ABSTRACT
Over the last 200 years a small number of corporate leaders have tried to create profitable business that also addressed social and environmental issues. The record of these efforts at stewardship is mixed, with only a few successfully lasting beyond the tenure of the organization’s founder. This chapter offers a brief historical overview of why some of those efforts succeeded, while most failed. The primary cases examined are British and American firms, with a briefer review of examples from Asia and Islamic countries.
