Background:

The notion of a sustainable for-profit business model centers on the ability of the enterprise to provide "adequate" and "timely" products or services to the consumer's demand. In terms of a proposition or even reason to exist, businesses must look to corporate sustainability and responsibility [value] proposition in unison. As such, corporate philanthropy can indeed be a "means to an end". Looking at philanthropy though is not always clear on the surface and has been shown to have positive effects on an organization's performance.

Do:

A. Reflect on the notion of [corporate] philanthropy and what it means to you based on your personal experiences/biases and the experiences you have had in your places of work.

B. Select a business in the healthcare business sector. Choose one that you do not know much about at this point (pre-research).

C. Determine if, how, when, why, and where it institutes corporate philanthropy in its business model. It is "mainstream"? is there any best-class practices?

D. Assess if the marketplace - customers and competitors alike recognize the chosen firm has a philanthropic initiative stance.