Firm Value versus Social Value: Dealing with the Trade-offs

In this paper, I analyse the main trade-offs between the economic value of the firm and its social value exploring how they are solved through corporate governance and regulation. To begin with, I show how firms generate social value while also increasing their long-term value under the enlightened shareholder value approach. Thanks to organizational and technological innovation, firms are led to change their business models and organization to enhance their environmental and social sustainability and increase long-term profitability. In addition, managers promote their firms’ sustainability in compliance with ethical standards which are part of corporate culture. In similar situations, generating social value may have a negative impact on corporate profits. I argue therefore that the perspective of instrumental stakeholderism appears too narrow, for situations exist where non-economic values are also relevant to the firm. The importance of ethics is especially underlined by CSR and stakeholder theory. Moreover, management studies emphasize the role of corporate governance and organizational theory in the promotion of social value. The board of directors should identify the ethical and cultural values of the firm and monitor their application at all levels. In addition, organizational purpose plays a fundamental role in the “intrinsic” motivation of people in corporations. The international soft law on corporate due diligence further contributes to the design of corporate purpose and to the motivation of managers and employees. Once sustainability due diligence is recognized by European hard law through the proposed Directive, specific obligations will arise for companies which will impact their governance and could become a source of public sanctions and civil liability. As a result, the corporate purpose orientation to sustainability will be reinforced by the regulation of environmental and human rights externalities and by the due diligence obligations deriving from them.