Stephen Farrant: Responsible Business Goes Mainstream
As responsible tourism goes mainstream, the issues of environmental and social responsibility have been placed firmly on the agendas of global company boards. But the myth remains that it is only small specialist companies that have adopted a responsible tourism strategy. This is however, not the case and major global travel and tourism companies have […]
Désirée Abrahams: Where is the Business and Human Rights Arena Headed?
In December last year, IBLF advertised for a Programme Coordinator to work on business and human rights. Needing to get someone in quickly, we set a one-week deadline and an essay of 250 words, themed ‘In your opinion, what does the future hold for business and human rights over the next five years?’ We were […]
Graham Baxter: Voluntary Coalitions – in Crisis or Just Growing Up?
Voluntary coalitions set up by business, government and civil society groups to address ethical challenges risk losing their potency when they become detached from the leadership agenda. Once leadership of the agenda for tackling specific corporate responsibility challenges moves from the CEO’s office to the operational areas, there is a natural shift to focusing more […]
CGAP concerned about efforts to remove Nobel Prize winner Yunus from Grameen Bank
PRESS RELEASE: CGAP yesterday released the following statement from Tilman Ehrbeck, CGAP CEO, and Vijay Mahajan, Chair of CGAP’s board, on the efforts to remove Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus as Managing Director of Grameen Bank. View and contribute to the Business Fights Poverty discussion on Muhammad Yunus and his contribution: “We are deeply concerned […]
The Business Case for Being a Responsible Business
The way we do business is changing. Customer needs and demands are developing. Emerging technologies are enabling new ways of working. Supply chains are shifting and new markets are opening up. A more deeply connected generation is emerging. Knowing more about the world presents enormous opportunity, especially for business. What is needed is a form […]
Employee Giving & Volunteering – What Matters Most
Corporate Volunteering promises an array of benefits, but there is one single benefit that overshadows the rest – one single benefit that is the sole measurement of success for your program. Photo by David Reese For me, the question is never, “How much did you do?” The question is, “Why does what you do matter?” […]
Employee Giving & Volunteering – What Matters Most
Corporate Volunteering promises an array of benefits, but there is one single benefit that overshadows the rest – one single benefit that is the sole measurement of success for your program. Photo by David Reese For me, the question is never, “How much did you do?” The question is, “Why does what you do matter?” […]
Social Intrapreneurs— An Extra Force For Sustainability
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently,” ran Apple’s 1997 ‘Think Different’ ad campaign. Once heard or read, the words—crafted by TBWA/Chiat/Day, were hard to get out of your head. And they didn’t end there. “They’re not fond […]
The Microfinance Industry is a Hack? I Beg to Differ
The recent crisis in Andhra Pradesh, India triggered a rigorous debate about the merits and viability of microfinance as a tool for poverty alleviation. Stories of over-indebted borrowers committing suicide and microfinance institutions charging exorbitant, sky-high interest rates are rampant in the media. Looking at the facts and studying the alternatives, I believe the skepticism […]
Toolbook: Partnering with Governments Navigator
‘The Partnering with Governments Navigator – Building effective collaboration with the public sector in Africa’ is aimed at assisting donors, NGOS and practitioners from the private sector in navigating the challenges and seizing the opportunities of partnership with governments.
White paper: 'Sustainable Supply Chains in Asia'
IBLF and Edelman spoke to 20 companies across sectors to uncover the practical issues in turning sustainable supply chain policies into practice.
White paper: ‘Sustainable Supply Chains in Asia’
IBLF and Edelman spoke to 20 companies across sectors to uncover the practical issues in turning sustainable supply chain policies into practice.
The UK's Department For International Development Launches New Private Sector Department
In 2010, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell announced that the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) would establish a new department to step up its engagement with the private sector. The Private Sector Department is now open. The new department intends to prompt and help catalyse change across DFID to deepen our capability to work […]
Shell Foundation: New Solutions to Global Development at Scale?
Post written for Business Fights Poverty by Richard Gomes, Communications and Business Manager, Shell Foundation A new report called ‘Enterprise Solutions to Scale’ has recently been released by Shell Foundation, the global development charity, charting its ten year journey to implement a new enterprise-based model for tackling global challenges affecting poverty and the environment. The […]
Reflections on the journey of corporate responsibility
Besides the regular festivities, food and frolicking, December is a time for reflection. Commentators love to look back on The Year That Was – debating everything from the most gripping news stories to the highest grossing movies. But it’s not often that you get to hear someone like the head of the UN Global Compact, […]
How can more companies achieve development through their core business?
This was the question underlying an interactive workshop on ‘Overcoming Barriers to Inclusive Business Growth’ organised by the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) and the Business Call to Action (BCtA) on 7 Dec 2010 hosted at Barclays’ offices in London. Launched in 2008, the Business Call to Action is a global initiative that aims to […]
Banking on Development – Standard Chartered's impact in Ghana
Since the financial crisis of 2008, many stakeholders have asked whether banks really serve the public interest. When we recall that the central function of banks in modern economies is to mobilize national and, increasingly, international savings, and to allocate those funds to their most productive use within the economy, it seems that many financial […]
Banking on Development – Standard Chartered’s impact in Ghana
Since the financial crisis of 2008, many stakeholders have asked whether banks really serve the public interest. When we recall that the central function of banks in modern economies is to mobilize national and, increasingly, international savings, and to allocate those funds to their most productive use within the economy, it seems that many financial […]
Toolkit: Business as a Partner in India’s Right to Education
This toolkit, commissioned through the Tata Strategic Management Group (TSMG), is aimed at identifying models for businesses to begin their engagement in strengthening the education sector in India. It contains a collection of key features of the Right to Education, outlining the roles that central and state governments need to play to implement the act […]
A Fair Hearing for Fairtrade
Passions are running high among the defenders and detractors of Fairtrade. Sparked by a recent report by the right-wing economic think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a long-running debate has be reignited (see the article by Simon Bowers on this site). A couple of years ago, the same thing happened when another right-wing […]