Because markets, finance and competition in so many sectors have become global in nature, business finds itself increasingly operating in a world without borders, a world of commerce marked by a growing need to deliver quality, meet customers' needs, and manage effectively in a turbulent environment. At the same time, wider challenges face society as a whole, including chronic unemployment, decaying inner cities, increasing crime and a degrading environment. Such challenges compel company executives to rethink basic assumptions and to question existing and often time-honored ways of doing business. Because of the erosion of credibility of other societal institutions such as government and organized religion, business leaders today find themselves forced to accept greater responsibility for fashioning a new social and economic order, one in which private enterprise can flourish and yet remain supportive of the broader ambitions of improving society and restoring our planet's health as a worthy legacy for future generations.
Enterprises can no longer operate in isolation.
Nor can they ignore the reality of this global market. Even if companies try to remain domestic in scope, they may well find competitors moving across borders to compete on their home ground. As trade barriers disappear, people around the world are becoming aware of the interplay between what they do and what is done in other regions. Information technology, until very recently the preserve of governments, universities and the biggest businesses, is now accessible to small businesses and individuals throughout the world. For all of these reasons, business today is finding it more difficult to act without attempting to create a context of a broader community.