Tag Archives: stakeholders

To Go from “Good to Great,” Be Endearing

.. . .  Do you– 1. Operate from a higher purpose and make decisions from this place? 2. Act on behalf of all stakeholder groups (society, partners, investors, consumers, employees and the environment)? 3. Lead from a place of consciousness? 4. Create a culture, management team, and systems that maximize the values and purpose of […]

A Zinger: CSR Now Seen As ‘Potentially Dangerous’

I’m stymied by another article from The Wall Street Journal challenging the plausibility and benefit of corporate social responsibility.  In “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility” Aneel Karnani takes the Friedmanite view that companies are primarily responsible for maximizing shareholder profits. To make his point that profit trumps social good, he focuses on the relationship between company […]

8 Fallacies About CSR That I’ve Heard This Week

This past week I’ve run into a lot of misconceptions about social responsibility and business.  Taken from conversations with professionals “outside the sector” to those influencing it, from articles, blog posts and comments, here are this week’s top-eight fallacies about corporate social responsibility (CSR). .. It’s a new movement, so there’s time before my company […]

Green Mountain Coffee’s ‘Organic’ Sustainability Evolution–with Mike Dupee

This was one of the most educational interviews I’ve done. Mike is able to admit when he’s wrong, to explain the internal motivations and strategy behind his company’s social responsibility programs and to go beyond corporate sound bites. Click the player to listen to our conversation. Prefer MP3? Right-click and download. [Audio clip: view full post to […]

How Timberland Engages Diversified Stakeholders–with Beth Holzman

Click the player to listen to our conversation. Prefer MP3? [Audio clip: view full post to listen] With a deep background in sustainability and corporate accountability, Beth Holzman brings an appreciation for impact evaluation and stakeholder involvement to Timberland as the company’s CSR Strategy and Reporting Manager.  I invited Beth to Cause Capitalism to talk about […]

Can You Crowdsource Your Sustainability?

Smart business talk today revolves around meeting stakeholder interests.  But it can be daunting for companies to do that. Whereas before they were primary liable to shareholders, they’re now pressed to satisfy consumer demands for products that are sustainable as well as affordable and durable; they’re expected to take the environment and the community and […]

How Trust Can Boost Profits, Particularly For Social Enterprises

We know that transparency is a strong indicator of a company’s social mission. Turns out, it’s also good for business. Recently, transparency has been shown to be a significant driver of ultimate financial performance. The thread between transparency and profit is trust. By opening up internal operations, successes and failures to the public and to employees, we demonstrate transparency […]

How Cause Capitalism Helps This Underdog Lead the Pack

How many Staples do you have in your neighborhood? I count three of the ubiquitous office supply stores within a 2.5-mile radius of my place. I’m about to introduce you to a man who doesn’t just provide an alternative experience to the titanic chain, but runs an incredibly successful business. But first, let’s understand how […]

The Future of CSR–10 Things You Should Start Now

What can U.S.-based businesses learn from Asian corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs? A lot and a little at the same time. My view is that businesses engaging in CSR at home and overseas face the same fundamental issues, with varying secondary issues (like governance, specific consumer behavior or local environmental standards).  So I’m turning to […]

A New Green Philosophy with the Glass Half Full: Interview with Yalmaz Siddiqui of Office Depot

Right click to download the audio. | Subscribe to Cause Capitalism in iTunes Yalmaz Siddiqui, Office Depot’s Director of Environmental Strategy, shares his glass-half-full view of environmental policy, calls for a new definition of “green” and talks about the legacy he’d like to leave. Siddiqui joined Office Depot in 2006. He’s since developed programs that […]