By now, many of you have probably heard about the North Carolina repeal of the HB2 law. If you’ve read articles on this website before, then you are familiar with the cost of the HB2 legislation to the state’s economy. Despite Republican defense of the bill claiming it has had no negative economic affect, it has been clear (and estimated) that the state’s losses have totaled in the billions due to organizations and individuals refuses to visit, perform, or conduct business within the state.
Now that the dust has somewhat cleared, we at Supplierty think it gives us a great opportunity to give our thoughts on the situation. For starters, the fight against the bill from many corporations prove that American organizations are willing to back a group of people they feel are being discriminated against. Now whether you believe the bill was discriminatory is meaningless. Corporations did, and their refusal to work with North Carolina was the result.
Corporations are now taking a much more active role in policy and that can be both good and bad. Generally companies such as Oil for example, have their political supporters for EPA deregulation and do what they can to receive legal benefits. Now with the act of North Carolina, it is now fair game to take your business elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong that was always the rule, but now you can make the decision on a non-profit basis.
Corporations are acting more and more independent as America grows and while that may be a positive when they work for you, it can be a huge negative if these organizations decide you are the enemy. I am not saying corporations should not do what they feel will benefit their company but I am saying that corporations should be careful not to overly involve themselves with non profit, social situations at the state level. Today it’s support for LGBT rights, tomorrow it’s support to access your private information.