In an ideal world, companies would care about people as much as profits.

They would pay and treat their employees and customers fairly, be honest and transparent with them, deliver only products and services that were beneficial to people and the planet, and pay taxes relative to profits.

And so when companies claim to be "socially responsible" or "ethically responsible" while simultaneously hurting their staff and customers, the media and public are rightly skeptical. As we move into an area where technology and new forms of media give citizens more opportunity to voice outrage against immoral and unjust behavior - recall how Starbucks once moved to pay additional taxes after a public outcry  - companies will need to actually practice the responsible behavior they preach.

While some are already starting to, part of the problem in gauging how "responsible" a company is that there's a plethora of different concepts and criteria used to judge them.

Read the full article by Nassim Khadem on The Sydney Morning Herald