Public companies also have accounts for goodwill in their books, don't they?
Also, I'd even say that depending on volunteers for everything when you aren't in dire straits isn't to responsible.
I've worked for multiple public companies and have yet to see this. I have seen different models. For example, when they want a feature in an open source project they may contract with maintainers to pay for work. Or, they may have a maintainer for a project on staff.
> Also, I'd even say that depending on volunteers for everything when you aren't in dire straits isn't to responsible.
Responsible to whom?
People choose to be volunteers. Being a volunteer and hoping for hand outs from companies it's working out well for most folks. Maybe it's time to look at other ways of doing things.
Note, I'm not suggesting what the right way to do things is. I'm just looking at how people are doing things. Expecting them to behave differently isn't likely going to bring about a change in them.
Goodwill in that context is towards the company, an intangible asset comprising the value in its brand etc.
Edit: Same goes for basic politeness or being customer friendly. Can be very good for the stock price long term even if it doesn't matter in this quarters result.
It is not like most of the time randomly. It is like that, because economic system is designed to work that way.
"Designed" is probably putting it too strongly. But however you characterize the process that got it that way, people did it, and people can change it with enough effort. In fact it is constantly changing, and each of us can decide the direction we are going to push it, and how hard.
"And friends, they may thinks it's a movement." — Arlo Guthrie, Alice's Restaurant Massacree
They got their reforms, so yes it was designed.
The neoliberal faction certainly has had an outsized influence (funny how proposals that the 0.1% want done end up getting a lot of positive attention more often than not), but even so, the economy as a whole is the result of a lot of political compromise and dealmaking, not to mention undirected evolution.
"every state has enacted a corporate statute giving managers explicit authority to donate corporate funds for charitable purposes"
https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi...
(I am not necessary saying companies should run social support. I don't think so. But they are nor responsible for anything but the profit.)