A lot of people have been enjoying the hammering that a number of companies, most notably Barclays and Aviva, have had in recent days with shareholder revolts over executive pay packages.
Posted on: 7 May 2012 - Read full post
Marks & Spencer
More and more of those companies that are committed to sustainability are experimenting with ways to influence the way customers behave. Marks and Spencer are not exactly new to that experiment - but they have just launched a high profile attempt to take it a stage further.
Posted on: 2 May 2012 - Read full post
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A committee of MPs in the UK Parliament has just released a report where it condemns global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch as 'not a fit person' to lead a major multinational corporation. This, in the view of the majority of the committee (which split on party lines on this question), was because he and his son James had shown
Posted on: 1 May 2012 - Read full post
istockPhoto.com
A while ago, I wrote a piece asking how a CEO could redefine the purpose of the company to include its social impact, and then actively recruit shareholders to this vision - and fire the ones that don't get it?
Posted on: 24 Apr 2012 - Read full post
In every enduring way, the human beings born today are pretty much identical to the human beings born eighty years ago. The context in which we live our lives has transformed beyond recognition, but the human animal is the same.
Posted on: 23 Apr 2012 - Read full post
positivesharing.com
Recently, I was asked by a company to comment on its draft corporate vision. It was very much of the 'we aim to be number one in our industry' style of vision which, needless to say, left me rather underwhelmed.
Posted on: 8 Mar 2012 - Read full post
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Heartland, the right wing 'think tank' that promotes climate change denial is feeling sore about the fact that someone managed to get hold of some of its internal documents and then promptly put them online.
Posted on: 17 Feb 2012 - Read full post
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Al Gore has made the case that companies should no longer be required to produce quarterly financial reports. Such short term updates, he argues, prejudice against long-term and environmentally sustainable investing.
Posted on: 16 Feb 2012 - Read full post
The Global Compact has recently announced that it has expelled a total of 3,123 companies since 2005. I've said it before, but in the light of this stat, it bears repeating. This is not a good thing. Rather than fishing all these bodies out the river, it's time someone at the Global Compact found out who was throwing them in.
Posted on: 14 Feb 2012 - Read full post
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Dilbert.com
I saw an article today - just one in a long line - making reference to best practice in CSR reporting. I'm not going to single it out - it wasn't worse or different to others of the genre.
Posted on: 7 Feb 2012 - Read full post
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I recently did an interview with Corporate Eye, and they've now published the result - a six part audio interview - on their site. I've already had lots of kind feedback about it - thanks to all.
Posted on: 13 Jan 2012 - Read full post
In the UK, political parties of all hues are rattling their sabres and talking tough on legislating to make businesses behave more responsibly. The latest salvo has just been fired by Labour, calling for 'responsible and better capitalism'.
Posted on: 9 Jan 2012 - Read full post
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flickr/whltravel
Coca-Cola has been forced to defend itself against claims that its presence in Swaziland is "propping up" a notorious dictator and has been urged to pull out of the country immediately.
Posted on: 4 Jan 2012 - Read full post
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H&M
H&M have just attracted criticism for the use of virtual models to demonstrate their clothes. It's just the most recent of a series of such stories, and it shows how society is grappling with the implications of technology and trying to work out what is - or is not - acceptable.
Posted on: 2 Jan 2012 - Read full post
Enron's board
We have the recent report highlighting the failures at Royal Bank of Scotland which talked about how the board gave too little challenge, particularly to the disastrous ABN Amro takeover.
Posted on: 13 Dec 2011 - Read full post
It's a heck of a question - because we don't even know if GOOD leadership could deliver sustainability. But it's a relevant question because good leadership seems as far away as ever.
Posted on: 6 Dec 2011 - Read full post
ASH Australia
Philip Morris International is suing the Australian government over tobacco laws that force the sale of cigarettes in plain packaging, rather than bright branded packets. There is no doubt that the suggestion that a government can interrupt a company's ability to brand its products is a pretty radical, intrusive principle.
Posted on: 21 Nov 2011 - Read full post
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In the UK, Parliamentarians are discussing fuel duty today. A large number of Conservative MPs are arguing that it should not be increased as scheduled. Further increases will impact on the economy, goes the argument. And in support of this case, they cite the fact that over the last year the amount of fuel consumed in the UK has gone down as people make fewer car journeys.
Posted on: 15 Nov 2011 - Read full post
Well, there's a thing. Four years ago, Wal-Mart found itself blocked when it tried to get a banking charter that would have enabled it to compete with the big banks. The company's reputation was too shark-like. Everyone feared that it would wade in, and use its muscle to make life hell for all those lovely people who gave banking services.
Posted on: 8 Nov 2011 - Read full post
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BP has been embarrassed by the revelation that when it undertook major deals in Russia it fully understood that it was dealing with 'crooks and thugs'.
Posted on: 7 Nov 2011 - Read full post
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