Private companies and multinationals have been around since the beginning of recorded history. For both good and ill they have done an immense amount to shape human culture around the world. We have just come through a period in history when communist and socialist societies tried to eliminate or severely constrain private enterprise, but companies are now back, big time.
Consequently, the question now is: ‘What is their role in our global economic and social system?’ Providing goods and services and making a profit for their shareholders are important, but in that process, they also have responsibilities to their stakeholders and the wider society.
Companies are in fact corporate citizens of society; just as individuals are private citizens. They exercise certain rights but also have profound responsibilities. They have to step up as good citizens and use their power and influence to help humanity face the challenges of the future. This book discusses why and how they must do that as a step towards learning to live with modern capitalism.