Open AccessThe Compliance Case for Social Enterprise
Author(s) -
Joseph W. Yockey
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
michigan business and entrepreneurial law review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2375-7558
pISSN - 2375-7523
DOI - 10.36639/mbelr.4.1.compliance
Subject(s) - compliance (psychology) , corporate governance , business , enforcement , normative , social enterprise , odds , corporate social responsibility , shareholder , public relations , revenue , accounting , political science , law , finance , social psychology , logistic regression , medicine , psychology
Social enterprises generate revenue to solve social, humanitarian, and ecological problems. Their products are not a means to the end of profits, but rather profits are a means to the end of their production. This dynamic presents many of the same corporate governance issues facing other forprofit firms, including legal compliance. The author contends, however, that traditional strategies for corporate compliance are incongruent to the social enterprise’s unique normative framework. Specifically, traditional compliance theory, with its prioritization of shareholder interests, stands at odds with the social enterprise’s mission-driven purpose. Attention to this distinction is essential for developing effective compliance and enforcement policies in the future. Indeed, arguably the greatest feature of the social enterprise is its potential to harness organizational characteristics that inspire the values and culture most closely linked with ethical behavior— without resort to more costly or intrusive measures.