No doubt you have all by now heard about the NY times piece that has catalyzed a (global) discussion on Apple's sense of responsibility. It is a discussion that has taken place in many forms, and with many angles, but in rereading the piece I found two paragraphs that were most interesting to me. Some former Apple executives say there is an unresolved tension within the company: executives wan…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The morning while havinga coffee with the CSR manager of a large retailer, he mentioned the fact that on a semi-frequent basis he would find himself going around the office shutting off computers. After working hours. That while his firm, in his opinion, had done a good job of developing and communicating a framework for sustainabilty, there were still some (large) gaps. One of them be…
One of the things about corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives is that the best programs are those that are part of the core operations of the firm, align to the greater goals, and do not require a constant champion. It is simply embedded into the economics and actions of the firm, and while the firm certainly benefits, the overall benefits are far wider. The Walmart Direc…
At about the 5th minute of the above clip, Mike Daisy, who is being interview on TechCrunch TV about his observations of a visit to a number of Apple's China suppliers, says something that I felt was HUGELY profound: "I think that there is a great responsibility. That when you export your jobs around the world, you should be exporting your values with your jobs. And if you do not.. and if you…
In an Charlie Rose interview, Jack Ma is asked - and speaks extensively - on CSR and philanthropy in China. Interviewed before the now famous Gates and Buffet dinner, the interview couldn't have come at a better time. Founder of Alibaba and Taobao (two of China's most trafficked e-commerce platforms), Jack Ma holds a god like status in China. His voice on the matters of CSR and philanthropy…
