Doing Business with Integrity Case Study: MLM Brasil
COMPANY OVERVIEW In 2010, MLM Group was a UK-based, mid-sized engineering consultancy with big ambitions, looking to Brazil to develop their expertise, increase revenues, and provide diverse projects for their employees. Eight years later, in partnership with Brazilian management consultancy NBS Consulting Group, MLM has pioneered UK buildings sustainability certifications in Brazil. MLM Brasil’s projects […]
Doing Business with Integrity Case Study: Dints International
COMPANY OVERVIEW Founded in 2007, Dints International provides supply chain solutions to the mining, construction and heavy equipment industries; managing machinery and parts supply, component and machinery rebuild programmes, alongside outsourcing and finance support. 90% of Dint’s business is in Africa, in countries including Cameroon, Congo, DR Congo, Madagascar, Kenya, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Gambia, Burkina […]
Doing Business with Integrity Case Study: Coltraco Ultrasonics
COMPANY OVERVIEW Founded in 1987, Coltraco Ultrasonics Limited is a leading British Ultrasonics Technology Manufacturer: “Using sound which others cannot hear, in liquids, air and solids.” Coltraco Ultrasonics designs innovative and intuitive safety technology, focusing on watertight integrity, fire safety, condition monitoring and lifetime after sales support. The company exports 89% of their output to […]
Doing Business with Integrity is Good for Business and Society
Over the last six months Business Fights Poverty has been working with the UK Government’s Business Integrity Initiative, supported by DFID, FCO and DIT, which aims to help SMEs to anticipate and avoid bribery, corruption and human rights risks when doing business in frontier markets. The Business Integrity Initiative has established an online hub that […]
The Future of Work – A Social Challenge
“Worst case scenario: there simply won’t be enough jobs in the system in the future. Business cannot escape from this responsibility – we must join together to collectively take action, before this becomes a devastating social crisis.” Charles Tsai, Senior Manager, Fossil Foundation. If the transition to the future of work isn’t handled properly, trust […]
Are B Corps an Elite Charade for Changing the World?
Recently, I was in public conversation with Anand Giridharadas, former columnist for The New York Times, about his new and important book, Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. In provocative style and with compelling substance, Giridharadas speaks truth to power, calling elites to account for giving so much lip service to “changing the world,” […]
On Purpose
Larry Fink’s annual open letter to corporate CEOs is fast-becoming a fixture at the start of the year. Fink’s views matter. They carry weight. He is, after all, the co-founder and now Chairman and CEO of BlackRock – the biggest money-management firm in the world with more than $6 trillion in assets under management. His […]
Businesses Gain by Taking Steps in the Workplace to Tackle Domestic Violence
There is a paradox in the term “domestic violence.” It suggests that what happens at home, stays at home. But it doesn’t, especially in places like the Pacific Islands, where two out of every three women are affected by violence. In the Solomon Islands, a recent survey showed that the toll of domestic violence extends […]
The ‘Purpose Paradigm’: Solution or Scam?
In his recent interview at the BSR Conference 2018, Anand Giridharadas, author of “Winners Take All,” questioned the ability of sustainability professionals to change the world. “The kind of do-gooding, philanthropy, CSR, impact investing, social enterprise…that are essentially within a market frame”, he argued, “are intrinsically limited because..they are about changing the world in ways […]
Business Fights Poverty Oxford 2019: Embedding Purpose into Business
As my colleague, Zahid, discusses in his recent article, there is a clear and deepening frustration amongst some with the rhetoric of “purpose”. For those of us who believe in the power of business to do good, this is an opportunity for some honest self-reflection. The key is “authenticity”; the recognition we need to move […]
Multinationals Must Step up Game to Attract Top Business Students
Millennials at leading Swiss business schools say it will take more than a good salary to recruit and retain them. They want jobs with purpose, flexibility, and above all, the opportunity for impact. There has been a lot of talk about how millennials (people born between 1983 and 1994) and Gen Zs (born between 1995 […]
‘Total Stakeholder Value’: Is This a New Purpose that Can Drive Necessary, Systemic Change?
‘Total Stakeholder Value’: is this a new purpose that can drive necessary, systemic change? A new book, The Mature Corporation – a Model of Responsible Capitalism explains how Back in 2011, I wrote a piece for the Guardian, and argued that the sustainability agenda had largely ignored people; the human systems that are fundamental to […]
Most Millennials Will Only Work For Purpose-Driven Firms
The most attractive companies to today’s talent are driven by purpose, according to London Business School (LBS) experts. “Maybe we will stop talking about purpose in 10 years’ time because it will just be ingrained in any organisation as a taken-for-granted – that any company that wants to be successful must pursue purpose,” said Alex […]
Are you a Small Business Working in Frontier Markets? An Opportunity to Showcase your Approach and Influence How You Get Support
Invitation to share your experiences: We invite you to share your experiences of barriers and drivers of doing business in frontier markets and to help shape how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are better supported by the UK Government and other organisations in doing their international business. By filling in our online survey, you will […]
Is Technology a Game-Changer for Human Rights in Corporate Value Chains?
Since the launch of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) in 2011, companies’ attention has been directed towards a series of developments supporting business action to address human rights issues. Earlier this year, we highlighted how legal regulations and benchmarking are increasing the pressure on companies to disclose human rights-related information and subsequently […]
CARE and Diageo: Tackling Violence and Harassment at Work
Violence and harassment in the workplace – whether in Westminster, Hollywood or McDonalds– continues to make headlines. Its impact on workers and business is increasingly becoming apparent. CARE research in the Cambodian garment sector revealed that there is an estimated US $89 million annual cost to the economy from absenteeism and lost productivity. Legislative changes […]
Partnerships – All Talk and No Action?
Partnerships can be costly and complex, and often they don’t deliver their intended goals, but this is not because there is anything inherently wrong with the approach. The usual problem with partnerships is that they are too rarely used effectively. And, they are often over-hyped: they are seen by some as a panacea for the […]
Winners of Stop Slavery Award at International Human Rights Forum announced
Apple has been named winner of the Stop Slavery Award, which recognises businesses that have set a gold standard in efforts to eradicate forced labour from their supply chains. The Judging Board agreed that Apple’s supplier responsibility programme ‘is leading in every category’, highlighting the company’s supplier engagement, monitoring and ‘extremely robust’ audit programme, which includes annual audits and […]
5 Ways to Make Your Organisation a Great Sustainability Partner
The vision is clear and compelling: a world in which business prospers, societies thrive and the environment flourishes. Leaders from across all sectors understand the interconnectedness of their interests, drop zero-sum-game mentality and work tirelessly together to create ever-increasing value for all. No longer the preserve of a few “progressive” companies, business writ large is […]
NEW REPORTS: Intrapreneurship, Partnerships, Refugees and Education
Business Fights Poverty continues, as it has done over the past decade, to be the network for the private sector and its partners to unlock new opportunities for social impact. This work continues at pace and over the past month, not only did we host our annual UN General Assembly side event with 200 professionals […]