Serious water crisis due to never-ending drought struck São Paulo and, consequently, the city faces a massive problem to quench its 20 million citizens’ thirst. Similar situations are affecting cities around the world, including many Chinese cities. For nearly half a century, the capacity and number of rivers in China have decreased significantly, with a 50% reduction due to the diversion of water…
When Unigroup recently announced that they were now moving twice as many expatriates out of China as they were into China, it created quite a stir for the global press. A piece by the WSJ stated: "For years, China was a promised land for expanding multinationals and manufacturers, drawing hordes of expatriate employees eager to capitalise on the country’s billion-plus consumers. Could those days…
On May 1st 2015, China’s Guangdong Province will implement a new labor law that will increase the minimum wage by 19% and in Guangzhou by 22.2 % (China Daily), making Guangdong the province with the highest paid minimum wage. It is a step being taken partly because Guangdong has found it more and more difficult to attract workers to the province each year. This is in part because wages in other p…
China announced this week the appointment of Chen Jining as its next Environmental minister. An environmental specialist and current president of Beijing’s Tsinghua University, he will take over from the widely criticized, Zhou Shengxian, with the move set to pave the way for a stronger stance on domestic environmental policy. His selection comes off the back of a highly decorated academic career…
Earlier this week a report by Greenpeace revealed that levels of PM2.5 within China now contribute to more premature deaths than smoking. Figures state PM2.5 accounts for an average of 90 deaths per 100000 people, 20 more than smoking which stands at 70 per 100000. The studied incorporated a review of 31 cities and highlighted the relative danger present in each area. It was noted that despite the…
Over the last 30 years, China has gone through a period of unprecedented economic growth. Much of this economic development has occurred in cities and subsequently, vast waves of rural-urban migration have ensued. As a result, China’s urban population has doubled over the last decade and for the first time in 2011, the percentage of urban residents outweighed those living in rural areas. Such m…
At the first minute of this clip, Christopher Meyer of Monitor Talent states that: In my mind, this clip leads to the discussion of whether or not CSR is little more than window dressing that diverts the attention (of external stakeholders) away but ultimately does not serve the firm over the long run. That, instead of donating money to causes whose only direct link would be one of market d…
One of the major issues that I have been speaking about is the fact in outsourced supply chains accountability and responsibility have been largely independent. That when things went wrong on the factory floor, the brand could hold itself above the issue by saying that it was their suppliers who were the ones who were legally responsible for the failures. A position that many consumers, particu…
When speaking in front of large groups, particularly those where future leaders are in the room, I often go out of my way to point out that no CEO on the planet is going to recalibrate their firm to save the polar bears. Even if the, as many would, feel strongly that they are an important icon. And it is not because they don't care, or that they are evil. It is just a simple matter of fact tha…
As Beijing tallies the costs of the smog that inundated the city this week, economic and social, I thought I would highlight a recent lecture I gave that explored the "Big 4" questions that people are asking these days when wondering when action will be taken. How big is the problem faced? What is the timeline? Who is responsible? How much will it cost to fix? Meant to create a fr…
Thoughts from Bill Clinton, former President of the United States and Founder of the Clinton Foundation: The 21st century is either going to be the most interesting time in human history, or it is going to be very bleak, and I don't think we have decided yet. We haven't made the fundamental decisions about whether we are going to share the future or fight over it. - Bill Clinton After…
For those of you who missed it, the World Bank came out with a report today stating they are now seeing a reasonable chance that the temperature of the Earth will rise 4 degrees by 2060. To say that this will have radical consequences on large geographic areas and populations on Earth is an understatement, but one has to wonder... will anything be done in time? This was a question that I f…
Building off the presentations and research I have given recently on "Beyond Business As Usual", one of the common themes of discussion is why and how responsible firms will act when it comes to living up to their duty to more than just the bottom line. That, with the cost of externalities of the current business as usual model rising, a new dynamic is beginning to take shape where firms who do no…
I'm currently working on a project to understand the decision making behavior of firms as it related to sustainability performance, and what I am finding is that the key drivers of success are the ability of leaders to understand their stakeholders, how an issue is tangible to their stakeholders, and then be able to develop strategies that effectively address issues of sustainability. Transform…
One of the conversations that I find myself in, and write about as well, is the ability of tangibility to catalyze change. that instead of focusing efforts on issues like "climate Chnage" and saving the polar bears, it is important to look locally at the source to fix problems before their byproducts (methane, CO2, lead, etc) are able to do their damage. So, when reading through the recent Busine…
