Google Starts Up Philanthropy Campaign
While Bill Gates uses his personal fortune for philantrophy, Google is using the company’s funds for good works. The company’s plans for philantrophy were disclosed from the outset in Google’s IPO. However, some people are grumbling that the founders of Google shouldn’t be spending shareholders’ money on pet projects.
The documentary film, The Corporation, made the point that the corporation, as a "legal person”, is designed by law to be selfish, greedy and mercenary, with no concern for anyone or anything but itself—qualities that if they were applied to a real person, would fit the psychological profile of a psychopath. By law, a corporation’s only obligation is to make its shareholders’ richer. It has no morals or ethics. Its only guiding principle is the pursuit of profits at all costs.
Even if companies are legally set up to be greedy, heartless schmucks, we should be more open and supportive when people try to transform their corporations into more charitable organizations. Yet people can only seem to criticize the founders when this happens.
The founder of Costco, for example, has been repeatedly criticized for paying his workers too much—even though this creates high worker morale and employee loyalty. Costco has almost no turnover, compared to other retailers. But in spite of Costco paying its workers $16 an hour (instead of the $6 or $8 competitors pay theirs) and giving its workers health insurance, Costco is still successful and growing. So maybe injecting some compassion and humanity in our corporations can be good, not just for our souls, but for business.
post edited October 13, 2005 at 7:51 am
The documentary film, The Corporation, made the point that the corporation, as a "legal person”, is designed by law to be selfish, greedy and mercenary, with no concern for anyone or anything but itself—qualities that if they were applied to a real person, would fit the psychological profile of a psychopath. By law, a corporation’s only obligation is to make its shareholders’ richer. It has no morals or ethics. Its only guiding principle is the pursuit of profits at all costs.
Even if companies are legally set up to be greedy, heartless schmucks, we should be more open and supportive when people try to transform their corporations into more charitable organizations. Yet people can only seem to criticize the founders when this happens.
The founder of Costco, for example, has been repeatedly criticized for paying his workers too much—even though this creates high worker morale and employee loyalty. Costco has almost no turnover, compared to other retailers. But in spite of Costco paying its workers $16 an hour (instead of the $6 or $8 competitors pay theirs) and giving its workers health insurance, Costco is still successful and growing. So maybe injecting some compassion and humanity in our corporations can be good, not just for our souls, but for business.
post edited October 13, 2005 at 7:51 am
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home