Germinal research conducted by Bueh

Germinal research conducted by Buehler and Shetty in 1975 examined the motives of 232 companies for social actions. Their results indicated that “enlightened self-interest” ranked highest in reason for promoting ethical decisions and prompting social actions. Interestingly, the reason for this ranking (legal compliance and profits were ranked second and fourth most important respectively) was less altruistic as managers cited recognition of a negative impact on the firm if social conditions were allowed to deteriorate. It would seem that this is a case of social good out of selfpreservation by managers in the firms that were studied. Most importantly was the recognition that business and society were joined of mutual social interests, even if for differing motivations.