企业的本质是商业，别掺和政治【英语学习】

知春

Time for businesses to return to their essential purpose现在是企业回归其根本目的的时候了。The business of business is business – not because social issues don't matter, but because this is how business best serves society 企业的本质就是商业——并非因为社会问题无关紧要，而是因为这是企业服务社会的最佳方式。By David Bahnsen , Samuel Gregg Fox News作者：大卫·巴恩森、塞缪尔·格雷格，福克斯Published March 26, 2025 5:00am EDT Corporate America is poised to unlock its potential as never before. For years, progressive activists have successfully pushed boards of directors and CEOs at top companies to support and promote radical causes that would never stand a chance at the ballot box.美国企业界正蓄势待发，准备以前所未有的速度释放其潜力。多年来，进步派活动人士成功地推动了顶级公司董事会和首席执行官支持和推广激进事业，而这些事业在选举中根本毫无胜算。 The end-result has been to compromise many corporate leaders’ commitment to fulfilling their fiduciary duties and diminished the American economy’s capacity to deliver prosperity for the American people.最终结果是，许多企业领导人履行其受托责任的承诺受到损害，美国经济为美国人民带来繁荣的能力也因此下降。 A correction is long overdue. And it’s finally underway.早就应该进行纠正了。现在，纠正工作终于开始了。 When businesses try to play politics, they often make things worse rather than better. (Getty Images) 企业试图玩弄政治，往往会使情况变得更糟，而不是更好。（盖蒂图片社） Consider the recent news from BlackRock, where CEO Larry Fink has signaled his company’s rejection of legally risky and divisive "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" commitments, and abandoned his position as a leader in the so-called "Environmental, Social, and Governance" revolution.以贝莱德最近的消息为例，其首席执行官拉里·芬克已表示，公司拒绝承担法律风险和引发争议的“多元化、公平和包容”承诺，并放弃了其在所谓的“环境、社会和治理”革命中的领导地位。DEATH OF DEI IS A MASSIVE REMINDER THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO RUN A BUSINESSDEI 的消亡有力地提醒我们，经营企业还有更好的方法。BlackRock’s course correction is confirmation of a massive sea change throughout Corporate America. Other financial giants like State Street and JPMorgan Chase have also ditched DEI, along with household brands like Walmart, Target, McDonald’s and Ford.贝莱德的政策调整印证了美国企业界正在发生的巨大变革。其他金融巨头，如道富银行和摩根大通，以及沃尔玛、塔吉特、麦当劳和福特等家喻户晓的品牌，也纷纷放弃了多元化、公平和包容性（DEI）理念。 The list is expansive and should be encouraging to every American CEO, shareholder, consumer and employee. After more than half a decade of allowing their businesses to be weaponized by activists, leaders like Fink are now refocusing on the main goals of businesses.这份清单内容丰富，应该能让每一位美国首席执行官、股东、消费者和员工都感到鼓舞。在过去五年多的时间里，企业一直被激进分子利用，而像芬克这样的企业领导者现在正重新聚焦于企业的核心目标。 Those goals are at the center of the Good for Business Coalition and our Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation.这些目标是“企业良性联盟”及其《公司宗旨声明》的核心。 This coalition’s vision rests on four pillars: creating economic value, maintaining clear accountability to shareholders, avoiding entanglement in political controversies, and advancing the general welfare through business success rather than political advocacy.该联盟的愿景建立在四大支柱之上：创造经济价值、对股东保持明确的问责制、避免卷入政治争议，以及通过商业成功而非政治倡导来增进公众福祉。 This approach recognizes an essential truth: that businesses serve society best when they focus on what they do best: creating wealth by delivering consumers with goods and services that people need and want. 这种方法认识到一个基本事实：企业只有专注于自己最擅长的事情——通过向消费者提供人们需要和想要的商品和服务来创造财富——才能最好地服务于社会。Profit is what drives a pharmaceutical company to develop life-saving medicines. It also drives a technology company to create tools that enhance human capability to do great things that our grandparents could never have imagined.利润驱动着制药公司研发救命药物。利润也驱动着科技公司创造工具，增强人类的能力，让我们能够完成祖辈们无法想象的伟大成就。 This doesn't mean corporations should be indifferent to broader social questions or have a license to provide unethically. It simply means that their specific contribution to society’s well-being is through doing what business does best. 这并不意味着企业应该对更广泛的社会问题漠不关心，或者可以肆意妄为。这仅仅意味着，它们对社会福祉的具体贡献在于发挥其商业优势。 Through pursuing profit and generating economic value, businesses serve customers, develop innovative products, create jobs and generate returns that help build millions of Americans' retirement savings. If businesses choose, they can also contribute through traditional corporate citizenship such as supporting local communities or engaging in philanthropy.企业通过追求利润和创造经济价值，服务客户、开发创新产品、创造就业机会，并产生回报，从而帮助数百万美国人积累退休储蓄。如果企业愿意，它们还可以通过传统的企业公民责任做出贡献，例如支持当地社区或参与慈善活动。 Businesses aren't designed to be political actors – they lack both the democratic legitimacy and the institutional competence for that role. When they try to play politics, they often make things worse rather than better.企业并非为扮演政治角色而生——它们既缺乏民主合法性，也缺乏相应的制度能力。当它们试图涉足政治时，往往会使情况变得更糟，而不是更好。 The path forward is clear: American businesses need to recommit to their fundamental purpose. That means living up to high ethical standards and good business practice, pursuing operational excellence, maintaining clear accountability to shareholders and avoiding unnecessary political entanglements. It means measuring success by the value created for customers and the returns generated for investors.前进的方向很明确：美国企业需要重申其根本宗旨。这意味着恪守高标准的道德规范和良好的商业实践，追求卓越运营，对股东保持清晰的责任感，并避免不必要的政治纠葛。这意味着以为客户创造的价值和为投资者带来的回报来衡量成功。 When businesses focus on doing what they do best, they create the innovation, prosperity and opportunity that truly advance human flourishing.企业专注于自身最擅长的领域，才能创造创新、繁荣和机遇，真正促进人类的繁荣发展。The business of business is business – not because social issues don't matter, but because this is how business best serves society. And business leaders who reprioritize along these lines deserve our support. It's time for American corporations to remember this fundamental truth and return to their essential purpose.商业的本质就是商业——并非因为社会问题无关紧要，而是因为这是商业服务社会的最佳方式。那些重新调整优先事项的商业领袖值得我们支持。美国企业是时候铭记这一基本真理，回归其根本宗旨了。 Samuel Gregg is Friedrich Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research and author of "The Next American Economy."塞缪尔·格雷格是美国经济研究所弗里德里希·哈耶克经济学和经济史教席教授，也是《下一个美国经济》一书的作者。David Bahnsen is the managing partner of The Bahnsen Group, a $7 billion national wealth management firm, and author of "Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life."David Bahnsen 是 Bahnsen 集团的管理合伙人，该集团是一家资产达 70 亿美元的全国性财富管理公司，他也是《全职：工作与生活的意义》一书的作者。