Success and Social Value
Check out this great post on #socent from @Forbes. I would love to hear your thoughts on Drucker’s quote as well: “success is maximizing shareholder value, and social value would result.” What does this position presuppose?
Why Social Change Is Good for Business (via @Forbes)
“What’s the best way for your company to have more influence on the social issues that are affecting its business? Consider asking yourself these questions:
What social issues are most relevant to who we are and what we do?
What social issues are containing our growth or hurting our competitive positioning?
What issues can we address directly by improving what we’re already doing, and what do we need help with from NGOs, value chain partners, or government?
Are we able to measure our progress with existing metrics or do we need to introduce new tools and systems to track the relationships between business results and social outcomes?
And, perhaps my favorite insight from Mark: “Would we still do this even if nobody knew about it?”
(via @Forbes)
The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility
“What are some of the trends you’ve observed in corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship?
Stephen Jordan: There are many, but let me zero in on three. One is a huge shift toward transparency and communication. In 2000 there might have been a dozen Fortune 500 companies who issued a CSR or sustainability report. Now almost all of them do. Second is a big shift away from seeing corporate citizenship as synonymous with corporate philanthropy. I think it is becoming much more strategic and embedded in company operations. The third trend is that companies are moving away from playing defense and reacting to whatever social pressures are out there, and moving toward being proactive and addressing their external environment more intentionally.”
(via @Forbes)
“Social business is a loaded term, and an increasingly popular one. Do you really know what it means? Do you know where the core value of a social business lies? The infographic below will help.” (via Global Dawn and @Forbes)
The Rise of the Charitable For-Profit Entity
“Many Americans, and millions of business owners, want to do more than simply turn a profit — although they certainly have nothing against making money. Their goals also include improving the environment and developing communities. In the classic model, these social purposes had to be pursued in a non-profit corporation. But some regulations on tax-exempt non-profits such as limitations on political and lobbying activities, attracting and raising investment capital in addition to taxes on unrelated business income have made it a less desirable business entity for some.”
(via Forbes)
