Sadly, this view is supported by numerous examples of companies acting without a sense of corporate responsibility.
It was not always this way.
Local companies used to serve local communities, and the value they produced stayed in the community.
As firms prospered and expanded, stakeholders throughout the community benefited.
The system was hardly perfect, but it was far more equitable than in our era of global corporations.
The questions facing today’s corporate leaders are not easy to answer.
How can we develop a model that integrates a commitment to all our stakeholders, not solely our shareholders?
And how can we accomplish this while preserving the concept and the economic benefits of a global corporation?
Creating value within the community is an integral piece of the socially engaged corporation’s goals.
Accordingly, four models have emerged:
Place a percentage of corporate equity into a public charity.
Return a percentage of profits to the global communities served.
Encourage employees to dedicate a percentage of their time for community service activities.
Use government influence to positively affect policies for global communities.
Research verifies that companies can make a major difference with relatively small investments.
It also supports the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation and employee community-action teams.
No other company has such an explicit program for donating profits and time.
Employees seeking greater levels of fulfillment in their own lives will have to look no further than their workplace.
