I'm gonna go corporate on your azz......

Do companies have some kind of moral or social obligation to be doing more for society? Can they do more?

You can argue companies are out to make profit. That worrying about environmental concerns, poverty, civil warfare, famine and starvation is beyond their reach.

George Soros, the self made billionare investor often said that he had to wear two hats - that when he had his corporate hat on, his sole focus was profits. His philanthropic contributions came when he donned the private citizen cap. He was like the two can't be meshed like Kobe and Shaq. I see it differently though. Companies cannot stand by and ignore what is going on in society.

At a mininum level, Corporates need to be concerned about the triple E's (the so called triple bottom line). Economics, Environmental and Ethics. But more could be done. Government instutions at the State, Federal and International level just don't have the ability or the resources to deal with these issues. Underfunding, lack of skills and manpower, and vision's shorter than a Paris Hilton skirt.

Companies need to tell shareholders that corporates cannot stand by and watch the problems plaguing society solve themselves. That we must act NOW. That we must do radical things like:

1. Implore that companies take ownership of projects of say a community project in third world country;

2. Contribute to the medical supplies of AIDS infested Africa;

3. Allow their staff paid time off to work overseas in educational programs

4. Have CEO's of top companies sacrifice a portion of their equity to donate to chartiable causes and list in that in their financial report.

Their needs to be a reallocation of resources and a change in the way we do things. Companies, CEO's that run them and the shareholders that have ownership interest cannot idly accept that their existence is only to make a profit. That they are more than an economic entity. Rather, that they are also social entities and have an obligation to make a meaningful contribution to mankind.

It's kinda random what I wrote above, but hopefully you get what I am talking about.

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.