EVANSTON, Ill. --- Within the past week, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart announced new limitations on gun sales. The moves came just days after several companies cut ties with the NRA and ended discounts for the organization’s members. A Northwestern University expert explains why it’s significant for businesses to prioritize potential long-term consequences of their practices over short-term risk.
“For many companies, the decision to end discounts offered to NRA members will likely not significantly hurt their bottom lines,” said Megan Kashner, a clinical professor of private-public interface in the Kellogg School of Management. “That may not be the case for Dick’s Sporting Goods, however, which is willingly decreasing its product line and qualified buyer pool, and therefore its sales.
“This purpose-driven action is becoming more common in business leadership. It’s a welcomed change: leaders willing to put their values forward, look at the long-term consequences of their practices and the interplay between business and community and take responsible steps — even if it proves to be counter to their own best interests or introduces risk in the short-term,” Kashner said.
About Kashner
Kashner is a self-proclaimed "ticked-off social worker" with more than 20 years of strategic management, community partnership building and organizational planning experience across nonprofits, philanthropy, volunteerism and corporate social engagement. She's also the director of Social Impact, which aims to shape socially responsible leaders. Please contact Kashner by reaching out to Molly Lynch at 773-505-9719 or [email protected].
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