The Business Community and the Poor: Rethinking Business Strategies and Social Policy

A bstract . Business represents a powerful set of social institutions which are of critical importance to the life prospects of the poor. The impact of business upon the poor, however, should not be confined to the usual theses concerning the macro economy and job creation. Rather, emphasis must also be placed upon specific enterprises and their strategic policies. Such policies are based on an enterprise's proper mission as a business, but also include the pivotal role business exercises in shaping poverty programs and processes of social change.