27.2 What We Focus On

In this textbook, we highlight the areas where the private sector most clearly intersects with the public good: corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. While the private sector as a whole is vital to the economy and to maintaining high standards of living, most business activity is centered on profit-making and shareholder return. Those functions are important, but they fall outside the scope of a book that is designed to help students understand careers in public service.

By focusing on these three areas, we can show how private organizations contribute to the broader public good in ways that go beyond their core profit-making activities.

• Corporate social responsibility illustrates how firms commit resources to ethical practices, community support, and fair treatment of employees.
• Relatedly, environmental sustainability in the private sector demonstrates how businesses innovate and adapt to protect natural resources, address climate challenges, and promote long-term resilience.
• Social entrepreneurship highlights the creation of entirely new ventures that use business models to solve pressing social and environmental problems.

These three topics offer students a clear lens for understanding where the values of public service and the objectives of private business align. They also highlight a set of career opportunities for students who want to work in the private sector while advancing the public good.

Why We Focus Here

This textbook highlights the ways the private sector contributes directly to the public good through corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. While all businesses drive economic growth and raise living standards, most private-sector activity is focused on profit and shareholder return. Our emphasis is on the areas where business values overlap most clearly with public service values.

By studying these three topics, students can see how companies:

• Adopt responsible practices that strengthen communities and workplaces,
• Protect the environment through sustainable innovation, and
• Launch new ventures designed to solve social and environmental challenges.

These focus areas also showcase where meaningful career opportunities exist for students who want to contribute to society while working in the private sector.