. The attribution to Friedman is almost certainly incorrect, as the article in question does not contain those exact words (but do express that sentiment). However Wikipedia and various academic papers also attribute it to Alfred P. Sloan, president of General Motors in the 20s, 30s and 40s.
This attribution seems to stem from a book "The New Business of Business", where the first sentence is that "Alfred T. Sloan" said these words in 1923. But I have searched in vain for corroborating evidence. It appears in no encylopedias of quotations, and does not appear in the book by Sloan himself (My Years at General Motors), the book about that book (A Ghost’s Memoir) or a historian’s biography of Sloan (Sloan Rules).
Does anyone have any clues as to who originated this aphorism, or any other sources that I could consult?
Thanks in advance,
John.