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Show stronger undergraduate program, -ciiv--. . . Doesn't General Electric realize the days of enormous corporate profits are over? There was a time, fifty or sixty But if society profits and the busi- years ago, when a major corporation ness does not, the business will told in in America might expect profits of the short run. It will have no operat- twenty or even twenty-five cents on ing funds. ,, the sales dollar. How m u c h p-T Tpr1 Those days are over. But not profit is enough to - , everybody realizes it. keep a business 7 operating? How f-7 What would you call enormous much jg too much? .... JL L In 1970, Fortune's Top 500 indus- It's hard to say. M ff JrT 4 . trial corporations realized an average However, the -j. profit of about 4 cents on companies mak- "fcJLj d ,, Chr(y the dollar. ing only marginal ?-' 1111 . WfiObzL General Electric fared profit are not thejl: - - 1 Jj fyAjp -s slightly better than companies provid-ik$J provid-ik$J JYJY avera&e- Last year, ing new employment, creating new Uyfar our profits amount- products or adding to man's scientific u U Q!j ed to about 5 cents and technical knowledge, (f J on the dollar. Marginal companies are not the Jet f aJ Q D ) VI e are occasin" ones making the important social con-m. con-m. f v jjj ally attacked, along tributions today. For a simple reason. ymJf "ffiSX& wh business in They can't afford to. lrb- u-dffir general, as being No responsible company wants a "too profit-oriented." return to the days of the robber bar-People bar-People argue that if social progress ons. No responsible company wants is to be made, business must make it. "enormous" profits. But no company And that profits stand in the way of can survive without the profit system, social progress. We would argue quite the opposite. Why are we running this ad? T. . . , . . . . . . General Electric is a big, techno- The business of business is not just i,w,;i n. tL-T-1- business logical company, with the capabilities to do a great deal of problem solving The purpose of a busi- sy S. in this country, ness, as we see it, is to pro- J v We think profits have a direct duce and distribute ( W'2. effect on our ability to solve necessary goods and serv- UncrfS. problems. But we realize the is-lces is-lces to the profit of society Jll ff yf' sue of profits is one with two ...and the business itself. Iff JS& lit & J sides. By telling you our side A business must re- LCj we hope we've moved you to fleet society s needs Eco- Eg&W think about your side. Perhaps nomic, political, legal f$&& even write us about it and moral, as well as I LMg. We'd like to hear what you social. It must change as fWtM have to say. Please write to society changes and, to fpUwJ General Electric, Dept. 901 some extent, influence J W 570 Lexington Avenue New s. thosechanges. Ky York, N.Y 10021 GENERAL ELECTRIC |