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Just saw this post on  CSRWire , and thought I'd share since the topic frequently pops up in standards development work -- and how we can engage the younger generation.  Summary: there is hope. As companies and other organizations continue to become more globally connected and complex in structure, the landscape is changing for employee- employer relationships. There is a noticeable seismic shift with new expectations around leadership, culture, and engagement being at its core. Influencing this shift in attitudes are millennials, who, with rapid access to virtually infinite amounts of information are driving the era of transparency, and demanding more from their companies than a paycheck and benefits. ... millennials are more optimistic than previous generations about the state of the world and how things can change for the better; a belief that has manifested in the way this group views prospective employment. ... Younger employees are becoming more assertive and les

It always horrifies me when I see consumers clamor for the latest and throw out the old.  It's disturbing that most lack the curiosity to ask where their latest trinket came from, or who made it.  Even the best of us give in to such temptations on occasion. Here are two articles to help you give a second thought to the choices you make.  We live in a finite world, and need to look beyond the horizon of our own lives. Dire Glimpses of What Pollution Is Doing in Bangladesh  -- Bangladeshi photojournalist Probal Rashid's disturbing photos of his country's transformation as the world's clothier Faster, Cheaper Fashion  -- Irish fast fashion retailer, Primark, is coming to North America.  Their grand openings rival the black Friday shopping horrors we see south of the border.

The Guardian recently ran  an article  referencing a few pieces of research that make a compelling argument for a balanced executive team.  Numbers are numbers, and while there are always exceptions to the rule, apparently, having women in leadership roles bode well for environmental and social issues.  Women seem wired to take the long view, where men are focused on the short-term -- which isn't a bad thing if you have shareholders. Vision, and the ability to convey it convincingly to others, are two core attributes that McElhaney ascribes to female leadership, and ones that differ from male traits of goal-driven short-termism.  They also help explain why, according to McElhaney’s research ( pdf ), companies with higher female representation on their boards tend to give higher priority to environmental and social issues. The more gender-balanced an executive team, the more likely the company is to invest in renewable power, low-carbon products and energy efficiency, her stu

Related to my previous post , Pew Research recently published findings on how richer the world is getting -- and from this marco perspective, it's a lot of good news. Overall, the world is getting richer, and more people are being pulled out of poverty. The greatest shift is of course, coming from China, where there is a rapidly growing middle class -- but the promise of a global middle class is still a dream. The rich world remains the same -- North America, Western Europe and Australia. More, here: Mapping the Global Population: How Many Live on How Much, and Where | Pew Research Center There's lots of data and graphs to explore. Enjoy.

The race to the bottom continues. The OECD Employment Outlook 2015 is bad news cloaked in good news. Yes, unemployment is dropping across the world, but those returning to work are coming back part-time and/or for less money. Read more: http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/jobs-outlook-improving-slowly-but-millions-risk-being-trapped-at-bottom-of-economic-ladder.htm

The latest OECD report on inequality paints a disturbing picture. The world is getting more unequal. The richest 10% of the OECD population now earns 9.6 times more than the poorest 10%. In 2012, the poorest 40% owned 3% of the household wealth in the OECD countries -- while the top 10% controlled over half; with the top 1% owning 18%. Increasingly, the culprit is low paying, non-standard work (temporary and contract). Between 1995 and 2013, 50% of new jobs created fell into this category -- and the disproportionately are youth and females. No surprise there. The OECD warns that the long term economic and social cohesion impacts will be significant if governments don't take steps to address the gap. Businesses also need to step up, as there is a direct impact to their viability. In Canada, income inequality has not increased during the economic downturn -- with Canada trending with the OECD average. But, the gap in pay between full-time workers and non-standard work