Social Responsibilities of Business Corporations

The steadily growing concern with the nation's social problems that has been demonstrated by business and other major American institutions during the past five years is reflected in the history of this policy statement. The study was undertaken early in 1966 by the Subcommittee on Business Structure and Performance under the chairmanship of David E. Lilienthal. As the subcommittee began its work, it expected to devote its main attention to defining the economic objectives which a satisfactory business structure might be expected to serve, and to recommend how performance in meeting these objectives might be evaluated. After 1967, however, the subcommittee gradually shifted its interest to the social problems which might be ameliorated by the efforts of buisness, especially large, professionally managed corporations.