At least, the ones which are publicly owned aren't. They are machines for generating profit for their stockholders, and if their officers, managers or employees conduct themselves in a way that threatens that mission, they are replaced, just as any other defective part is replaced. A owner with 51% of the company stock might deliberately choose an unprofitable policy consistent with his own convictions. But if he sells 2% of his stock, he loses control and becomes just another employee of his stockholders. He has a vote on company policy, but he can lose. A corporation is a democratic collective.

This is not to say that corporations can't serve a public good, or even recognize some imposed inefficiency or restriction as necessary to the public welfare and perhaps even of value to the corporation's long-term benefit.

However, we can't count on that happening. Corporations are somewhat like lawyers. Like attorneys, they are chartered and obligated to serve their clients, not to provide social justice. What you can count on is that publicly held corporations will usually act in a way that maximizes the profit of their stockholders, not the moral convictions of the executives, or what is best for society as a whole. A particularly virtuous and persuasive CEO may convince his Board of Directors that his moral position is better for everyone in the long run, but that is not necessarily the case. More often than not, the Board will just fire his ass.

Everyone who works for any collective, public or private sector, knows that, and if they value their job more than their convictions, their behavior will fall right into line, just as you would expect from any other machine component.