Why is Corporate Social Responsibility a Quaker issue?
“We see a Europe in which the private corporations strive not only to make profit but also to contribute to the society that makes those profits possible. They have a rightful place in civil society and must contribute to it according to their means, abilities, and talents.” (A Quaker Vision of Europe) There were many businessmen and entrepreneurs among Quakers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. This may have arisen because Quakers were prevented from entry into other professions due to the Quaker unwillingness to swear oaths. Quakers believe that we should speak truthfully at all times and do not accept the double standard inherent in oaths. However Quakers’ belief in simplicity, hard work and honesty as well as their aversion to indebtedness meant that as the Society of Friends developed, many Quakers were successful in business. However the scrutiny, by individual meetings, of individual Quakers’ business activities continued and the difficulties inherent in business and integrit
