1.1. Recently, there has been an increased pressure on CEOs to pursue large social issues, further precedented by the actions of individuals such as Kevin Johnson (Starbucks), Mark Parker (Nike), and Bob Iger (Disney).
1.2. Questions have been raised as to when and why it makes sense for CEOs to speak up. The author states that three reasons to speak up include being authentic, connecting with the millennial workforce, or doing the right thing for the company.
2. Balance between serving society and serving shareholders
2.1. Political institutions have struggled to keep pace with the rapid changes in society and business, leading political leaders and society at large to look to the business sector to solve many of these problems.
2.2. Six broad sets of issues likely to define corporate citizenship flashpoints in the coming decade are: environmental sustainability, economic fairness, corporate power and control, consumer protection, national security and nationalism, and social issues.
2.3. The disparity between the success of companies and the communities which host them, which have experienced income stagnation, and shrinking industry and job markets, has caused the demand for corporate policy reform.
3. Supercapitalism: has become more responsive to what we want as individual purchasers of goods, but democracy has grown less responsive to what we want collectively as citizens
3.1. While it is assumed that America is a great example of the idea that democracy and capitalism go hand in hand, however democracy has struggled to provide the basic functions of allowing all citizens to determine the rules of a game whose outcomes express the common good.
3.2. The idea of supercapitalism is that while we have greater choices and power as consumers and investors have grow significantly, however, as a result our democratic power as citizens has shrunk.
4. Commitment to All Stakeholders
4.1. The new statement of purpose puts an emphasis on serving all stakeholders in companies, namely the communities and environments in which they operate.
4.2. According to the Business Roundtable, most companies had previously operated under principles of shareholder primacy, or existing primarily to serve shareholders.
4.3. Personal Opinion: I think its great that these companies are coming out and committing to better serving their communities and employees, however, to me it really just sounds like lip service. Many of these corporations such as Walmart or Amazon are notorious for treating their employees and community poorly, and until large sweeping policy changes are implemented I don't think these commitments mean much.
5. Money speaks louder than justice
5.1. Individuals in government often have a vested interest in the success of large corporations like Walmart, leading to outcomes that are sometimes unjust.
5.2. As described within the article, Walmart places more value on the profit gained from filling opioid prescriptions that the potential risk to consumer wellbeing after being informed the doctors prescribing the medication were thought to be "pill-mills".
5.3. Article describes how the Executive branch of the government is intervening in a legal matter, something that should be reserved for the Judiciary branch, further highlights the disparity between justice and money.
6. Putting money where your mouth is: investors can support sustainability by investing in companies that have made advancements and commitments to environmental protection
6.1. BlackRock CEO Laurence Fink said that this company, which manages roughly $7 trillion for investors, will make a series of moves putting climate change and sustainability at the center of their investing approach.
6.2. By placing an emphasis on investing in companies that are sustainable, companies like BlackRock can put pressure on organizations to act a certain way only investing in companies that behave in a sustainable way.
6.3. Personal opinion: this is a great way to incentives companies to commit to sustainable initiatives. If companies are unable to get investment money without fulfilling sustainability standards, they will be forced to change the way they conduct business.
