SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- The people gathered in the room all raised their hands in support of being more environmentally responsible. They embraced notions of furthering gay rights and labor rights and spoke of how we need to feed the poor and fight HIV/AIDS.
These people weren't from the ranks of nonprofits, academia or what might be thought of as liberal-leaning institutions. These were executives from Fortune 500 companies gathered in a daylong summit to discuss how they can implement more socially responsible policies.
Corporate America, it seems, is charging in where liberal government is refusing to tread, supporting more social programs to help not only employees but also people in their community, throughout the country and all over the world.
Take global warming. The entire semiconductor industry and 50 utilities have voluntarily agreed to reduce "greenhouse" gas emissions at the same time the U.S. government refuses to endorse the Kyoto Protocol, which calls for mandated emission reduction.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B3EA512C8%2D64D9%2D40DE%2DBBBA%2D2B81825ADA2C%7D&siteid=myyahooIMO, they are only doing it to make a show and avoid gov't regulation. Corporations never, never look past the bottom line. On the bright side, I am sure some of the individual people in this movement really do understand that it is important for people to at least BELIEVE that their corporations are taking up social causes.