I've just been reading 85 Broads member Natalie Holder-Winfield's recent column in The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natalie-holderwinfield/the-case-against-corporat_b_701715.html#. As someone I know well, I can feel her passion, exasperation and annoyance in the line:

"...if McDonald's, a Fortune 500 company whose brand relies on greasy fast-food, could find a way to become a good corporate citizen by adding--and profiting from--salads and smoothies, there is very little excuse for any CEO to throw up his or her hands in frustration with CSR. CEOs that can not find a way to align profits with becoming more socially conscious are not thinking hard enough."

Sorry, no more "quarterly-profits, shelf-space, analysts reports, market expectations, consumers won't buy it, 100 calorie snack-pack blah blah blah" little excuses.

CEOs are responsible for corporate profits AND for corporate leadership.

A challenge to CEOs (of Fortune 500 and lesser companies): think, think smarter, think long term and do the right thing. And many companies are doing the right thing - being socially responsible - while at the same time keeping an eye on the (rising) bottom-line. "Doing" right and having a social impact are not virtues reserved solely for the not-for-profit world.

The tension between profit and social responsibility only exists where curiosity, innovation and vision are lacking and where short-termism prevails.

Make a healthy profit. Be a leader. Have an impact.

For the CEO looking for a social-responsibility spark:
The Global Conference for Social Change on November 18-19
http://foundationchange.org/events/united-nations-global-conference-on-social-change/