A challenge with considering societal values is in how to measure them. They tend to be highly
subjective and differ between individuals, groups, cultures, locales, and so on. It is also difficult to
determine who the stakeholders in society are for a given situation. There is lively debate and much active
research in the social, economic, and decision science fields (e.g., welfare economics, industrial ecology,
etc.) around the issues of measuring and assessing social and environmental values and considering them in
economic decisions. Much of the work involves very complex valuation modeling. Some social scientists
consider it nearly impossible to make an economic-based decision with any certainty that it will maximize
social welfare; however, enterprises are increasingly expected by society (politically, legally, or otherwise)
to make the attempt.