A century ago, corporate social responsibility was an idea whose time had not yet come, and companies were free to treat their employees as badly as they could get away with and cause nearly unregulated environmental damage. Profits were considered the only measure of how good a company was, and higher profits were often derived from unethical treatment of workers and resources.
Such an attitude today is no longer either practical or acceptable. Increased government regulation (brought about in direct response to corporate irresponsibility) has limited everything from the safety conditions of the workplace to the ways that companies must restore any environmental damage that they inflict (www.ethics.ubc.ca). This new attitude tends to benefit both businesses who find that their reputation with employees, subcontractors, business partners and the general public is enhanced and their credibility increased.
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