Many business leaders say they inevitably focus on the bottom line as they consider what they can do next to meet shareholders' needs. According to a survey of top executives by the McKinsey Global Institute in the United States, nearly 90% of respondents said generating strong financial performance in two years or less would be difficult.

Logically, this is necessary because, in the interest of society as a whole, it not only costs companies money, hurts profits, but also annoys shareholders interested only in the bottom line.

But this is not the case! There is growing evidence that companies that profit by operating in a balanced and sustainable way can significantly extend their corporate life cycle.

Ubs wealth management chief investment officer at the office in the recently published a white paper 2 explain, why the play "influence" of the new model can let enterprise in profits at the same time can also make contribution to society, and calculates their how much contribution for the environment or society), or even lend a helping hand to the world, for example in the undeveloped countries/regions to develop new business markets can also increase profits.

More and more private clients are looking for sustainable investments. Investing in businesses that engage in sustainable development and operate in an influential way has the opportunity to accelerate the creation of a more balanced economic model and even to find new ways to earn profits for shareholders.

Working Together to Make an Impact

"Corporate impact" requires teamwork. A good first step would be to collaborate within a company. A good example would be a business unit that produces goods and services partnering with a sustainable development or philanthropic sector. Sustainability people know best how to measure positive social or environmental impact, while production teams are experts in day-to-day business operations. Together, the two sectors can find a complementary way of working together to generate more profits while contributing to the community.

For companies that don't have the manpower or money to practice "corporate impact" on their own, outside experts can come in and try new ideas.

Take a private European clothing company. The company wants to make more profits while improving the social conditions of its employees, so it has partnered with its own foundation, a government development agency and a consulting firm to increase employees' productivity and incomes. They have launched a pilot program to teach employees and their managers in five countries across Asia how to use resources more carefully, and how bosses can support employees to start their own businesses.

The program was a huge success in improving performance and helping employees, with an average sewing efficiency increase of 20 per cent and an average salary increase of 15 per cent. But the pilot program is not perfect, and there is still work to be done on how to improve the process and make it more relevant to the overall business.

Companies should reach a consensus with their customers and investors to make money and benefit society. They should consider experimenting with new policies on a small scale and collecting large amounts of data. They need to measure how much profit they are making for their investors and how much they are contributing to society.

Only after companies review these pilot programs can they determine how best to incorporate them into their daily operations. That way, they will be able to grow into more sustainable, long-lasting companies that will have a better chance of riding out short-term fluctuations.