Why Do Firms Have 'Purpose'? The Firm's Role as a Carrier of Identity and Reputation

摘要

Why do so many firms publicly espouse a "purpose" beyond simple profit maximization? And why do so many managers and employees appear to care deeply about this purpose and to believe that it is critically important? The consumer goods giant Unilever, for example, has committed to obtaining 100 percent of its agricultural inputs from sustainable sources by 2020, while Henry Schein, a distributor of medical and dental products, claims that one of its most important goals is the "expansion of care to at risk groups." Both firms appear to believe that purpose is critical to their success, even though it seems to imply significant costs without obvious commensurate gains.