Influx

Corporations are trying to work out their role in the world beyond revenues and profits.

It’s a story that’s been repeating itself for the last few decades with corporations flirting with corporate social responsibility.

In a world focused on short-term revenues and driving shareholder value, many companies have put CSR on the back-burner, but that looks set to change.

It looks there’s a re-emerging new school of thought that is about delivering revenues and responsibility- we see it with Coca-Cola, Unilever and others.

Here Pepsi’s CEO, Indra Nooyi explains in a Fortune interview how the company has gone one step beyond CSR to the new world of Performance with Purpose.

This new perspective seems to be happening right now for two reasons.

1. Global corporations are looking to source even more business from the developing world and it therefore pays to be a good citizen
2. This is a response to the backlash to big business and CEO’s as companies make a concerted effort to take a more human approach (consumers are demanding more accountability)

It will be interesting to see if this trend trickles down to mid-size and domestic companies, or remains something that only the enlightened global corporation engages in.