In his article Creating Shared Value, Michael Porter writes, “The capitalist system is under siege. In recent years business increasingly has been viewed as a major cause of social, environment, and economic problems. Companies are widely perceived to be prospering at the expense of the broader community.”
While this may be true, it is also true that there is a growing number of businesses growing to combat just these issues. Sure, there are numerous cases of late (Enron, General Motors, Lehman Brothers, etc.) who provide plenty of illustrations of how business is not to be run. However, take a look at Fast Company, Good.is, or Idealist.org and you’ll find there are several companies full of individuals who have a passion to change the world—positively. For many, CSR (corporate social responsibility) is not a marketing tool, but a way of life. In fact, the landscape of business is changing to greatly, new business forms are beginning to emerge. A few years ago, nobody had heard of the “B Corp.” Now, a quick glance at http://www.bcorporation.net/ shows there are now 517 certified B Corps generating $2.9 billion, covering 60 industries, and maintaining $2 million in annual savings.
The presence of profit does not necessarily indicate a void in soul.