Law Commons^™

Benefit Corporations And The Separation Of Benefit And Control, Emily R. Winston

Faculty Publications

Scholars, activists, and other observers have expressed concern about the social effects of corporate activity in the United States since as early as the nineteenth century. A recurring theme in this debate has been whether corporations’ focus on shareholder interests causes them to neglect and harm the interests of other constituencies affected by corporate activity. A recent and prominent effort to address this concern is the social enterprise movement, which is unique because it has resulted in the creation of entirely new business entities designed specifically for for-profit businesses devoted to pursuing social missions. One of the most widely adopted …