FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    CONTACT
Tuesday, March 2, 2010                                  Cheryl Kelly (AFSCME), ckelly@afscme.org, 202-429-1145
Timothy Smith (Walden Asset Management), tsmith@bostontrust.com 617-726-7155

Shareholder resolutions filed with over 70 companies by large coalition of investors for 2010

WASHINGTON — Investors pushing for annual advisory shareholder votes on executive compensation today announced that more than 50 companies have now voluntarily adopted giving their shareholders an annual advisory vote on executive compensation, colloquially known as “Say on Pay.” (more…)

Good news for UK Pension Beneficiaries: Now let’s hope for a requirement that asset managers switch from Modern (?) Portfolio Theory to ESG asset evaluation models. – Hazel Henderson, Editor

Posted: 27 Feb 2010 08:31 PM PST
UK pension fund professionals representing aggregate assets of £115 billion explored fairer manager fee structures, and incentive schemes that align fund managers more closely with their clients’ interests, at a recent roundtable in London organised by the NSFM.
(more…)

February 24, 2010

Dear Friends,

Our Carnegie New Leaders will also host Al Jazeera correspondent Khaled Dawoud to discuss Arab press freedom on March 2.

On our Fairer Globalization blog you will find a “Rallying Cry for CSR” by Devin Stewart, featuring video excerpts from our recent Workshop for Ethics in Business: Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2010.

Enjoy, Eds.

ARTICLES

The Future of Capitalism and the Dangers of Returning to Business as Usual
By Jean-Marc Coicaud, Zhang Jin
When it comes to making sense of international finance and economics, the era of so-called scientific certainties is over. To address the structural challenges the world faces now, we need to explore the feasibility of global public policy.

Confronting Culture in Congo
By Saleem H. Ali
It is high time the international community confront the elephant in the room when talking about Congo and violence against women worldwide — culture.

Rethinking Macroeconomic Policy
The Great Moderation lulled macroeconomists and policymakers alike in the belief that we knew how to conduct macroeconomic policy. The crisis clearly forces us to question that assessment. This IMF Staff Position Note takes a tentative first pass at the contours of a new macroeconomic policy framework.
EVENTS
Freedom of the Press in the Arab World: Al-Jazeera’s Contribution
March 2, 2010
Participant: Khaled Dawoud

In this Carnegie New Leaders event, Khaled Dawoud will review the history of AlJazeera and seek to clarify some of the issues he has confronted when it comes to the channel and its coverage of events in the Middle East

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Sasha Fedulow
Cohn & Wolfe
Office: 415.365.8552
sasha.fedulow@cohnwolfe.com

Industry’s Leading Conference Explores Complex Issues Requiring Collaboration and Creativity during 4th Annual Event June 7–10, 2010 at the Monterey (CA) Conference Center

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., February 17, 2010 – Sustainable Life Media today introduced the first round of speakers for Sustainable Brands 2010, featuring leaders from the consumer, technology, food and apparel industries. This year’s theme, ”The Power of And,” is presented as an essential business approach for tackling the polarities and dualities facing business today. “And” is recommended as a new way for addressing what may be seen as the ongoing, chronic issues that are often described as unavoidable, unsolvable and indestructible. Sustainable Brands 2010 will give attendees the tools and skills to distinguish between a problem to solve and a polarity to leverage. Speakers and session leaders will share how to look within complex issues, identify opposites in tension and capitalize on that tension to establish solutions that address some of the most pressing problems — and exhilarating opportunities — facing business today. (more…)

NEW ON ETHICSWORLD
February 16, 2010.

In recent days we have received an exceptional number of new subscribers – notably from a range of African countries – WELCOME! Provide your feedback and contributions toEditorEthicsworld@gmail.com
*For the best view of this newsletter, ensure your e-mail allows you to display images.

Every day we are posting new reports on our website…visit us, tell your colleagues and provide us with your views.

upcoming fraud and corruption conference – marcus evans — see full details at our NGO News – LINKS page.

We have added “Views” on current news issues to our Home page News column and on our News page – latest includes:

Turmoil in Kenya – Again its Corruption in the Cabinet.
(more…)

Rosalinda Sanquiche, Executive Director, Ethical Markets Media, February 2010

The UN Global Compact, started in 2000, is a strategic policy initiative for businesses committed to aligning their practices with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Since its inception, the UN Global Compact has added 7700 participants from 135 countries, with more than 5,300 active business participants. The UN Global Compact demonstrates that companies around the world are willing and able to incorporate sustainable practices that consider people, planet and profit. (more…)

From CSRwire.com Talkback Jan. 25, 2010

Is the Supreme Court’s decision to treat corporations as “persons” a debacle for democracy — or an opportunity for corporate social responsibility? Hazel Henderson of Ethical Markets has some creative answers.

By Hazel Henderson

If the worldwide movement for corporate social responsibility didn’t exist, we would have to invent it after the US Supreme Court’s January 21, 2010, decision to lift all limits on corporate money in politics. This 5-4 decision drew instant cries of alarm from constitutional lawyers, including President Obama, who said “the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money into our politics. It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street bankers, health insurance companies and other interests that marshal their power every day in Washington and drown out the voices of everyday Americans.” Republican leaders hailed the ruling as “a victory for the First Amendment.” Our local Congressman in Florida, Alan Grayson (D-8) called it “the worst decision since the Dred Scott case” and has introduced six bills to roll back this ruling by tightening corporate governance. (more…)

Find out which ethics and compliance training is most effective and productive
www.ethicalcorp.com/ectraining

100 pages of department-by-department guidance, covering winning methods for encouraging and monitoring CSR
www.ethicalcorp.com/csr

Is this good corporate citizenship? – ed.

*CHICAGO, IL, December 28, 2009 –/WORLD-WIRE/–* Early this month, top Republican Senator Charles E. Grassley sent letters to the American Cancer Society (ACS), besides the American Medical Association (AMA) and 31 other medical advocacy groups, asking them to provide detailed information on tax-deductible funds that they have received from drug and device makers. Such funds have encouraged these organizations to lobby on behalf of a wide range of industries and strongly influence public policy, says Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition.
(more…)

December 1, 2009 (New York & Geneva) – Today the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on business and human rights, John Ruggie, launched a global online forum, www.srsgconsultation.org.  The purpose of the forum is to gather input for the SRSG as he develops guiding principles to operationalize the U.N. “Protect, Respect, Remedy” framework, as requested by the Human Rights Council. Read more (PDF)…

December 2, 2009.

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Support the Partnership for Transparency Fund – PTF is making remarkable progress supporting a rising number of civil society organizations across the developing world as they promote specific, effective, anti-corruption projects…see its new Annual Report

The Center for Global Development publishes a compelling report: “Start With A Girl – A New Agenda For Global Health,” by Miriam Temin and Ruth Levine. (more…)

Nikos Avlonas
President, Centre for Sustainability and Excellence North America
www.csenorthamerica.org

In a few weeks, representatives from around the world will convene in Copenhagen,
under the auspices of the United Nations, to focus on a new international agreement
on climate change. This is a very important moment for the world. Read more…

Findings of 2009 Automotive Sector CSR Survey in China
by Elyse Chen elyse.chen@csr-asia.com

As financial crisis deepens, the automotive industry stands in the eye of the storm. For many, China has become an increasingly important market in the cold winter of the global car industry. The large presence of international car companies, as well as local companies that are familiar with the Chinese context, makes competition extremely fierce. Among the factors determining the future of a company, sustainability (or concern shown …

Click for the newsletter…

By Kemila Velan
November 20, 2009

As the busiest fundraising time of the year approaches, and corporations continue cutting budgets, including their charitable contributions, non-profit executives shared possible solutions to their funding challenges at the annual Boardsource Leadership Forum in Orlando on Friday, Nov. 29.

“Are there too many non-profits or not enough resources?” asked Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector, and one of the forum’s opening plenary panelists. “Many are considering mergers with other non-profits as well as businesses.” (more…)

Twenty-five years ago Fortune 500 companies did not think in terms of a triple bottom line: people, profit, and planet. On the rare occasion that a CEO publicly would acknowledge the planet or the people as a business value, it would tend to fall into the category of “corporate philanthropy.” To insinuate that human dignity or a sustainable environment would stand as a core business practice – on a par with the company’s profit margin – would have been career suicide.
(more…)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2009

Contact:
Dawn Wolfe, Boston Common Asset Management;
Office 617-720-5557; Mobile 617-721-2315; Dwolfe@bostoncommonasset.com

Boston, MA – In a shareholder proposal led by Boston Common Asset Management, 17 investors representing over 24 million shares of Cisco Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) totaling over $580 million USD are urging the company to adequately manage human rights related risks in its global operations. (more…)

Amsterdam/Geneva/New York, 11 November 2009 – Two new reports released today examine trends in corporate measurement and reporting on human rights performance and provide practical guidance for companies engaging on this emerging area of corporate citizenship and accountability. Read more…

Posted November 6, 2009
Eurasian revival, Green diplomacy, A Glimmer of Hope, Anti-corruption CSR, US-China CO2 capture, Arbitrary citizenship

The Persistence of Eurasia
By Christopher Marsh, Nikolas K. Gvosdev
Nearly two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States must confront the reality that Eurasia remains a very Russia-centric region. (more…)

Posted October 29, 2009
We have several great events coming up. Next week our Carnegie New Leaders program hosts Alice Korngold discussing the qualifications for and experience of serving on a nonprofit board. The following week we team up with Japan Society for a trilateral debate on what China, Japan, and the United States can bring to the table at the Copenhagen climate negotiations. And then in mid-November our Carnegie New Leaders meet with members of Harvard’s Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative to discuss accountability and the business use of Web 2.0.

Plus, don’t miss Devin Stewart on Yukio Hatoyama’s ethic of fraternity in Newsweek: “Japan Loves You, Brother.”

Sincerely, Eds. (more…)