This session examines the relationship between corporate purpose and corporate misconduct amid shifting regulatory, political, and institutional conditions. The 2019 Business Roundtable statement reignited debate over corporate ends and spurred corporate commitments to ESG and DEI--many since narrowed, rebranded, or abandoned. Corporate misconduct remains a feature of the modern economy, even as enforcement regimes appear unsettled, with changes in regulatory priorities and political leadership reshaping identification and punishment of misconduct. We explore how corporate purpose concepts intersect with patterns of misconduct. How do claims about purpose shape corporate behavior? Do broader conceptions of purpose meaningfully constrain misconduct or risk functioning as symbolic compliance lacking robust enforcement? How should corporate law and governance respond when normative expectations and enforcement regimes fluctuate?
