MANY conversations about business sustainability come back to a more fundamental question of the role of corporations. Are corporations pure money-making instruments, or do they serve a larger purpose?

The rise of corporations as a business vehicle enables mankind to pool different forms of capital together to achieve common objectives.

A separate legal personality means that the corporation can enter into contracts and sue in its own right, while perpetual succession means that the corporation can long outlive any of its initial subscribers. Limited liability allows for more calculated risk-taking – an entrepreneur can segregate the liabilities of the corporation from his or her own, and have more confidence in taking business risks.