Briefing comment
Leaders and the led: which come first? by Mike Tuffrey
The issue of leadership – and responsibility – is very much in the air. As I write, the plutocrats are meeting in Davos, debating the future of capitalism; the Republicans are struggling to find a credible presidential candidate; bankers and EU governments are trading insults about who should take a haircut and how much fat cats should be paid – and all the while, Western economies bump along the bottom, at best.
The issue of leadership – and responsibility – is very much in the air. As I write, the plutocrats are meeting in Davos, debating the future of capitalism; the Republicans are struggling to find a credible presidential candidate; bankers and EU governments are trading insults about who should take a haircut and how much fat cats should be paid – and all the while, Western economies bump along the bottom, at best.
News & analysis
Daily CSR Media Briefing
The headlines:
Research & Policy
Stock values rise when companies disclose "green" information
A
UC Davis study finds that it pays to be green, as companies that are open about the...
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Stock values rise when companies disclose "green" information -
This year’s Super Bowl will be “super green” -
IBM to help oil and gas companies monitor and reduce environmental impact -
Lowe’s announces more than $2 million in grants to schools -
UK green corporate spending forecast to grow rapidly
Around the World
The latest headlines from around the world;
Europe and US
EU warns wasting environmental resources could spark new recession
The overuse and waste of valuable natural resources is threatening to produce a fresh economic crisis. Janez Po...
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Europe and US : EU warns wasting environmental resources could spark new recession -
Asia : India plans science policy to help tackle poverty and development -
Africa : Nigeria reels after oil subsidy row turns into country's biggest ever protest -
Latin America : Ecuador appeals court rules against Chevron in oil case
Industry News
The latest news from the key industries;
Finance
Dutch pension giant excludes Wal-Mart and PetroChina
ABP Investments, the largest Dutch pension fund and one of the most influential institutional investors in t...
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Finance : Dutch pension giant excludes Wal-Mart and PetroChina -
Textile / Apparel : Patagonia registers as first California ‘Benefit Corporation’ -
Food & Beverage : Coke steps up drive for plant-based bottles -
Natural resources : Gas boom has Youngstown (Ohio) making steel again -
Partnerships : Disappearing barriers between business and nonprofits driving innovation
Consumers
Comment piece by Nicole Clucas for October/November CCB 120
Food waste has been an issue for many years. Over consumption and the increase in ‘buy one get one free’ offers at many supermarkets make it all too easy for some of our weekly shop to end up in the bin. According to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, we thr...
Community and Contributions
Comment by Mayaz Rahman for October/November CCB 120
The “Giving in Numbers” report shows us that overall corporate giving levels remained static in 2010, and earlier in the year a similar report looking at UK corporate giving showed the same thing. In neither country has giving recovered to pre-recession leve...
Employment and Diversity
Comment piece by Stephanie Caun for October/November CCB
Business in the Community, Deloitte and BP launch ambitious social enterprise project to create 1,000 new jobs in the Olympic host boroughs
Gender diversity has been high on the business age...
Environment and Sustainability
Comment by Ian Buckland for October/November CCB 120
Wet Wet Wet
We do all like to talk about the weather. Maybe it’s just because there’s so much of it and it’s something we all can share. Looking back on 2011, rainfall pa...
Human Rights
Comment by Stephanie Slack for October/November CCB 120
Consumers demand Hershey stop buying child labour
Raise the Bar Hershey! Is leading a campaign on Change.org calling for an end to ongoing labour abuses in the cocoa industry in child, forced or trafficked labour. The campaign is target...
Responsible investment
Comment by Peter Truesdale for October/November CCB 120.
Social Impact Investment? I’m a nervous Nellie investor
I am a sceptic.
If a tren...
Strategy
Comment by Tara James for October/November CCB 120.
Three words stand out for me in this round up of stories: Ecosystem, Innovation and Collaboration. GRI, UNEP and CREM have released a publication looking at how companies can report performance on ecosystem services; the WEF is looking at the sustainable com...
Supply chain
Comment by Hugh Macpherson for October/November CCB 120.
The move by John West to start making their supply chain more transparent and accountable is an intriguing development in food retail. The more customers can be informed of the way in which their food has been produced the better. This development, combined...
“How not to be an Ostrich: CSR and Sustainability managers fac...
When faced with risk, the Ostrich (
Struthio camelus ) is famously believed to bury its head in the sand. Whilst this belief might not be strictly accurate, an ostrich may certainly try to avoid detection by lying lowin response to a possible threat, a strategy not dissimilar to that of some major companies and industrial sectors in response to the challenges posed by major ecological risks.
The sustainability challenges facing CSR and sustainability managers today are complex and wide ranging. These specifically include climate change and growing water scarcity, due to population growth, economic activities and other drivers. However, a threat that is far less understood, bu...
Employment and diversity comment and news
Comment by Stephanie Slack for August/September CCB 119
As a recent graduate I was pleased and very interested to read that KPMG are set to hire 250,000 new employees over the next five years, 75,000 of whom will be graduates. This news makes a welcome change from the endless reports of firms axing jobs as a resu...
Guest Writer
This month our guest writer is Matthew Gitsham, Director of the Centre for Business and Sustainability at Ashridge Business School.
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Speaking out
This month Andrew Wilson speaks out about responsibility within Boards.
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This month Peter Truesdale discusses supply chain legislation.
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Here lies the important distinction between a brand that simply wants to do something responsible to create a warm and fuzzy effect, and a responsible brand. While consumers clearly like the former, they increasingly expect the latter.
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Foreign operators must demonstrate the positives they will bring to a community, to counteract the perceived negatives such as environmental damage and disruption to local communities.
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When faced with risk, the Ostrich ( Struthio camelus) is famously believed to bury its head in the sand. Whilst this belief might not be strictly accurate, an ostrich may certainly try to avoid detection by lying lowin response to a possible threat, a strategy not dissimilar to that of...
Read more..
In the run up to the Cancun climate change conference, we ask if there are reasons to be cheerful about what companies are doing, despite the backdrop of bad news on the global environment.
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One year on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the anger among ordinary citizens about the behaviour of the bankers and their lack of accountability is palpable, reflected in politicians' rhetoric.
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