Debates about the purpose of business in society are as old as the history of the corporation. But in recent years, particularly since the financial crisis, there has been a growing debate about the recent dominant view that the purpose of business is to maximise profit and a growing movement of companies seeking to have a purpose beyond profit.

This course discusses why purpose matters and why now, exploring:

  • The challenges facing society and the systemic drivers contributing to them
  • How business being purpose-led can help in addressing these challenges
  • The changing views of regulators and investors
  • The growing purpose movement and the risk of purpose wash

Time commitment:

20 -25 minutes to read

Further time will be needed to reflect on the questions at the end and to explore the additional content in the Resources section.