Why is it that, powerful corporations don’t assist in natural disasters?
Headless Horseman asked:
When a natural disaster strikes, many people and countries respond to this global emergency, with food, medical supplies and human comfort items for the survivors, but why doesn’t Yahoo! Inc., a multibillion dollar Internet company respond with some type of assistance?
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When a natural disaster strikes, many people and countries respond to this global emergency, with food, medical supplies and human comfort items for the survivors, but why doesn’t Yahoo! Inc., a multibillion dollar Internet company respond with some type of assistance?
Are they afraid that there profit margins will decrease and they won’t have as much money to spend on themselves, or are they just too stingy to want to help other cultures that are less fortune then they are, especially during a worldwide crisis?
What do you think?
Tlna: How do you know they do?
February 26th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
How do you know they don’t? Just because someone doesn’t advertise their participation in humanitarian aid responses doesn’t mean they aren’t involved. I’m not saying Yahoo! is involved because I don’t know. I’m just saying let’s stop assuming the worst.
February 28th, 2009 at 9:48 am
If it is a stock company then all stockholders are owners. The CEO has a responsibility to them and them only to produce as much income from their investment as possible.. They can’t say, “I think I’ll do the right thing” They have to do the best thing for the company to make profit. Just like the CEO of Exxon/Mobile.
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:21 am
Big corporations DO assist in natural disasters, in all sorts of ways, and I know this because I read the news, I read OneWorld regularly, I read Reuters Alertnet, and I sometimes visit the web sites of major companies like Microsoft just to see for myself. In addition to cash, they often donate the time of their local staff (IT department staff, for instance) and their local facilities (conference rooms, video conferencing facilities, warehouses, etc.) to relief coordination efforts. Transportation companies like DHL also frequently pitch in with their resources. Many local NGOs are *overwhelmed* with offers from large corporations during major, high profile disasters, and need assistance coordinating all of the offers for help effectively (so that donations don’t sit in warehouses forever, so that donations of items don’t deny income-generating opportunities for local people, etc.).
So, I’ve cited my sources for this information — care to cite yours?
March 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 am
Most corporations don’t want people know that they give and that’s because it would start an onslaught of people asking for donations. Many only support only one charity, and this alleviates solicitation for money or goods. “We only support breast cancer.” or “We give our support to seniors in need.” This calls off the charity seekers. Companies check the validity of the charity, and do give to natural disasters, and the like. Furthermore, in giving companies do get a tax write off, but are careful of donating to every Dick and Jane.