Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2014

The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research

by George Serafeim

Abstract

A long-standing ideology in business education has been that a corporation is run for the sole interest of its shareholders. I present an alternative view where increasing concentration of economic activity and power in the world's largest corporations, the Global 1000, has opened the way for managers to consider the interests of a broader set of stakeholders rather than only shareholders. Having documented that this alternative view better fits actual corporate conduct, I discuss opportunities for future research. Specifically, I call for research on the materiality of environmental and social issues for the future financial performance of corporations, the design of incentive and control systems to guide strategy execution, corporate reporting, and the role of investors in this new paradigm.

Keywords: corporate accountability; corporate social responsibility; corporate social responsibility and impact; corporate governance; environment; environmental and social sustainability; sustainability; sustainability reporting; Sustainability Research; sustainability targets; Corporate performance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;

Language: English Format: Print 28 pages SSRN Read Now

Citation:

Serafeim, George. "The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-110, May 2014.

About the Author

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George Serafeim
Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration
Accounting and Management

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