Do lucro ao propósito

: uma análise do objetivo societário à luz da governança corporativa

Abstract

Given the awareness of the impact caused by companies in their activities, the role of businesses in society is changing. The dominant discourse at the corporate level, based on “shareholder primacy”, is been questioned to give rise to new practices, capable of integrating social and environmental concerns into day-to-day business practices.The adoption of a new perspective is happening progressively, and within the scope of corporate governance, specifically, the renewal of both theory and corporate practice is taking place. An array of practices and models have been created with the aimof transforming the dominant perspective, focused on the centrality of shareholders and the maximization of their returns. In this context, this paper intends, in the light of corporate governance and it’s main theories, to make a brief analysis of the trajectory followed by companies: from conceiving profit as the ultimate corporate purpose, to the most recent discourse on purpose and the redefinition of the corporate objective.

Date of Award	21 Oct 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ana da Paz Ferreira da Câmara Perestrelo de Oliveira (Supervisor)