FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
August 7, 2003
Positive Paper Chase
The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College has announced the winner of its 2003 Best MBA Paper contest.
Jessica Brinkman from the University of Michigan Business School was recognized for her paper "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Lead to Improved Financial Performance? An Analysis of the Electric Utility Industry." Analyzing data from almost 30 U.S. energy companies, Brinkman studied whether a company's social and environmental performance affects its financial success.
Brinkman will receive a $5,000 prize, and her paper will be published in the Journal of Corporate Citizenship.
Posted by Heath Row at August 7, 2003 12:13 PM | Category: social entrepreneurship |
1 Comment
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>Does Corporate Social Responsibility Lead to Improved Financial Performance?
Yes. No. It varies.
Body Shop is a good example of an outfit founded on that principle & practice - and has clearly gained through it.
I had a friend who was an arms dealer - clearly 'responsibility' wouldn't be an asset to his performance.
And there's numerous examples where enterprise successfully differentiates itself from competition by genuinely or cynically recognising 'social factors'.
Perhaps a bigger question - and one to be considered beyond any bottom line implications is... 'Can we afford not to be honorable?'