Better Life Initiative: Measuring Well-being and Progress. Davos: OECD's Gurría talks metrics that matter, going beyond GDP. 30/01/2012 - OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría highlighted the importance of developing new metrics for measuring progress that go beyond GDP during a discussion on 28 January 2012 at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Mr Gurría said that the economic crisis has shown that it is essential to make well-being a central criteria for determining policies. Governments’ response to the crisis must be based around policies that lay the foundation for more inclusive and sustainable growth in the future, he said. The OECD is also simultaneously pursuing a broad statistical and research agenda, in close collaboration with its member and partner countries, national statistical agencies and international organisations.
The confessions of an accidental committee man. I was born nosey, so if someone interesting invites me to peer into the guts of their organisation, I'm inclined to give it a go.
As a result, I have been drawn into a mind-numbingly broad range of committees, advisory boards and boards over the decades. As I try to critically evaluate my 25 years of sustainability-focused work, I am drawing early conclusions from my experiences as a somewhat accidental committee man. Economic Indicators: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) By Ryan Barnes BackgroundThe gross domestic product (GDP) is the godfather of the indicator world.
As an aggregate measure of total economic production for a country, represents the market value of all goods and services produced by the economy during the period measured, including personal consumption, government purchases, private inventories, paid-in construction costs and the foreign trade balance (exports are added, imports are subtracted). Presented only quarterly, is most often presented on an annualized percent basis.
Most of the individual data sets will also be given in real terms, meaning that the data is adjusted for price changes, and is therefore net of inflation. The is an extremely comprehensive and detailed report. What it Means for InvestorsReal is the one indicator that says the most about the health of the economy and the advance release will almost always move markets. Strengths: GDP is considered the broadest indicator of economic output and growth. Ranking The World's Most Sustainable Companies. Novo Nordisk on the Forbes Global 2000 List. MAZI Articles - What Complexity Science Teaches Us About Social Change by Virginia Lacayo - Communication for Social Change Consortium (CFSC Consortium)
MAZI Articles.
The Top 10 Trends in CSR for 2012. The Changing Face of Corporate Sustainability. This post was originally featured on the Zayed Future Energy Prize blog.
It’s reprinted here with permission . By Roberta B. Bowman, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Duke Energy. Culture Eats Strategy For Lunch. Get on a Southwest flight to anywhere, buy shoes from Zappos.com, pants from Nordstrom, groceries from Whole Foods, anything from Costco, a Starbucks espresso, or a Double-Double from In N' Out, and you'll get a taste of these brands’ vibrant cultures.
Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or miserable stagnation. A strong culture flourishes with a clear set of values and norms that actively guide the way a company operates. Buttonwood: Not so smart. How To Reach And Influence The Connected Consumer. Work/Life Balance Is A Myth; Here's What You Can Do About It. When I ask busy executives to describe a satisfying life, they often envision a scenario in which they work hard but dictate their own assignments.
They want time to take part in important family events. They are eager to make real contributions to their organizations, and they also want breaks when they’re tired. What they really need is control. But, frequently, what they think they want is balance--and that’s where trouble starts. Marketing Leader Jim Stengel On The One Thing Businesses Need To Grow. According to marketing guru Jim Stengel, if you’re in business right now you’ve got to ask yourself one question: What’s my ideal?
You also might want to take a look at who’s leading your company. Is it an artist? Or an operator? Stengel believes things like ideals and artistry are now real business mandates, but, since this is an ex-P&G marketer we’re talking about, he set out out to prove his assumptions with hard data, conducting a multi-year study of more than 50,000 brands together with research company Millward Brown Optimor. Stengel delves into the results of the study and discusses his views on what makes successful businesses and brands in his new book, Grow: How Ideals Power Growth and Profit at the World’s Greatest Companies. Khan Academy. UNEP FI Biodiversity Newsletter / Jan.-2012. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is a major international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity, to highlight the growing costs of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and to draw together action-oriented expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy.
Since 2009, TEEB has produced four major reports for various stakeholders. The single most important document: moving annual reporting into the 21st century - IBM United Kingdom Limited. Is the CSO Trapped by Location? This article, which is the first in a series, originally appeared on BSR's blog.
Or, to put this question another way, is the corporate sustainability office (and its equivalents) in the wrong box in the organizational chart? Such questions are beginning to surface at many companies, and the answers will not only affect the future of sustainability, but the ability of corporate leaders to manage risks, plan resources, and integrate the green business model for the future. How Sustainability is Becoming the One True Corporate Religion. Once upon a time, Corporate America was a homogeneous culture -- white, male, local, and Christian. Today, we consider America a melting pot of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. There's also the development of outsourcing and technologies that allow us to work across nations. Globalization and diversity has many positive effects on business, allowing more voices to be heard and more skills utilized. However, diversity changes the workplace -- it eliminates religion as shared ground. Investors Get New Tool to Gauge Companies' Water Risks.
The record drought in Texas this summer underscored the crucial role water plays in keeping the economy afloat. Among other impacts, it has devastated the state's cotton crop, one of the factors that led Gap Inc. to downgrade its annual profit forecast by 22 percent. Pressure on the world's water supplies will only increase in the coming decades as industry, agriculture and population growth compete for access.
Yet few companies talk about how they are managing their water-related risks, which could one day leave investors holding the bag. Home Energy Management Takes Center Stage at CES 2012. The Consumer Electronics Show is partly a playground for inventors and partly a glimpse into what technologies consumers will actually adopt in the next few years. Into the first category fall gyro-stabilized electric unicycles, a human-powered hydrofoil and 3-D pet portraits. It seems that home energy management, on the other hand, has finally landed in the second. The home energy management ecosystem is rife with competition across the entire value chain, creating a range of viable solutions for consumers.
Zigbee and Sigma Designs have developed standards that enable stand-alone devices to become intelligent networked nodes that can be controlled and monitored wirelessly. This enables interoperability between home entertainment, security systems, lighting, HVAC systems and appliances. GlobeScan/SustainAbility Webinar on Sustainable Consumption - 15 December 2011. Multicultural Leadership Starts from Within - Jevan Soo. By Jevan Soo | 10:34 AM January 17, 2012 This post is part of the HBR Insight Center, The Next Generation of Global Leaders. The world is getting smaller. As new technologies in social media, transportation, and telecommunications bring us closer together, it’s more critical than ever for organizations to recruit, develop, and retain multicultural leaders who can skillfully navigate both the opportunities and challenges of a more connected world.
Multicultural leadership involves deep immersion within different cultures to understand their values and specific context. This immersion unlocks insight into how to best reach customers, inspire employees, and drive organizational performance in geographies outside one’s “home base.” 14 Ideas for Busting Bureaucracy - Polly LaBarre. When You Don't Have 90 Days to Listen - Katie Smith Milway and Shazeen Virani. By Katie Smith Milway and Shazeen Virani | 5:10 PM January 17, 2012. Stop Bashing HR - Ron Ashkenas. How to Network Across Cultures - Andy Molinsky.
By Andy Molinsky | 10:35 AM January 17, 2012 This post is part of the HBR Insight Center, The Next Generation of Global Leaders. Cognizant Technology Solutions. The World Bank. South Asia - One Million New Jobs Needed Each Month to Sustain Growth and Reduce Poverty in South Asia. Q&A round-up: Rachel Botsman on collaborative consumption.
Alice in Euroland: What next for Europe’s rapidly shrinking banks? Less than six years ago, policymakers were concerned about a credit boom in central and eastern Europe (see, e.g., Enoch and Otker-Robe, 2007). Now, as the Eurozone debt crisis has taken center stage and bank deleveraging has picked up speed, they worry about a massive credit crunch across Europe, with potentially damaging spillover effects around the world.
Private sector can play an important part in tackling dwindling resources. Disbanding The Euro - A Worst-Case Scenario - Investopedia.com. Only time will tell if we are past the worst of the debt crisis in Europe, or simply enjoying a calm amidst the storm. Should 2012 be the start of a decade of sustainable capitalism? ‘Aftershock’ Book Predicts Economic Disaster Amid Controversy. Robert Wiedemer’s new book, “Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown,” quickly is becoming the survival guide for the 21st century. Sterilization Definition. Economics Basics: Introduction. What Is An Emerging Market Economy?
Invisible Hand Definition. Adam Smith: The Father Of Economics. Get To Know The Major Central Banks. Explaining The World Through Macroeconomic Analysis. What Are Central Banks? What Is The World Trade Organization? The Currency Board: Understanding The Government's Bank. Competitive Advantage Counts. Free Markets: What's The Cost?
What Is Fiscal Policy? A Practical Look At Microeconomics. The Federal Reserve: Introduction. Market Cycles: The Key To Maximum Returns.
Help.