The common wisdom that business contributions to the common good
are counterproductive in the new competitive global marketplace
does not hold up to empirical research. In fact, doing good is good
for business, and a majority of businesses do provide some form of
community support, which Besser discovered in her exhaustive survey
of the Iowa business community. Business owners and managers often
act out of a sense of community spirit and a certain obligation to
better the common good. While the increasingly globalized economy
has encouraged a number of large corporations to become
freewheelers, the vast majority of companies are firmly rooted in
place and look at their locales with more than just a utilitarian
eye.
Extensive interviews with Iowa business owners, managers, and
business and community leaders are combined with findings from
prior studies of corporate citizenship, and the evidence clearly
indicates that the majority of businesses provide some form of
community support. Most owners feel they should do more than just
make a profit, so they often seek ways to give back to their
communities, a move that is usually nurtured within the business
community itself. However, corporate altruism carries risks. Many
business owners have unwittingly offended customers and clients by
their acts of civic spirit. Besser concludes her book by addressing
the potential threats to business social responsibility posed by
globalization and recommends steps to enhance socially responsible
capitalism. Anybody interested in the complex interaction of
businesses and the communities they reside in will enjoy reading
this positive revisitation of the mutually supportive relationship
between trade and polity.
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