CSR Blogs

Remember the Old Boys’ Club…? The boring, cranky, devious one that controls the banks, the economy and most of our wealth creation and money supply from behind the scenes? The one where nearly every key position in government is occupied by an Old Boy? Yes, that one.

Well, there are still a few lifetime members of the OBC firmly entrenched in the Federal Reserve (Grandpa Ben), and the Treasury (Timmy G and Larrykins) who continue to give all our money away to their ever-popular clubby friends.

These are the same old boy club members who along with ex-Goldman partner and Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin gave the store away to the big banks in 1999 with the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. Ordinary banks like Citigroup could now legally play roulette with government guaranteed deposits. OB Robert Rubin thought it was such a great idea he took a job with Citibank only weeks after leaving the Treasury.

These same old boys, Summers, Greenspan, Geithner with OB Senator Phil Gramm (now a lobbyist for Swiss Bank UBS) the very next year pushed through the ill-fated Commodities Futures Modernization Act - otherwise known as Derivatives-Are-Born-Free Act. This little understood law overturned a century old rule that had prevented unregulated market bets since the Panic of 1907. Now all bets were off…

Yesterday, I discussed the PR perspective on corporate responsibility as presented by Edelman's Edelman's EVP for CSR-New York, Michael Holland. Here now is the final post on the CSR Forum organized by the Better Business Bureau, New York. The last panel of the day was represented by advertising, marketing and public relations giant Ogilvy's Global CEO Christopher Graves, and advertising columnist from the New York Times Stuart Elliot.

It used to be that indifferent wealth building and outsized risk was sexy. For thirty years, the world of high rolling high finance was the object of admiration and envy. The chants of “Wall Street sucks” some ten thousand strong in front of City Hall last week signify that the days of glamour and greed are over. Inarticulate and ineffectual as that phrase might be, it reveals the increasing rage building against Wall Street titans. In the wake of the deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression, economic hardship has become too real for too many.

Earlier this week we celebrated the findings of the latest salary survey for corporate responsibility professionals, conducted by Acre Resources. Encouragingly, the survey included for the first time, a bigger responding population from North America.

Believe it or not, the downturn has had its benefits for some. According to a new survey conducted by Acre Resources, a recruitment firm that focuses on sustainability, corporate responsibility and the environment sectors, estimates that most professionals in the CSR field actually saw an improvement in their salaries and job security in 2009.

Recently, I hosted a group of graduate students from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.  I also spoke to a group of undergraduates at George Mason University.  I was struck by the questions they asked me and their responses to the questions I asked of them.  They wanted to know about the linkages between ethics and business performance; they asked about the risk management dimensions of social and environmental responsibility; and they hold crystal clear points of view on corporate reputation, respect for customers, and the value and impact of

Today we're celebrating two triumphs. One, of course, is Earth Day's 40th anniversary. And to commemorate the day, here is the final chapter of the lineup we prepared leading to today. To refresh, last week, I discussed why this year Earth Day is important for your career beyond just recycling.

Why do talented employees leave companies, often despite good salaries??

I keep hearing this question uttered by talent agents to news casters.  They are saying this because, despite the ugly job market, people are jumping ship.

Beyond the typical reasons of bad management, poor working environment, and lack of stimulus – I would say that the top talent are fundamentally looking for something else.

Within the community investment community there’s still too much thinking about the money that goes in and not enough about what’s coming out the other end in terms of social capital.  In Canada, a good illustration is the recent debate about salaries for executives in non-profit organizations.

Most of the time when we meet someone, socially or professionally, one of the first questions that comes up is "What do you do, and where do you work?" The response to that question often defines us. I thought about that when I read "BRAND OR DIE," Nick Nanton's and JW Dicks' great new blogpost.