Mind The Gap

13The Convergence of Business and Society: Explore and Work Where the Realms Meet

The lines between business and society have blurred. Companies are no longer seen as operating in a separate commercial sphere, bound only by commercial rules. Their decisions influence the well-being of communities, governments, and global systems, and those systems influence business in return. Whether you intend it or not, entering international markets puts you in the middle of this overlap.

That is why cultural awareness, social awareness, and an understanding of local needs matter. You are not selling into an abstract “market.” You are selling to, and working with, people who live within specific social, cultural, and environmental realities. When companies pay attention to those realities, they not only create more value, they unlock new forms of impact that society now expects from global businesses.

Currently the realms of business and society are intersecting more than ever. For example, societies everywhere now see climate change and pollution as major concerns. Businesses are part of the problem; they’re expected to be part of the solution, and some businesses are very actively providing solutions. They’ve created the renewable energy and cleantech industries—and are profiting from them—which societies are happy to see and support, because those industries are starting to make a big dent in the problem.

What we’re seeing in this one area of concern, our natural environment, is a great ...