As we watch the protests play out on Wall Street, calling attention to ‘corporate greed’ and other issues, it’s important to reflect on why these people and others harbor a negative view of companies and their leaders. 

    The first place to go for answers is always, invariably, the media. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the media reflects our societal beliefs. Interestingly enough, the mainstream media is covering very little of these protests even though they are growing in number and geography and arrests have numbered over 700 in New York City.
    However, if we look towards movies to reflect our culture it’s clear that films depicting well meaning companies are scarce. Of the top ten business movies as chosen by Forbes magazine all depict business as malevolent including Glengarry Glen Ross, Tin Men and Wall Street. In addition, some of the most viewed and popular documentaries such as Roger and Me and The Corporation’ Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Prices, show corporate America in an even darker light.

    Even business schools teach more about corporate ethical lapses then positive role models according to Denise Baden, School of Management University of Southampton. She notes in her study Look on the bright side: a comparison of positive and negative role models in business ethics education, that business schools emphasize negative case studies in class rather than positive ones. She wrote: “…many ethics case studies tend to focus on corporate wrong-doing, and there seems to be a dearth of pedagogical materials which offer positive role models of ethical businesses, particularly since common case studies of ethical businesses leaders such as Anita Roddick from Body Shop or Ben and Jerry’s have lost some of their potency due to having been bought out.” Sheesh. Even B-Schools have trouble offering positive roles models to students.

    So, what accounts for the belief among many Americans that business is largely corrupt or at the very least, unethical? To me the answer is simple. During these tough economic times, Americans see companies getting richer while they are getting poorer. Every day, we hear about how companies are sitting on mounds of cash while the average person is struggling to meet his or her financial commitments. It’s not jealousy about those who have more money but how they got their money that is the problem. There is a feeling among Americans that playing by the rules leaves them behind. At the same time, corporations have the ability to hide money offshore, exploit tax loopholes and break rules with impunity because they have cagy attorneys. In short, many Americans believe there is a system that promotes corporate welfare over individual welfare.
    Until Americans experience a system that they deem fair, they will always have a negative view of business. And what’s most sad in the end is that many ethical, creative and smart people will not choose to become business leaders. They will not enter a world that they believe is corrupt. I hear this argument all the time from promising students who decide not to become part of a world they deem unsavory. This is unfortunate, because these are precisely the kind of people that businesses need the most.

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund provides grants in three program areas including Health care and Medical Research; Education, and Community Programs for Those Most Vulnerable. It gives priority to programs that have demonstrated success, measurable outcomes, have a plan for sustainability, and aim to end cycles of poverty and suffering.