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Perspective: Big Business Has a New Scam – The ‘Purpose Paradigm’
As a self-serving corporate fantasy, the purpose paradigm is designed to win trust that isn’t earned, perpetuate power that is not legitimate, and preserve a lack of governmental oversight under which corporations compete with each other for profits.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Environment, Impact Assessment
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NB Quick Takes: Polman’s Out at Unilever – Let the Legacy Debate Begin!
In case you hadn't heard: Paul Polman is retiring as CEO of Unilever at the end of the year. Perhaps no other executive has been as closely associated with corporate social responsibility as Polman, who put social impact at the forefront of his agenda. That's not to say all of his initiatives were successful, nor were they without detractors – his retirement is sparking lots of discussion about his approach and its effectiveness at Unilever, not to mention its influence across the business world. We've gathered some early Twitter reactions in this post.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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A pointed question to Unilever’s CEO unmasked a conflict in conscious capitalism
When Unilever CEO Paul Polman and the writer Anand Giridharadascame together on Thursday (Sept. 27) for a panel discussion about “conscious capitalism,” there was bound to be some disagreement.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Impact Assessment
- Region
- South Asia
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How Can Corporations Make the Transition to Sustainability? A Q&A with the Authors of ‘All In’
Global corporations can play a major role in addressing the core social challenges of our time. But how can they make the transition to sustainability – especially when many of their business models depend on unsustainable resources or practices? That's one of the questions explored in 'All In: The Future of Business Leadership,' a new book by three leading thinkers in corporate sustainability. In this Q&A, the authors discuss the keys to effective corporate sustainability leadership, the importance of the year 2030, and the ways smaller social enterprises can contribute.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
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Before the Handshake: How to Make Corporate-Social Enterprise Partnerships Work
At first glance, value chain partnerships between corporations and small enterprises in developing markets appear to benefit both parties: Corporations gain financially while creating social and economic benefits for low-income communities. On closer inspection, however, these partnerships' results can vary. The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership and Intellecap have learned lessons from serving as intermediaries in these relationships. James Jenkin and Lindsay Clinton address the most common questions from organizations hoping to build similar partnerships.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship
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Five Key Questions for Managing Impact – And How to Apply Them in Your Business
Hundreds of investors, entrepreneurs, social scientists and evaluators from around the world recently joined together to devise an easier way to manage and comprehend business impact. They came up with five dimensions for assessing a business’ impact on people and the planet, whether for good or ill – in a way that others can understand, both within and outside of the company. Amanda Feldman of the Bridges Impact+ team explores how businesses – from startups to multinational corporations – can go about assessing their true impact.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Environment, Impact Assessment
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‘Internet Access is Like Oxygen’: Converging Connectivity and Energy Access
Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative is providing grants to internet access and related services companies and startups reaching underserved communities in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and North America. In June, the tech giant announced the second year of grantees. Paul Garnett, senior director of the Affordable Access Initiative at Microsoft, explores how internet connectivity can have a ripple effect.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
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Weekly Roundup: India’s Demonetization Gets Ugly, Health Care’s Last Mile Gets Shorter and Coke Comes to Gaza
Indian Prime Minister Modi’s surprise move to ban 1,000 and 500-rupee notes early last month, ostensibly to crack down on black money, has mushroomed into a full-blown crisis. Are the financial inclusion benefits worth the cost? We explore this and many other topics in the roundup.
- Categories
- Health Care, Investing, NextBillion Originals
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