Proceedings of the International Association for Business and Society

Volume 28, 2017

Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting

Nancy B. Kurland, Norm Bishara, Philip L. Cochran, Barrie Litzky, Ian D. MacFarlane, Florencio Portocarrero
Pages 142-145

Research and Teaching of Benefit Corporations

In this symposium, panelists presented research on benefit corporations and certified b corps. In the last decade, new incorporation laws have emerged in several states that explicitly allow firms to pursue both social purpose and profit. Panelists presented an overview of alternative incorporation statutes, evaluated the degree to which companies are externally accountable, and hold themselves internally accountable, to a broader social purpose. The panel also discussed strategies for teaching about certified b corps in the classroom. Finally, the plenary discussion centered on two themes: Is a need for a legally mandated broader social purpose an American problem? Is the benefit corporate structure going to get us where we need to be?