Is it possible to give corporations a conscience?

Its really not the job of a corporation to do anything else. It needn't make the company chose immoral choices, and in the rush to condemn that's a point that's lost. What has happened is that teaching ethics to college students seems to leave little impact and the glorification of unethical behavior is seen as rewarded. Its the pressure to have greater and greater growth as well as profits that drives the executives to order the pollution continue because its cheaper than the clean up, or plunder the pensions, or eliminate health insurance. To curb this, government can make rules, but not if they are beholden to the very same industries that they must make the rules for. That's why this administration has such a bad rep with the consumers and the advocates for the elderly. I don't know if they Democrats will do much better, but the past six years have been a bonanza for business, and a disaster for science and consumers.

That type of forced morality is exactly what the Soviet Union was trying to do with state over site of all business it was a mess and will be again if anyone is dumb enough to try it. The cold hard fact is That to make money in a free market society there are tough choices that have to be made. Sometimes those choices cause problems, Pain and or suffering for some people that is an unavoidable consequence of policy the policy is geared towards what is in the best interest of the company it is unfortunate but a Utopian type ideal or society is an unattainable goal but it is sure a nice idea.

Yes but ober the last 6 years many industries have been deregulated which hurts Americans in many ways, the bottom line is we can make business conform to social norms through the legislative process but we need a Congress with the spine to do so

Profit is not a four letter word with me. Companies are not responsible to provide a social network for people and neither is government. It is called personal responsibility.

Corporations sponsor and fund many things that are not profit centers for them. They sponser heart marathons, disease research, make contributions to local food banks, etc. They do it because it is good PR relations.

If they are a public company, they have a duty to also make a profit because people invest in them and are looking for a dividend.

I'd like to see what kind of conscience you would have if you were head of a big corporation. I think your avatar gives it away.