An Affirmation of our Common Humanity

Corporate Social Responsibility, 

an affirmation of our common humanity

The globalization of economic activity pushed businesses to compete, and strive for excellence in their industry for doing otherwise is to perish. To be competitive gives the impression that others are the "enemies" to be defeated because they are threats. If they win, I and my business will perish. 

This attitude seems to be justified by the perennial corporate goal of giving value to the shareholders. Protecting the business, making it win in the competition is giving value to shareholders being the rightful owners of the business.

Unfortunately, this is a constricted view of global economy and business life. It looks at business only from the point of view of owners and shareholders who constitute a sector, one of the many stakeholders in the world of business. Certainly, the world of business belongs not only to owners; rather it also includes consumers, employees and workers, suppliers, the community, the government, the environment and planet where we all live, and so many others. A business must succeed not only for its owners, but also for its employees, its customers, its suppliers, and for many others. Business is for everyone. We all need businesses.

There are abuses in business, bad things happening are blamed to business for a good reason. But it does not mean stopping business. Because without business, it will be worse for all of us. 

The globalization of economic activity pushed businesses to compete, and strive for excellence in their industry for doing otherwise is to perish. To be competitive gives the impression that others are the "enemies" to be defeated because they are threats. If they win, I and my business will perish. 

This attitude seems to be justified by the perennial corporate goal of giving value to the shareholders. Protecting the business, making it win in the competition is giving value to shareholders being the rightful owners of the business.

Unfortunately, this is a constricted view of global economy and business life. It looks at business only from the point of view of owners and shareholders who constitute a sector, one of the many stakeholders in the world of business. Certainly, the world of business belongs not only to owners; rather it also includes consumers, employees and workers, suppliers, the community, the government, the environment and planet where we all live, even competitors, and so many others. A business must succeed not only for its owners, but also for its employees, its customers, its suppliers, and for many others. Business is for everyone. We all need businesses.

There certainly are abuses in business. Bad things happening are blamed to business for a good reason. But it does not mean stopping business. Because without business, it will be worse for all of us, affirming again that business is for us all.

What I am seeing in our common stake for business is the underlying reality of our common humanity, that is, we share the same planet, we share the same destiny, we share the same common humanity.

The figure about the company’s ripple effect best illustrates this reality of common humanity we share. Business reveals to us our interconnectedness, our being stakeholders, our common interest.