The role of business in society

Abstract

When thinking about the role of business in society we find ourselves already confined by certain implicit assumptions. We tend to assume that business exists as separate from society. However, in fact, as one of the most important human institutions, business is central to the way in which we constitute a society and how we live within society. Business therefore helps define society as such. By the same token, our views about ‘society’ ought to give shape to what is perceived as ‘business’. When one conceives of the relationship between business and society as one of codetermination, a lot is at stake. It is in and through this relationship, amongst some others, that we define who we are and how we want to live.