Final answer:
Companies reconcile profit maximization with corporate social responsibility by following the principle of allocative efficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
In today's business environment, companies strive to reconcile profit maximization with corporate social responsibility by following the principle of allocative efficiency. Allocative efficiency ensures that the benefits to consumers, as measured by the price they are willing to pay (P), are equal to the costs to society of producing the marginal units (MC). This means that when a profit-maximizing firm produces at the quantity where P = MC, it not only maximizes its profits but also aligns its actions with the demand for corporate social responsibility.