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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 an...

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 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...

I don't entirely agree with Foster's take, but he provides a context for the state of worker safety and rights in Bangladesh; as well as the unintended consequences that could result from the lawsuit against Loblaw (there's one in the US as well, against Wal-mart, et al).  The issue is more complex than western businesses taking advantage of cheap labour. Peter Foster: Why a $2-billion lawsuit against Loblaw, Joe Fresh could bring unintended results to Bangladesh | Financia…

Recently, MIT Sloan Management Review published the above titled report.  It makes for an interesting read.  If you're working in industry, it doesn't matter your size -- sustainability isn't something you can tackle alone and in isolation.  It's something that requires collaboration -- and not just the basics of collaboration -- but meaningful effort beyond the sharing of ideas, best practices and standards.  Effort to develop and implement solutions to collectively have a bigger impact than one company, one industry, going at it alone. "In the 2014 Sustainability Report, new research by MIT Sloan Management Review, The Boston Consulting Group and the UN Global Compact, shows that a growing number of companies are turning to collaborations — with suppliers, NGOs, industry alliances, governments, even competitors — to become more sustainable. Our research found that as sustainability issues become increasingly complex, global in nature and pivotal to success, ...

Ref.  http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/remington-dont-call-gun-fix-recall-n263851 Remington is being forced to fix 7.85 million guns with a firing mechanism known as the Walker trigger.  The issue: the guns are prone to firing without the trigger being pulled.  But is it a defect?  Remington denies they have a defect and insists the thousands of consumer reports they've had are "user errors." Recalls are still seen as a bad thing in lawsuit happy jurisdictions.  Admitting to a defect and recalling a product opens companies up to liability claims. This is what being between a rock and a hard place must feel like.

Source Intelligence just published a summary of the activities involving their solution for managing conflict minerals risks in the supply chain. ref.  An Insightful Look at 2014 Conflict Minerals Efforts  (free registration required) The report aggregates their client data from 2013 efforts, covering the apparel, electronics, manufacturing, oil & gas and retail industries.  At tier 1 in the supply chain, they have 1,336 suppliers -- which increased significantly as they delved into deeper tiers -- and impacted around 2M products.  Source Intelligence is definitely doing the sales pitch.  Their report shows efficiency and effectiveness gains if you use their resources for education and data collection.  But it isn't smoke and mirrors.  It makes sense that supply chain partners who are educated (having awareness of context) are better suited to effectively participate in reporting.  It also makes sense that automating the data capture is...

DHL last week released the third edition of its Global Connectedness Index -- and despite the global economic malaise, things are looking good for the globalization of trade. DHL's analysis looks at the cross-border movement of goods, capital, information and people, using data that encompasses 99% of the world's GDP, covering 95% of its population -- and the findings are not surprising. The world’s economic center of gravity shifts eastward; emerging economies see bigger connectedness gains than advanced economies Flows of trade, capital, information and people stretched out over more distant geographies, documenting a decline in regionalization Europe remains most globally connected region; Netherlands again ranks No. 1

How not to deal with a warning that you're hosting/dealing in counterfeit products: When a consumer watchdog organization alerted eBay that it had found hundreds of counterfeits on the site, eBay blocked the whistleblower's accounts and removed its comments warning people about fake products. Source:  http://www.businessinsider.com/ebay-admits-it-banned-a-whistleblower-2014-11 The Counterfeit Report also bought fake Apple iPhone chargers, which have been implicated in starting fires, as well as counterfeit over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, sporting goods, fragrances, auto accessories, and more. Counterfeit Report:  The Counterfeit Report | Press Release Scary that some of the products bear counterfeit certification and listing marks.  To consumers, these are real products.

McKinsey is making their 50th anniversary issue freely available to everyone.  For those who haven't had the pleasure, take a quick look. Our 50th anniversary edition examines the future of management, including long-term capitalism, leadership in an era of machine learning, next frontiers for strategists, and global productivity. Source:  2014 Issue #3 | McKinsey Quarterly | McKinsey & Company Of interest, Realizing the power of talented women Business, society, and the future of capitalism

The Economist | Small companies in poor countries: Looking for a Google http://www.economist.com/node/21564265? Why aren't entrepreneurs in poor countries as successful as their counterparts in rich countries?  The answer may surprise you - lack of management skills.

See the full PwC GMA financial report here [pdf]. An analysis of the financial performance of CPG companies alongside sustainability reporting shows companies that report have stronger financial results. Disclosure on sustainability, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, continues to spread through the corporate world, and the information flow—whether through Bloomberg terminals, supplier sustainability scorecards, or annual reports—keeps growing. In 2010, 70% of S&P 500 companies submitted voluntary disclosures to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP),up from 56% in 2007. Of interest in the article: PwC looked at the financial performance of CPG companies that produced sustainability reporting, versus those that didn’t – and concluded that sustainability reporting companies were on average, more successful than their counterparts   Reporting companies had a high gross margin Reporting companies had a high median SG&A spending as a percent of...

It shouldn't be surprising that corruption doesn't actually pay for companies -- yet many, do it, despite having ethical policies in place. Greasing the wheel is prevalent -- not just limited to countries where bureaucrats expect rewards to speed the flow of commerce -- not that dealing with regulatory requirements is actually a bad thing, from a public interest perspective, it might be just the right thing to have in place -- greasing the wheel is very much prevalent in developed economies. Just look at the ratio of lobbyists to elected politicians in Washington. Lobbyists provide grease, as a result, businesses get their way with less regulatory impediment. Research however, shows that bribery simply doesn't make sense. Not only does it take a psychological toll on those involved, but it also costs companies more money -- more so in the long term -- and it breeds an environment where delays occur as bribery becomes the norm, and bureaucrats habitually give businesses ...

Is it just me, or is this just way too obvious? It's obvious, but also amazing how many highly paid executive-types are idiots, and just don't get it. It's a balance -- and not just a focus on shareholders. Any executive that focuses entirely on shareholders, to the detriment of customers and employees, should thrown out the window -- the door would be just too polite. Focusing exclusively on the shareholders is short-term, selfish thinking -- one motivated just to please the market, generate short-term shareholder value, to the detriment of sustainable value. An executive that focuses their company solely on shareholders does a disservice to shareholders. It is customers and employees who generate shareholder value. Focusing equally on customers and employees, and in cumulative, more than shareholders, is the only way to get your employees to give more; to innovate more; to be inspired to deliver greater value -- and similarly, to get your customers to buy more from...

C.K. Prahalad died on April 16th, age 68. I didn't even know he had died, until I read it in a recent issue of the Economist. Prahalad was known for his development of the core competency concept -- but will most be remembered for his ideas of the bottom of the pyramid -- and how profit motive could help lift the world's poor from poverty. His ideas have shaped -- and will continue to shape -- the strategies of businesses the world over, and give hope to those in developing countries who aspire for more. in reference to: "He taught the world’s biggest companies to think of themselves anew, as a “portfolio of competencies” rather than as a “portfolio of businesses”. He taught everyone to see the developing world not as an also-ran but as a vortex of innovation and creativity. The world of management theory has more than its fair share of charlatans, but C.K. Prahalad was the genuine article." - Schumpeter: The guru of the bottom of the pyramid | The Economist ( vie...

It's all politics, of course. Castro is simply using BP's oil spill in the Gulf for propaganda -- the message being, capitalist societies have ceded the public's interest for private gain -- and if the world stuck to socialist ideals, disasters such as this wouldn't happen. That's all bullshit of course, but, the man does have a point. The pendulum has swung too far in one direction. The reigns have been loosened too much on corporations, and governments need to reassert the public's interest in governing the conduct of businesses. At no time should a corporation's interest ever -- ever -- take precedence over the public's. Corporations serve society, not the other way around. Sadly, society is now hostage to corporations -- especially those that operate in the global theatre. in reference to: "In an opinion piece published by state media on Saturday, Castro said the disaster "shows how little governments can do against those who control...

Recently, several governments (not the US), including Canada, expressed some dissatisfaction with Google's sometimes disregard for the privacy of its customers. Wired's Peter Kirwin makes the point, that as Google grows, it may become a "regulated quasi-utility." Google, like all businesses, is already a regulated company. To operate in the public sphere, it must be regulated -- including in areas of privacy. But as Google continues to grow, its utility becomes more apparent. Certainly, it can be replaced -- and it does have competitors that fulfill similar functions for the public -- but Google's goal is to be the portal to all information -- public and sometimes private. If Google succeeds, and there's no reason to think it won't, it becomes essential to the functioning of a modern, technologically adept society. Being regulated as a utility at that point, becomes a requirement -- as Google's purpose would no longer be just to deliver wealth t...

They may still be "emerging economies" in some books, but that term is so yesterday. If you think the economies of the BRICs were something -- you haven't seen the half of it yet. The rest of the world is coming, and it's not a bad thing. The captains of the first world economies will need a hard reset in their thinking, as colonial thinking will no longer get them anywhere. in reference to: "The United Nations World Investment Report calculates that there are now around 21,500 multinationals based in the emerging world. The best of these, such as India’s Bharat Forge in forging, China’s BYD in batteries and Brazil’s Embraer in jet aircraft, are as good as anybody in the world. The number of companies from Brazil, India, China or Russia on the Financial Times 500 list more than quadrupled in 2006-08, from 15 to 62." - A special report on innovation in emerging markets: The world turned upside down | The Economist ( view on Google Sidewiki )

America is unaware of how much of its freedom it has vested in the last few years from public institutions to private corporations, and individuals. Glenn Greenwald just needs to follow the trail -- unravel a not too complicated story, as exampled by Mike McConnell -- a man who moved easily between the government and a corporation, restlessly pursuing a single minded goal: the vesting of American intelligence capability from the government, to corporations. And he has succeeded. The question the public, who pays for all of this, needs to ask is: when does a corporation's self-interest trump the interest of the public it is now charged with serving? The answer is simple. Time and time again, it has been proven -- and it's written into corporate law. A corporation has to service only the interests of its shareholders. Doing anything else, and the management team is in violation of their contractual obligations. And in the intelligence business, peace is not good for busin...

China can't seem to get any slack these days. The latest comes from Britain's MI5, which has accused China of some pretty nefarious practices to cull secrets from British firms and government. In the report, the Threat from Chinese Espionage, circulated to business and government leaders in the UK, MI5 warns that vigilance is needed, as well as government-security intervention to thwart the Chinese threat. Apparently, there have been Chinese electronic attacks on Britain's defense, energy, communications and manufacturing companies, as well as the government. As well, there has been cases of sexual entrapment and espionage involving electronic gifts and bugged hotel rooms. None of this is entirely new of course. China regularly spies on foreign governments. And so do western governments spy on China. What's alarming however, is China is also spying on businesses. Some will argue, especially the Chinese government, that they are innocent of any espionage against w...