Does Master Lock when it reinvests in Milwaukee have a sense of social responsibility?
Beardsley: When Master Lock reinvests in Milwaukee, we’re doing it to maintain a positive environment for our workers, a positive environment surrounding our plant. We do it with the best interests of the company and the employees in mind. You can term that social responsibility, you can term it economic responsibility. In our opinion it’s just good business. Q: You don’t see a distinction then? Economic responsibility is social responsibility and vice versa. Beardsley: I think our goal is to have them coincide, to make actions in one reflect positively in the other. Q: Let me return to this one other subject — is there not a role for federal government? Can the federal government make it easier for corporations like you to do what you’re doing? Can’t they encourage what some people call the high road? Reinvestment, worker training, worker loyalty, staying in the urban center? Beardsley: You know, I think the decisions that make Master Lock succeed are local decisions. They’re decisio
