Problem: The author argues that managers who sacrifice profit for the common good are in effect imposing a tax on their shareholders and arbitrarily deciding how that money should be spent. Even if executives wanted to forgo some profit to benefit society, they could expect to lose their jobs if they did so in a meaningful (i.e., high cost to profits) manner. They are, after all, paid to achieve business objectives, not use shareholder money to engineer the public good (assuming there is agreement on what, exactly, that is.)
Are profits and the general welfare basically incompatible? Why or why not?
If you believe CSR requires the sacrifice of some amount of profit, what amount is appropriate? Is that amount the same for all firms in all industries? Should the CEO alone make this decision?
Article: Opinion: The Case Against the Case Against CSR