An Israeli flag in reflected in a window during in a rally in solidarity with Israel at the synagogue in the Espace du Judaisme in Toulouse, on October 11, 2023.Paul Dunn is a chartered accountant and a professor of business ethics at the Goodman School of Business at Brock University.. So too have business leaders. Antonio Neri, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, called the attacks “unjustified and inexcusable.
These business executives know that business is not divorced from society. Business and society have an interpenetrating relationship in which each influences and is influenced by the other. Businesses are corporate citizens operating within society and, as such, are obligated to comment on social issues.
Recently, Barbara Humpton, the president and CEO of Siemens USA, wrote an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden with suggestions for government infrastructure initiatives. She identified some key opportunities: digitalizing manufacturing, creating healthier and safer buildings and investing in rail systems, electric vehicles and clean energy. She had pragmatic suggestions to help solve social and environmental problems.
A CEO’s comments should also be constructive. Siemens is a multinational specializing in automation and the digitalization of the manufacturing industry. Ms. Humpton’s suggestions to Mr. Biden are constructive and based on Siemens’ intimate understanding of infrastructure issues. She identified the issues and then made useful suggestions about what the government should do to demonstrate leadership.