Core77

Not just for profit

By Mark Vanderbeeken - March 1, 2009

in Design Business

Emerging alternatives to the shareholder-centric model could help companies avoid ethical mishaps and contribute more to the world at large.

Around the world -- largely beneath the radar of mainstream awareness -- alternative [corporate] designs are being developed that seamlessly blend a central social mission with profitable operation. These include the burgeoning microfinance industry, emerging hybrids like nonprofit venture-capital firms, new architectures like Google.org that embody "for-profit philanthropy," dual-class shareholding structures, employee-owned companies, the foundation-owned corporations of northern Europe, and a variety of cooperatives on every continent. These models vary enormously in size and mission, but they are significant for the same reason: Together, they represent an evolutionary step in the development of corporate structure.

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lucklucky

15 years ago

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What that accomplishes is destruction of information, just the most important thing in economy. If the prices don't reflect the cost we are going to get a disaster...well credit already shows what can happen when we don't get the prices right...

I think that is a very restricted idea of what means profit. I also think that is being dupped easily: Check the salaries and benefits of non profit entities and i am not even going to this spin: "for-profit philanthropy". Second "Together, they represent an evolutionary step in the development of corporate structure."

That shows a complete ignorance of economical history. No more no less. And being:"dual-class shareholding structures, employee-owned companies, the foundation-owned corporations of northern Europe, and a variety of cooperatives on every continent." doesn't means they aren't for profit.

What this crisis shows is that we need that Unions evolve from Workers to Unions of shareholders too.
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