CAN business play a part in addressing social issues as well as economic ones?

It's a major question facing many companies at a time of declining public trust in big business.

Put simply, companies need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if delivering a short-term profit and being commercially successful is enough any more. Do businesses now need to be more mindful of the communities in which they operate?

On Monday the new First Minister will address the major players in the Scottish business community and spell out her vision for a fairer and more prosperous society and the role of business in achieving that.

Nicola Sturgeon has already said that a strong economy depends on a having a healthy, happy, well educated and well paid population to provide the workforce and the customers that businesses need to succeed. I agree.

Energy companies haven't always garnered positive headlines in this area. So the fact the First Minister will make her landmark address at SSE's Glasgow office may surprise some people.

But we believe we must look beyond the pure financials when it comes to setting out what sort of company we want to be. Quite simply we need to continually earn the right to be commercially successful. In other words, companies shouldn't simply make a profit; they should earn a profit.

On a basic level a fair society can be built on a strong economy. Sustainable commercial success creates jobs and generates wealth that can be used for social good, but the way that success is achieved also matters.

So a year ago Nicola Sturgeon helped us announce the fact that SSE had become, at the time, the UK's biggest officially accredited Living Wage employer. Now we can announce the biggest contract SSE has ever awarded, a £460m subsea cable between Caithness and Moray, will be Living Wage compliant.

This means every person who works regularly on that contract will be paid at least the Living Wage, guaranteeing a fair day's wage for a fair day's work, whether directly employed by SSE or not.

We know that people also have concerns about big business paying their fair share of tax in the UK. So last month we became the first FTSE 100 company to be awarded the Fair Tax Mark which is an accreditation that demands high levels of tax transparency and disclosure.

I would urge all companies operating in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK to look at securing the Fair Tax Mark as a way of being open and accountable to the society which gives them a licence to operate. Meaningful standards like the Fair Tax Mark and the Living Wage are clear signposts that companies are trying to do the right things.

We know that Scottish businesses boost the economy, employing tens of thousands of people and investing hundreds of millions of pounds. According to PwC, SSE's activities alone contributed £1.1bn to the Scottish economy and supported 17,000 jobs in the last financial year.

By evaluating their economic impact, businesses can assess the contribution they make and ensure they are benefiting the communities in which they operate. This is what we're doing to try to make a difference, but I know we've got a lot more to do.

We believe businesses need to raise standards continually and disclose impacts so that customers and other stakeholders can be assured commercial success is being generated in a responsible and sustainable way.

The arrival of a new First Minister offers Scottish business leaders the chance to take a fresh look at what it is they want their companies to stand for. Business does have wider responsibilities to society and it must lead by example.

Investors matter, but without customers and communities there are no companies.

Alistair Phillips-Davies is chief executive of SSE