Why Corporate Responsibility Lives (Despite The WSJ Trying To Kill It)
August 27, 2010 at 11:34 AM by Mike
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The Wall Street Journal prominently featured an opinion piece this week challenging Corporate Social Responsibility. The article, authored by University of Michigan business school professor Aneel Karnani, argues that it is “fundamentally flawed” to believe companies have a responsibility to act in the public interest. Professor Karnani takes the position that “in most cases, doing what’s best for society means sacrificing profits.” Since he believes all business decisions should be based on maximizing profits, he warns that CSR is “dangerous,” and “an illusion.” 
Karnani’s argument is based on two faulty premises. First, the reality is that Corporate Social Responsibility – properly planned and practiced – can and does drive profitability. Second, the reality is that with corporate sins and secrets spilling onto computer screens, empowering citizen activists, it is in a company’s self-interest to consider the public interest.
At Cone, we call this “Better Business, Greater Good.” And we talk about “Corporate Responsibility” – dropping the word “social” – because key aspects of the strategy also impact economic and environmental business practices.
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Healthy Behavior for Social Change
August 20, 2010 at 2:14 PM by Knowledge Leadership
Healthy habits can do more than trim your waistline – they may also prevent crime, create career opportunities or replace a probation sentence. Although this sweeping statement may come with the disclaimer “results not typical,” we noticed several programs that demonstrate the positive impact healthy behaviors can have on social ills:
Healthy Food Reduces School Crime
One Wisconsin school, taking part in the Education for Healthy Kids pilot program, sought to reduce crime by changing the cafeteria menu. By stripping the school of junk food and replacing it with healthy options, the school principal noted a significant decrease in vandalism, litter and a reduced need for police patrolling the hallways.
Running Creates Opportunities for Homeless
The nonprofit Back on My Feet promotes self-sufficiency for homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. Teams are assembled at homeless shelters and meet three days a week for runs. Good attendance is rewarded with membership in the Next Steps program, which aligns participants with educational and job training opportunities, financial literacy sessions, job partnerships and housing programs. The program boasts a success rate of over 50 percent in helping members move their lives forward.
Marathon Training Replaces Youth Probation
An Oklahoma-based program called Run the Streets challenges at-risk youth to train for a half marathon in lieu of legal mandates such as juvenile detention, group homes and probation. Through the experience, participants learn the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health. The outcome? The relapse rate for Run the Streets participants is only four percent – while youth placed in a group home for six months get back into trouble 25 percent of the time. What’s more, a group home placement costs about $25,000 while taking part in Run the Streets runs a mere $350 per participant.
We applaud the fresh approach these three programs have taken – demonstrating the cause and affect between health and social issues. We’ve all recognized that healthy behavior will help reduce cancer and other diseases, but as these programs show, its impact can be much more far-reaching. These examples serve as a guide for how social ails can be remedied with a healthy push in the right direction. Where are there other synergies between health and social issues?
Tags: causebranding campaigns health sports corporateresponsibility
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Healthy habits can do more than trim your waistline – they may also prevent crime, create career opportunities or replace a probation sentence. Although this sweeping statement may come with the disclaimer “results not typical,” we noticed several programs that demonstrate the positive impact healthy behaviors can have on social ills:
Healthy Food Reduces School Crime
One Wisconsin school, taking part in the Education for Healthy Kids pilot program, sought to reduce crime by changing the cafeteria menu. By stripping the school of junk food and replacing it with healthy options, the school principal noted a significant decrease in vandalism, litter and a reduced need for police patrolling the hallways.
Running Creates Opportunities for Homeless
The nonprofit Back on My Feet promotes self-sufficiency for homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. Teams are assembled at homeless shelters and meet three days a week for runs. Good attendance is rewarded with membership in the Next Steps program, which aligns participants with educational and job training opportunities, financial literacy sessions, job partnerships and housing programs. The program boasts a success rate of over 50 percent in helping members move their lives forward.
Marathon Training Replaces Youth Probation
An Oklahoma-based program called Run the Streets challenges at-risk youth to train for a half marathon in lieu of legal mandates such as juvenile detention, group homes and probation. Through the experience, participants learn the benefits of goal-setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health. The outcome? The relapse rate for Run the Streets participants is only four percent – while youth placed in a group home for six months get back into trouble 25 percent of the time. What’s more, a group home placement costs about $25,000 while taking part in Run the Streets runs a mere $350 per participant.
We applaud the fresh approach these three programs have taken – demonstrating the cause and affect between health and social issues. We’ve all recognized that healthy behavior will help reduce cancer and other diseases, but as these programs show, its impact can be much more far-reaching. These examples serve as a guide for how social ails can be remedied with a healthy push in the right direction. Where are there other synergies between health and social issues?
Tags: causebranding campaigns health sports corporateresponsibility
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Playing Nice for a Sustainable Future
August 13, 2010 at 1:20 PM by Knowledge Leadership
When it comes to corporate responsibility, sharing with others is at times more valuable than keeping things to yourself – even if it means playing nice with your competitors. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve observed an impressive number of organizations coming together to address long-standing barriers to sustainability. The efforts have been diverse across sectors, yet all require a new level of collaboration with others in their fields.
Solving for Companies: The Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), two reporting organizations, collaborated to form the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC). The mission of the new group is to create a global framework for integrated reporting that brings together financial, environmental, social and governance information in a clear, concise, consistent, comparable and integrated format. The IIRC hopes to make this integrated reporting mandatory for large companies.
Solving for Suppliers: Companies within the Outdoor Industry Alliance developed the Eco Index, an environmental assessment tool that provides an environmental footprint benchmark to organizations throughout the supply chain. The tool will help suppliers identify areas for improvement and make informed sourcing and product life cycle decisions.
Solving for Manufacturers: Greenbiz.com and UL Environment are collaborating to create sustainability standards for manufacturing organizations, called ULE 880. The standards will guide manufactures in several areas of sustainability, including governance, environment and community engagement. The draft is currently open for public comment, allowing people to submit thoughts and ideas about the design of the standard – a true demonstration of co-creation.
Solving for Small Businesses: Green America, a nonprofit member organization, announced its Green America Exchange (GAEx), a barter network for small businesses that “promotes trade between America's sustainable and socially responsible enterprises.” The GAEx will help provide its members with a flexible way to purchase goods and services without spending cash, giving a needed boost to small businesses at the heart of America's green economy.
Until now, many sustainability efforts have been individual, disparate and inward-facing. The work of these groups to come together to co-create solutions to problems they all face will push the sustainability needle forward and help eliminate many of the inefficiencies organizations face when they take the journey alone. The road ahead may be difficult to predict, but we foresee playing nice as paying off.
Tags: trends sustainability sharedresponsibility corporateresponsibility
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When it comes to corporate responsibility, sharing with others is at times more valuable than keeping things to yourself – even if it means playing nice with your competitors. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve observed an impressive number of organizations coming together to address long-standing barriers to sustainability. The efforts have been diverse across sectors, yet all require a new level of collaboration with others in their fields.
Solving for Companies: The Accounting for Sustainability Project (A4S) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), two reporting organizations, collaborated to form the International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC). The mission of the new group is to create a global framework for integrated reporting that brings together financial, environmental, social and governance information in a clear, concise, consistent, comparable and integrated format. The IIRC hopes to make this integrated reporting mandatory for large companies.
Solving for Suppliers: Companies within the Outdoor Industry Alliance developed the Eco Index, an environmental assessment tool that provides an environmental footprint benchmark to organizations throughout the supply chain. The tool will help suppliers identify areas for improvement and make informed sourcing and product life cycle decisions.
Solving for Manufacturers: Greenbiz.com and UL Environment are collaborating to create sustainability standards for manufacturing organizations, called ULE 880. The standards will guide manufactures in several areas of sustainability, including governance, environment and community engagement. The draft is currently open for public comment, allowing people to submit thoughts and ideas about the design of the standard – a true demonstration of co-creation.
Solving for Small Businesses: Green America, a nonprofit member organization, announced its Green America Exchange (GAEx), a barter network for small businesses that “promotes trade between America's sustainable and socially responsible enterprises.” The GAEx will help provide its members with a flexible way to purchase goods and services without spending cash, giving a needed boost to small businesses at the heart of America's green economy.
Until now, many sustainability efforts have been individual, disparate and inward-facing. The work of these groups to come together to co-create solutions to problems they all face will push the sustainability needle forward and help eliminate many of the inefficiencies organizations face when they take the journey alone. The road ahead may be difficult to predict, but we foresee playing nice as paying off.
Tags: trends sustainability sharedresponsibility corporateresponsibility
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Imitation: Compliment or Cause for Confusion?
August 6, 2010 at 11:57 AM by Knowledge Leadership
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Susan G. Komen for the Cure isn’t taking such compliments lightly. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Komen is taking legal action against several nonprofit organizations that have mirrored its brand attributes, including the “for the cure” term popularized by the breast cancer power brand. Nasty or necessary?
With more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. alone, nonprofit power brands must work harder than ever to protect their brand positions and assets. At the same time, small nonprofits are leveraging the recognizable branding to break through for similar causes. Some may see Komen’s actions as “picking on the little guys,” however others, including Komen, note that brand-borrowing leads to donor confusion. The article depicted one such case where two veteran-focused nonprofits engaged in a three-year legal battle over $2.2 million in donations thought to be misguided. Millions in erroneous donations is nothing to sneeze at. Consumers are often confused by cause messages, and at times may pull out their checkbooks for the wrong nonprofit.
But can any one nonprofit claim ownership of a color, symbol or phrase broadly associated with a cause movement? Think of the pink ribbon – it has become synonymous with breast cancer support thanks to pioneers Avon and Komen. And although 79% of Americans believe a memorable color, logo or icon helps the cause stand out, overuse has led to the pinking of October, watering down any individual efforts and leading to consumer confusion about whether a pink ribbon equals a financial contribution to the cause.
But imitation is not unique to cause brands or nonprofits. Corporations protect their brands all the time through trademarks and often trademark infringement lawsuits. Are the rules any different for nonprofits, which are focused on benefiting an issue rather than satisfying shareholders? We often expect nonprofits to act more like businesses, so they can maximize reach and impact for the cause, yet are also taken aback when they exert control over their brands like a company would. How can Komen strike the balance of protecting its brand without coming across as a nonprofit bully? Tell us what you think by sharing your comments.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding transparency nonprofitpowerbrand100 causebranding
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Susan G. Komen for the Cure isn’t taking such compliments lightly. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Komen is taking legal action against several nonprofit organizations that have mirrored its brand attributes, including the “for the cure” term popularized by the breast cancer power brand. Nasty or necessary?
With more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the U.S. alone, nonprofit power brands must work harder than ever to protect their brand positions and assets. At the same time, small nonprofits are leveraging the recognizable branding to break through for similar causes. Some may see Komen’s actions as “picking on the little guys,” however others, including Komen, note that brand-borrowing leads to donor confusion. The article depicted one such case where two veteran-focused nonprofits engaged in a three-year legal battle over $2.2 million in donations thought to be misguided. Millions in erroneous donations is nothing to sneeze at. Consumers are often confused by cause messages, and at times may pull out their checkbooks for the wrong nonprofit.
But can any one nonprofit claim ownership of a color, symbol or phrase broadly associated with a cause movement? Think of the pink ribbon – it has become synonymous with breast cancer support thanks to pioneers Avon and Komen. And although 79% of Americans believe a memorable color, logo or icon helps the cause stand out, overuse has led to the pinking of October, watering down any individual efforts and leading to consumer confusion about whether a pink ribbon equals a financial contribution to the cause.
But imitation is not unique to cause brands or nonprofits. Corporations protect their brands all the time through trademarks and often trademark infringement lawsuits. Are the rules any different for nonprofits, which are focused on benefiting an issue rather than satisfying shareholders? We often expect nonprofits to act more like businesses, so they can maximize reach and impact for the cause, yet are also taken aback when they exert control over their brands like a company would. How can Komen strike the balance of protecting its brand without coming across as a nonprofit bully? Tell us what you think by sharing your comments.
Tags: nonprofitcausebranding transparency nonprofitpowerbrand100 causebranding
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Green Street Cred: Seventh Generation and Walmart
July 30, 2010 at 12:38 PM by Knowledge Leadership
Getting your CPG product on Walmart shelves has long stood as the holy grail of retail visibility. Yet some brands have intentionally avoided Walmart, one being Seventh Generation whose founder Jeffrey Hollender once claimed that "hell would freeze over before Seventh Generation would ever do business with Walmart." As Fast Company reporter Ariel Schwartz noted this week – “hell now sells ice.”
The agreement to carry Seventh Generation products in Walmart came as a shock to industry media, yet it illustrates the progress Walmart has made in breaking into the sustainability scene. As Hollender himself notes, "Walmart is not the same company it was even five years ago. It's a much different organization that has fairly dramatically and with little fanfare transformed itself into a serious sustainability leader.”
Walmart is making strides toward transparency, aligning well with Seventh Generation’s commitment to do the same. Most notable in the retailer’s push for sustainability disclosure is its membership in the Sustainability Consortium, organized to bring together diverse stakeholders to collaboratively drive innovation and improve consumer product sustainability. Walmart’s main objective moving forward is to develop and implement a Sustainability Index for all products it carries, making it easier for consumers to understand the environmental impacts their purchases.
For Walmart, the agreement marks yet another milestone on its journey from big-box bully to sustainability sultan. For Seventh Generation, it will accelerate efforts to compete with mainstream products and fulfill its mission of radical transparency and inspiring widespread conscious consumption. And let’s not forget about consumers – the partnership will create a widely accessible way to make environmentally conscious purchases. Perhaps Walmart’s tagline will one day read “Save money (and the environment). Live better (and sustainably).”
Tags: seventhgeneration transparency sustainability walmart retail corporateresponsibility
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ... 62 Next >>Getting your CPG product on Walmart shelves has long stood as the holy grail of retail visibility. Yet some brands have intentionally avoided Walmart, one being Seventh Generation whose founder Jeffrey Hollender once claimed that "hell would freeze over before Seventh Generation would ever do business with Walmart." As Fast Company reporter Ariel Schwartz noted this week – “hell now sells ice.”
Walmart is making strides toward transparency, aligning well with Seventh Generation’s commitment to do the same. Most notable in the retailer’s push for sustainability disclosure is its membership in the Sustainability Consortium, organized to bring together diverse stakeholders to collaboratively drive innovation and improve consumer product sustainability. Walmart’s main objective moving forward is to develop and implement a Sustainability Index for all products it carries, making it easier for consumers to understand the environmental impacts their purchases.
For Walmart, the agreement marks yet another milestone on its journey from big-box bully to sustainability sultan. For Seventh Generation, it will accelerate efforts to compete with mainstream products and fulfill its mission of radical transparency and inspiring widespread conscious consumption. And let’s not forget about consumers – the partnership will create a widely accessible way to make environmentally conscious purchases. Perhaps Walmart’s tagline will one day read “Save money (and the environment). Live better (and sustainably).”
Tags: seventhgeneration transparency sustainability walmart retail corporateresponsibility
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