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If you are exploring corporate social
responsibility, not just Business
Ethics, there are many successful ventures underway. Recall that Goldman Sachs did a multiyear global survey that concluded
corporations which operated on sustainable and/or socially responsible
principles for conducting business were more
profitable than those driven by quick profits and the Wall Street
mentality of the so-called “free market”.
This was embraced by risk management and insurers, which have been
instrumental in steering many of their global clients into more sustainable and
responsible practices. Bad
business ethics can be costly; your bank/insurer will penalize you even if the
marketplace doesn’t. A good reputation is just as valuable in the global
marketplace, if not more, than good brand recognition, and that has been proven
by Nike et al as well as the Fair
Trade and organics branding embraced by many consumers. From a Canadian site: Corporate social
responsibility is a concept with a growing currency around the globe. CSR is a
concept that frequently overlaps with similar approaches such as corporate
sustainability, corporate sustainable development, corporate responsibility,
and corporate citizenship. While CSR does not have a universal definition, many
see it as the private sector's way of integrating the economic, social, and
environmental imperatives of their activities. As such, CSR closely
resembles the business pursuit of sustainable development and the triple bottom line. In
addition to integration into corporate structures and processes, CSR also
frequently involves creating innovative and proactive solutions to societal and
environmental challenges, as well as collaborating with both internal and
external stakeholders to improve CSR performance. Wikipedia page on CSR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility Wikipedia page on Business Ethics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_ethics This was one of the Google hits for Goldman Sach’s “global survey on
sustainability” PDF The Global Compact: Report on Progress
and Activities http://www.iccwbo.org/home/global_compact/ProgressReport%20July%203.pdf You might also explore these links to other like-minded ‘triple bottom
line’ businesses and community-building enterprises: CSR Newswire http://www.csrwire.com/ Ethical Corporation http://www.ethicalcorp.com/ Social Venture Network http://www.svn.org/ And an organization with which I am familiar, BALLE, Business
Alliance for Local Living Economies, which currently features the
Portland Oregon SBN (Sustainable Business Network), after its initial Think
Local First campaign last year. http://www.livingeconomies.org/. Related Subjects Green Investing Natural Capitalism Precautionary Principles |
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