The saying goes that “The business of business is business.” But is that true? Is the chief or only point of a corporation to make money, or do businesses have an obligation to serve some larger purpose beyond financial gain?
What would you say are the responsibilities of businesses?
My emphasis on understanding economic structure as a necessity in a capitalistic society is limited. I have (almost) avoided considering its importance. For instance, personally, I have never needed to take a job for the money; I have chosen a job because I have wanted to use my talents to further their value to the society. Well. I take that back: early on I chose, for artistic reasons, to work for a women’s specialty story displaying costly merchandize. I enjoyed managing this type of work but left because I was, IMO, only working for someone else to make money. Now, in more recent years, I notice that firms advertise their charitable contributions and in our community we have strong support and contributions though the United Way.