photo: flickr member neal jennings
Is the business community finally manning up and taking charge of the economic problems they helped create? It kinda looks like it.
Nobody seems to be discussing the arguments of about a decade ago during which everyone complained that offshoring manufacturing to cheaper countries would hollow out American skilled labor, never mind that it clearly happened as predicted. Now we’re in a situation where the president has to convince people that majoring in sciences or mathematics rather than management is worthwhile. Go team U.S. But a few things written publicly in corporate America seem to be changing.
Firstly, there’s that Warren Buffett piece that the entire world linked to yesterday. If you didn’t see it, he finally piped up on behalf of his fellow filthy stinking rich and said, “we never complained about higher taxation, so why are you treating us like we’d ruin the country if we paid our fair share?” and goes on to ask congress to please grow a pair and tax them. (Which, did anyone ask to begin with..? It seems like not.)
Secondly, there’s this: a growing concern within corporate leadership that their philanthropic programs be taken seriously.
And, finally, this problem: you gotta be believable when you’re talking about doing good in public.
All of this recent spotlighting of corporate America’s thinking about the greater good can only mean they’ve been doing it for a while now (based on the new York Times’ chronic lateness to every party) because their bottom lines are being bitten into. Let’s hope.