Does Humanity Matter to Corporate America?
James McGovern
Executive Architect | Application Modernization, Enterprise Architecture, Financial Transformation
This week, I spent time in the Park talking to strangers. One lady, I met was a #socialjustice warrior who held the believe that humanity does not matter to corporate America. She caused me to obsess on whether this is a factual truth or something that I have experienced which is the topic of this article.
It's important to recognize that there is a wide spectrum of corporate behavior, ranging from businesses that prioritize profit above all else to those that actively seek to balance profit with social and environmental concerns. Increasingly, many of us in this declining economic have felt the former very strongly and at the expense of caring about social and environmental concerns. While many will desire the government to regulate corporate morality, I thought an analysis of the problem space is in order.
The perspective on whether humanity matters to Corporate America can vary significantly depending on the specific corporation and the values and priorities it holds. Corporate America is not a monolithic entity, and different companies may have different approaches to how they consider and prioritize humanity in their business practices. Here are some key points to consider:
Profit Motive: Many corporations in America, like businesses elsewhere, are primarily profit-driven. Their primary goal is to generate profits for their shareholders. In this context, the well-being of humanity may not be the top priority, as profit maximization often takes precedence. Ironically, our government encourages this behavior for that is the source of their revenue for taxes.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Some corporations do recognize the importance of being socially responsible. They may engage in activities that benefit humanity, such as charitable donations, sustainability initiatives, or ethical business practices. These actions are often part of their CSR efforts. Sadly, there are no public metrics that allow for comparing different corporate entities in this regard.
Publics Perception: Public opinion and consumer preferences can influence how corporations behave. Companies may prioritize humanity when it aligns with their image or helps them attract customers who value ethical and socially responsible businesses. Reliance on public perception allows for many corporations to be let off the hook.
Employee Well-Being: Some corporations invest in their employees' well-being by offering competitive benefits, fair wages, and a healthy work environment. This approach acknowledges the importance of humanity within the organization. One recent trend that can be labeled as virtue signaling is companies offering unlimited vacation time. In many of these organizations, employees are not likely to be afforded the opportunity to take time off for a plethora of reasons that are unique to their business model and metrics not shared publicly.
Government Regulations: Government regulations and policies can also influence how corporations consider humanity. Laws related to labor rights, environmental protection, and consumer safety may shape corporate behavior. Many corporation may establish a floor requirement of compliance and not doing anything more.
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Philanthropy and Social Initiatives: Many large corporations have foundations or philanthropic arms that donate to charitable causes and support humanitarian efforts. Many corporations donated to the Black Lives Matter movement not because they truly believe that black lives matter but rather as a form of insurance so their motives are not genuine.
I. Additionally, corporate priorities can evolve over time, often in response to changing societal expectations and economic conditions.
Conclusion
Ultimately, whether humanity matters to Corporate America depends on the specific corporation, its leadership, and the values it upholds. Based on the #socialjustice warriors viewpoints combined with my own, I have concluded.
We cannot evaluate the trajectory of our businesses separate from civilization and without a clear appreciation for an enlarged definition of humanity. Just as we cannot separate technology from new world order or 21st century business, a business cannot single-handedly be oriented toward profit-making if we want to survive history. Business is not and can no longer be a thing in itself, isolated from economics, society or culture.
As public awareness of social and environmental issues continues to grow, many corporations are increasingly considering their impact on humanity as part of their long-term sustainability and competitiveness. Only a human centered leadership philosophy will guide them through this challenge.
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11 个月The underlying problem with Corporate America is that it separates "corporate social responsibility" from the core of its business. The point of any business is to address a social need - this could be anything from a basic human function related widget to entertainment for the public. But if you read about the history of corporations, pre- and post-the gilded age, you'll see how post-war corporations focused on maximizing profit, fighting government regulations and domestic and foreign competition. These giants/big business have moved far away from conducting operations in a way that focuses on optimizing social value - where people and the environment are not exploited or harmed to meet the public's business need. If you are lucky, you meet good people in these corporations, willing to not harm and humiliate you for trying to work in the business, as staff. A corporation itself has no concept of humanity; it is the people running it who have to make those choices. But, in a lot of ways, these corporations have gotten so big, that they are not smartest in a lot of ways - take the corporation that brings in millions or billions in revenue, but cannot standardize customer expectations or goods or service delivery. It's failing.
Founder of Netron
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Sales Specialist at Instahyre
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Senior pastor
1 年Amen
Principal, GLAD Associates, Inc.
1 年If, as your leading image suggests, that we are only an accidental combination of protons, neutrons, and electrons, plus time, plus chance, plus nothing, then there is NO value in the corporation. And oh, by the way, people and life also have no value. There's nothing in this life that's right or wrong. There's no moral superiority between an altruists and a mass murder. At some point in the near future, anything that we do or say in this life will be forgotten. Eventually, the universe will collapse back into it itself and nothing will be left. Leo Tolstoy understood this when he wrote in A Confession: "My question - that which at the age of fifty brought me to the verge of suicide - was the simplest of questions, lying in the soul of every man ... a question without the answer to which one cannot live. It was 'What will come of what I am doing today or tomorrow? What will come of my whole life? Why should I live, why wish for anything, or do anything?' It can also be expressed thus: Is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?" Is there a comprehensive worldview that gives meaning and purpose to life? That says to love our neighbor as ourself? The answer is yes there is.