I have long argued that corporate social responsibility (CSR) needs to be a fully integrated strategy throughout a company in order to have a significant effect on how the company does business. I have also written often about social enterprise/entrepreneurship where one builds a for-profit company that focuses on solving social problems as well as […]
Recognizing CSR as a Core Business Practice Read More 👉
It seemed easy and straightforward enough. Fighting in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between a variety of warring factions has resulted in the death, rape and displacement of many in the region. Based on most accounts upwards of 5.4 million people died during the official war period of 1998-2003 and some 2.7
Conflict Minerals: Where Dodd-Frank, The Enough Project and Global Witness Went Wrong Read More 👉
Since the movement began, people have discussed goals/themes/demands of Occupy Wall Street and have found little clarity. In some ways this is the essence of the movement, but in an effort to define everything, many people assume it’s the anger of the common person directed towards banks for manipulating their money and tanking the economy.
Is Occupy Wall Street Really About CSR? Read More 👉
Apparently I have a problem with terminology. I’m not sure when this started, but after writing a piece on the semantics of the term “CSR”, I have come across other situations in which terms that I thought were relatively clear, are in fact completely opaque. My new find? Social enterprise. I know what your thinking.
What Does Social Enterprise Really Mean? Read More 👉
To what extent do socially and environmentally positive initiatives in the private sector boost a [public] company’s value? And is the downside greater for those that that do not engage in CSR activities or worse flout environmental or social concerns? We know that significant events such as the BP oil spill will go a long
The Effects of CSR on Market Capitalization Read More 👉
The world of international development has so many buzzwords floating around, it’s hard to know what is legitimate and what isn’t. Over the past 10 years or so, the phrase “sustainable development” has entered the lexicon and appears here to stay. While there are a number of definitions for the term, ultimately it has to
VisionSpring: A Model TOMS Shoes Would be Wise to Adopt Read More 👉
Following more than 50 years of oil extraction, corruption, human rights violations and environmental degradation, Shell has admitted responsibility for two large oil spills in 2008 and 2009 in the Niger Delta. This admission will allow those affected to seek damages through the British court system, which gives groups in the Delta, specifically Ogoniland, the
Shell Finally Coming to Terms with Years of Nigerian Oil Spills Read More 👉
I’ve written a number of articles regarding the complexities of “conflict minerals” and the trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (you can find a few here and here). And campaigns undertaken by a number of advocacy groups have really put the issue on the map. So much so that a controversial rider was
Motorola Getting Proactive in the Conflict Mineral Debate Read More 👉
In the early 1990’s Nike was unwittingly responsible for bringing factory worker treatment and supply chain issues to the forefront. This was of course many years before the “CSR movement” gained a foothold within corporate operations. And while I would not go as far as to say that it gave birth to the modern CSR
Worker Treatment at Nike Twenty Years Later Read More 👉
According to the venerable source, Wikipedia (there’s actually a citation from the 2002 book The World of Social Entrepreneurship by J.L. Thompson), social entrepreneurship is defined as, “A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change (a social venture). While a business
So You Want to Become a Social Entrepreneur? Read More 👉
For many years now, developing countries bestowed great amounts of natural resources were thought to be on a path to development based on the wealth of these resources, which are prized throughout the West. Such resources have included oil, minerals, metals and of course diamonds. However, almost exclusively, this potentially game-changing situation has lead to
Zimbabwe Diamonds and the Kimberley Process: Round Something Read More 👉
A wise man once said, “beer, the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems”. More recently, Center for Global Development (CGD) Senior Fellow, Charles Kenney published an article in Foreign Policy magazine called “Chug for Growth” discussing the role of beer and beer manufacturing in developing countries. Ever since the development profession (for
Does Beer Equate to Development? Read More 👉
Although Wal-Mart has had a checkered past when it comes to entering foreign markets, a deal was announced at the end of May that the company has purchased a majority stake in the South African company, Massmart. While the $2.4 billion investment doesn’t raise too many eyebrows considering the company has a market cap north
Wal-Mart Enters Africa Read More 👉
There’s been some discussion about the campaign of EcoMedia, an environmentally focused advertising firm that was purchased by CBS last year. EcoMedia was the firm behind the little green leafs that you may have seen on select CBS advertising earlier in 2011 called EcoAd. The idea behind the EcoAds is that companies purchase the ad
EcoMedia’s EcoAd: More than Advertised Read More 👉
Like other rapidly developing nations, India has a housing problem. The rural-urban migration has overwhelmed cities like Mumbai, where the formally rural poor come to find new opportunity. Often times this migration is one indication of a country’s development. The major issue however is, where do all these people live? Up until now, more often
Indian Real Estate: Housing for the Poor or Another Debt Crisis? Read More 👉
About 7 months ago, following grad school I relocated to the great (not state although some are trying) District of Columbia. Although 7 months is not a very long time, one would think it would be long enough for me to stop receiving previous tenant’s junk mail. In fact, it’s not just one previous tenant,
When Is Junk Mail Going to Disappear? Read More 👉
Among the most important aspects of starting a company is determining the target market. In many cases the obvious answer to determining a market is to go where the money is. Most of the time that means target the wealthy as that is the group that would be both interested in using and have the
Hello Wallet Helps Balance The Books and Give Back Read More 👉
The medical field has one that dates back to the 5th century BC and now about 2,600 years later an oath is taking shape for students of the Master’s of Business Administration degree. We here at the Inspired Economist clearly hold Net Impact in high regard. After all, we’ve seen articles on their sustainable MBA
The Oath. Has It Really Come to This? Read More 👉
Based on a comment I received in regards to last week’s article “Responsibilities of the Alcohol Industry”, I thought I’d follow up with an article addressing how much water is actually used to make beer. Although that article really looked at the social responsibility of alcohol companies, I did mention more than once that beer
How Much Water is in Your Beer? Read More 👉
There has been increasing discussion recently as to the role of corporate social responsibility throughout the alcohol industry. Of course CSR policies can and should be applied to companies throughout the private sector although my guess is that most people’s first thoughts don’t shoot to the beer, wine and spirits industry. Whether policies in that
Responsibilities of the Alcohol Industry Read More 👉
If Google indeed wants to “do no evil” perhaps it should stick to what it does best, grow and improve it’s search and more generally increase access to information on the internet. Obviously a statement like that is not exactly a stretch as companies that focus on their core competencies are often ones that succeed
Google Broadband: Will They Change the World Again? Read More 👉
I wasn’t planning on following up on last week’s article, “Twitter and Corporate Social Responsibility”, nor was I really considering taking the CSR conversation in this direction. However I saw a video the other day on Mashable which was an interview of venerable Apple evangalist and venture capitalist veteran Guy Kawasaki at South By Southwest
Developing Platforms for Social Change: The New CSR Movement? Read More 👉
For the most part, discussion concerning the role of corporate social responsibility often revolves around the initiatives undertaken (or not) by large, established companies. I’ve personally written about Apple (multiple times, here, here and here), Proctor & Gamble, Louis Vuitton etc. These seem like obvious targets as they have enormous market share within their respective
Twitter and Corporate Social Responsibility Read More 👉
So America’s greatest investor and economic cheerleader, Warren Buffet, discussed his annual investment outlook recently for 2011. This included, among other things, a recovery of the housing market during this calendar year (noted). But it got me wondering about his interest in sustainability, particularly as it relates to his already mythic influence in the world
Dear Mr. Buffet, Please Speak Up on Corporate Responsibility Read More 👉
