Environment

"History is bunk" is another Henry Ford favourite. But he was actually decrying an attitude that always looked back, going on to say "We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today". Not a bad call for his industry to stop looking back on the old way of doing things, but to face up to today's realities - and be bold and brave enough to make history.

The news from the oil and motor industries shows they are certainly trying. The latest batch of reports shows widespread improvement in performance, especially through eco-efficiency. However they are still way off the big goal of reversing global warming. And this at a time when changed politics in Washington are making even the modest and inadequate emission reduction targets in the Kyoto agreement seem unattainable.

A common comment from others - less high profile, more benign, struggling to get going and perhaps looking for reasons to delay - is 'we are not a Shell or Ford'. Surely that's no excuse not to learn the lessons and apply them - focus not just on the home country, but all around the world; social impact is not just via charity but through the basic business operation; act not just in your own directly controlled operations but reach out to business partners and customers (all illustrated above).

Someone else might learn some lessons too. Gone are the days when Rio Tinto had its very own pressure group, a focal point for concern about global multinationals. Today ExxonMobil is becoming that lightning rod. Reported to be launching a PR offensive this summer, let's hope (if only for the sake of its shareholders) that it learns from Rio Tinto's turn-round in perceptions, not from Monsanto.