Following my posts on the role of business schools as an agent, medium, for sustainability, I felt it was necessary to address the fact that aside from the intentions of the school, the dean, or the professors, the students themselves must be engaged to adopt in a manner that provides the best chances for success. An issue I addressed at a PRME conference in Copenhagen: For us, the key to succ…
While there are those who feel that China's economy has no limits, I would like to direct your attention to yet another example of where China's economy is outstripping the basic laws of environmental carrying capacity. Poyang lake, located in North Jiangxi province is perhaps one of the largest lakes that you have never heard of, and it is likely that it will be lost. At only 5% of its…
Though my time at CEIBS teaching a course on responsible leadership I have been fortunate to meet peers at other schools and within the corporate world who are teaching their students and employees values and issues of society, economics, and the environment. It is a process that at times feels like climbing a sheer faced rock, and given the fact that many schools are still hesitant to say…
There can be fewer examples of an "open secret" in China than the worsening air quality levels in China's major cities. For a period, this "open secret" was one that was acceptable by all because of the promise of better days, but following the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai EXPO the air has only grown worse in both cities. Not better as promised. Which has recently been exacerbated by the…
In the recent entry What really drives value in corporate responsibility? , CB Bhattacharya, Daniel Korschun, and Sankar Sen call into the question the value of CSR programs to the firm, and make three suggestions of how firms can get back on track. It was an article that for me started off quite well, and does a good job to frame a basic problem of CSR programs: Few companies are clear about…
An interesting conversation between my wife and my recently fired nanny provided an anecdotal insight into the depths of ethics, and the value of ethics, in China. Wife: "so why did your son left his last job?" Nanny "the company is a mess, my son managed quality inspection for car parts and his manager just want him to keep one eye open one eye closed, so they can meet production quota. My son…
Without a doubt, the latest campaign from Operation Smile sets THE example for how NGOs can better communicate their cause, their role, and their impact. The campaign absolutely KILLS IT, and going forward this will be required viewing to learn for the NGOs/ Social enterprises I work with. "So innocent. So loved. So full of promise. So... what's the problem? Every 3 minutes, somew…
Over the last 2-3 years, one of the more interesting developments in China's philanthropic landscape has been the explosion of foundations that have come onto the scene. Interesting because as the number of foundations, and the number of celebrities/ CEOs opening their own foundation, grew there was a general belief that this would improve the mechanisms for giving, transparency, and impact. Ho…
Last night, and this afternoon, I had a bit of a scare. A donor to one of the organizations I have been working with, a long time friend, sent me a message that she was pulling her donation because of an error I had made. It was a simple error in failing to recognize her firm as agreed on.It was an honest mistake, but one that tipped her over the edge.. or so I thought. It turns out she was…
For the last three years, I have been fortunate to be working at the China Europe International Business school as an Adjunct Professor of Sustainability and Responsible Leadership. In this time I have facilitated a course that over 600 students have been required to take, and why it is different (and so much fun) is that the students work in teams to understand an issue of sustainability and…
One of the main concerns for many firms, and donors in general, over the last few years has been the ability to identify and scale up partners that will provide for the highest report on their program investments in China. In part, this is a result of the various scandals and difficulties many have faced when engaging China's GONGOs and NGOs, but it is also the result of a concern that is found…
The other day, while making my way home I caught a glimpse of Toray's desalination advertisement. It was one of those moments that at first I was not sure what I was looking, or the greater meaning, until the very end where the advert cuts out with the ocean in the background and makes reference to it being an "endless resource". A message supported by on their website where they say the…
If the first step towards recovery is admitting that you have a problem, then readers will agree that Apple taking the time to meet with several of China's most prominent Green NGOs was a first step for Apple. Particularly given the fact that Apple was largely unwilling to address the numerous labor and environmental failures taking place over the course of years. And, for others, the fact that…
Chose any coffee shop in China, look in the trash can, and what you will find is piles of needless waste. Paper cups, plastic lids, and cup sleeves. Components of a coffee ritual that required energy and materials to produce, were transported 1000s of miles to the store, were given a useful life measured in minutes prior to ending up in a plastic bin, and then sent out to the landfill (incinera…
One of the more popular topics in China these days is the impact of social media. It's popular (in my eyes) for two reasons. The first is that firms in China see the potential in the platform as a way to reach consumers, and develop loyalty. The other is the fact that social media has proven very powerful as a catalyst in civil society engagement. For firms, it is the combination of these tw…
