Companies and their Role in Society

Companies play a central role in solving economic, social, and environmental problems. At the same time, they are also co-contributors to these very problems. Therefore, they increasingly find themselves responsible for the—not always positive—societal impacts of their activities. Not least for this reason, they are increasingly in the public eye. This chapter focuses on companies and their societal role and responsibility. It describes the upheavals at all levels and the necessity of transformation towards sustainability. It outlines the tension between ethics and economics and the various developments, but also problem areas and approaches to solutions.