Corporate Citizenship

Private companies and multinationals have been around since the beginning of recorded history. For both good and ill they have done an immense amount to shape human culture around the world. We have just come through a period in history when communist and socialist societies tried to eliminate or severely constrain private enterprise, but companies are now back, big time. Consequently, the question now is: ‘What is their role in our global economic and social system?’ Providing goods and services and making a profit for their shareholders are important, but in that process, they also have responsibilities to their stakeholders and the wider society. Companies are in fact corporate citizens of society; just as individuals are private citizens. They exercise certain rights but also have profound responsibilities. They have to step up as good citizens and use their power and influence to help humanity face the challenges of the future. This book discusses why and how they must do that as a step towards learning to live with modern capitalism.

David Logan is co-founder of Corporate Citizenship, the international consultancy widely regarded as a ‘one-stop shop’ for consulting on all aspects of corporate responsibility and sustainability. He has worked in the public, non-profit and private sectors and has 38 years of practical experience on frontline corporate responsibility and sustainability work. He is a graduate of London University, with a Masters in Philosophy and an Advanced Diploma in Education. He is an Associate Fellow at the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility at Cranfield University in the UK.