Last year’s BP oil spill has raised questions about the level of social responsibility corporations hold within society. To address the dilemma firms face to sustain profits while also sustaining social and environmental well-being, Business professor Dr. Peter Gallo has created BUS 479 D: Sustainable Enterprise and Social Entrepreneurship.

The upper-level spring semester business course, which is being offered for the first time this semester, focuses on sustainability as a rewarding strategy that can be built into the business model. Through case studies and interactive class discussions, students will gain a glimpse into the history of corporate social responsibility and potential resolutions to the growing sustainability problem.

“The end goal is understanding the social responsibility businesses were supposed to have from the beginning,”

Gallo said.

Gallo said the classic profit-driven mentality of firms is the biggest deterrent to altering traditional business practices. He proposed a new type of business model that releases firms, particularly publicly traded ones, from their legal obligation of just making money. The model, which could be adopted in the form of either a privately owned enterprise or an incorporation, would provide incentives for firms to make socially responsible decisions, similar to the “B Corp” certification that already exists.

Gallo, who has taught this class at undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said Creighton’s Jesuit values are receptive to the reconciliation of the profit-oriented business model with the ethics of corporate ocial responsibility. He added that major global issues like water cleanliness and conservation, pollution, crime and poverty could all be alleviated through economic development initiatives that balance profit-making and

social obligation.

Business junior Genevieve Alander said the course’s focus is very different from most classes offered at Creighton, and it exposes students to a new perspective on firm behavior.

“I am majoring in social entrepreneurship, and I wanted to take this new course to learn about sustainability practices that companies use and how we can make companies even more sustainable,” Alander said. “This course is so different than others at Creighton, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to experience it.”

Even though the course fulfills requirements for the new social entrepreneurship major and minor within the College of Business, the class is open to all Creighton students. In fact, Gallo encourages students from all majors who are interested in the topic to take the course, since sustainability is still such a vague topic that crosses several disciplines.

“We hear a lot about sustainability, but there’s not a lot of coherence on the subject,” Gallo said.

Ideally, businesses would be able to utilize their own resources and efficient corporate strategies to absorb some of the social responsibility currently held by governments. Gallo said the key is to convince businesses that accepting a greater social role will “be vital for the long-term success of a firm.”

“Creating economic opportunity and social value is the future of corporations,” Gallo said.