Essay 1 (Should corporations have a main responsibility to help society or to make money)

The formation of corporations has had a rather pivotal effect on our society. Nowadays, goods and services can be widely provided to us thanks to the reach and funding these corporations have access to. Ultimately, however, corporations can only make money by being able to provide goods and services that satisfy consumers. It is to this end that they must take responsibility of the well-being of socities and the environments they operate in before they aim to generate immediate capital.

	One of the most controversial characteristics of large corporations is the effects their operations have on the environment. Infamously, statistics have noted that about 70% of all greenhouse gases that go into Earth's atmosphere are caused by the largest 100 or so corporations in the world, rather than the by individuals. Large companies that rely on the likes of weather patterns and crops to function will have a harder time doing so in the near future under the ongoing effects of climate change, so it is imperative for them to exercise control over their practices. After all, if climate change manages to balloon drastically enough, it may impact the long-term viability of such corporations, preventing them from making money and ultimately collapsing. Certainly, there are companies trying to mitigate their impact on the environment through efforts such as planting trees in place of those they needed as materials for their practices.

	Beyond aiming to better the environment, however, it is also imperative for a corporation's long-term finanical viability to better society with innovations if they wish for long-term success. Many of the most successful companies in the modern day were able to come about thanks to them creating innovative products that bettered society, rather than them trying to produce something solely with the goal of generating large amounts of revenue. Notably, Apple suffered from major financial woes during the 90s, but by producing the iPod and the iTunes store, they not only were able to revitalize their company into the titan it is today, but more importantly they introduced a revolutionary digital storefront, majorly helped mitigate the need for physical media, and fought rampant piracy, all positive effects for society.  Years later, Microsoft attempted to chase the trend of the iPod by developing the Zune, simply with the goal of getting a slice of the money pie. Of course, it failed spectacularly. Chasing trends with the aim to make profits, rather than bringing about real innovations first and foremost is wholly irresponsible of a corporation and won't lead down the road of future solvency.

	Many companies have of course drawn ire to themselves for their greedy tactics and trend-chasing, which may result in angry consumers and eventual finanical struggles. In truth, aiming to improve the global condition goes hand-in-hand with making ever-larger amounts of money in the long-run. Thus, the main responsibility of a corporation should be to better society and the environment before aiming to make money.