Through our positive screening methodology we assess which organizations are praiseworthy in their internal and external practices.

Promotion of the family: The family is the basic unit of society, necessary for its propagation and for the education and training of its citizens. Currently the family suffers the attacks of many ideologies, ideologies at the base of which there is no natural law, and the common good is the good of the individual, a contradiction in itself. It is urgent to uphold the traditional concept of family in order to keep the Western tradition from falling apart and to strengthen society. This also requires a lifestyle that supports the family, fosters the bonds created therein, and thus stabilizes society. Finally there must be economic conditions to make this possible.

Respect for the dignity of workers: When assessing the justice of companies’ treatment of their workers, it is often not possible to apply the same set of absolute standards (1) to those in countries still becoming industrialized and acquiring wealth, and (2) to those in countries already wealthy. Standards must in most cases be applied in a manner that is proportioned to the specific conditions of the country in which companies operate and workers live. And while we are concerned with just treatment of workers in both first world and third world nations, for the poor and otherwise disadvantaged we have a special concern.

Environmental sustainability: Economic activity of man is fundamentally dependent on the environment which provides resources and absorbs waste. The biosphere is a finite, non-growing and materially closed system, which sets limits to our economic activity. The finiteness of nature is triple: there is a finite amount of non-renewable resources (low-entropy biomass); the eco-system has a finite capacity to absorb pollution and waste; there is limited space in which renewable resources like food and timber can be recreated and in which waste can be discarded. A sincere recognition of biophysical limits to economic practices provides a rationale for environmental sustainability ­– a resourceful use of natural capital.

Social engagement: Since the primary interest of a company is to stay in business by meeting customers’ needs and shareholders’ expectations, it seems that for-profit charity is a most appealing form of social activism from the corporate point of view. The best way to reconcile the commercial imperative of profitability and corporate social responsibility is to promote initiatives that contribute to social welfare (also known as the common good) and sustain profits in the long run.

Brochure Fidelis International Institute