business ethics & CSR | Moral Markets?

The Reset of Capitalism (in Europe)

by Kees Buitendijk Cor van Beuningen | Jan 21, 2021 | globalisation / free trade, business ethics & CSR, critiquing / reinventing capitalism, opinion & ideas, banking / finance sector

We need a ‘Great Reset’ or ‘Great Reallocation’ of capitalism in which European capital is being invested in European companies, and vice versa, European companies being financed with European capital; these investment decisions resulting from a dialogue between the European wealthy and European entrepreneurs; and this process being maximally supported and promoted by national and European laws and regulations. This idea was not born from gloomy nationalism or anti-globalism, but from the conviction that a better balance is needed between global and local, between place of production and place of consumption, between mobile wealth and immobile labor, between large-scale politics and small communities, between freedom and responsibility, between short- and long-term. A viewpoint for the Future Markets Consultation submitted by Dutch think tank Socires.

Transparency in the Value Chain Is a Must for Every Company!

by Jacob van der Duijn Schouten Jacoline de Kruijf | Jan 5, 2021 | opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR

Transparency in the chain, for some companies this is their mission, but for many companies it is a complicated matter. While in developing countries, where many raw materials and/or products come from, there is a high risk of human rights violations. Understanding the chain is an important step towards transparency. To achieve this, legislation is necessary, argue Jacob van der Duijn Schouten and Jacoline de Kruijf. A viewpoint submitted to the Future Market Consultation by Dutch NGO Woord & Daad.

The New Corporate Power Concentrations – Recording Live Cast Now Available

by Ilse Oosterlaken (Moral Markets) | Nov 10, 2020 | business ethics & CSR, governments & markets, opinion & ideas

The recording of our live cast on new corporate power concentrations (9 November) with authors Rana Foroohar and Jonathan Taplin is now available. The interview with Foroohar and the interview with Taplin, part of the episode, are also available as separate videos.

Trump’s Crony Capitalism

by Project Syndicate ("The World's Opinion Page") | Oct 21, 2020 | opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR

“During his first presidential campaign four years ago, Donald Trump promised to change the way America does business. He has kept that promise: Now more than ever, America resembles the kind of crony-capitalist system that one more commonly associates with developing and post-communist countries”, wites Anne O. Krueger.

The Public’s Business

by Project Syndicate ("The World's Opinion Page") | Oct 9, 2020 | opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR, democracy

“By promoting behavioral norms that balance market and society, ‘stakeholder capitalism’ is supposed to enable private firms to fill the vacuum created by the decline of traditional forms of regulation by national governments. Ultimately, though, the only viable solution is to make business itself more democratic”, argues Dani Rodrik.

What Should Corporations Do?

by Project Syndicate ("The World's Opinion Page") | Oct 6, 2020 | opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR, critiquing / reinventing capitalism

“For all the excitement about corporate ‘stakeholders’ and ‘purpose-driven’ firms, the new mode of capitalism is simply a repackaging of the old. Successful companies will continue to focus on the value of their shares over the long term, while avoiding the risks of wading into areas where they don’t belong”, argues Raghuram Rajan.

Put Your Metrics Where Your Mouth Is

by Harvard Business Review | Oct 2, 2020 | opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR

“Rio Tinto blasted into oblivion the caves of the Juukan Gorge, a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal sacred site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where the company mines iron ore. Rio Tinto did this in the pursuit of further expansion and in full knowledge of the site’s existence and importance. Not to proceed, the CEO has explained, would have cost the company $135 million. He was under pressure to maximize profits from iron ore. […] A stakeholder focus has been endorsed by none other than the U.S. Business Roundtable. […] But until companies like Rio Tinto start putting their metrics where their mouths are, I’m afraid to say that we are going to see more scandals like Juukan Caves.”

Shareholder Value in a Burning World

by Project Syndicate ("The World's Opinion Page") | Oct 1, 2020 | climate change & sustainability, opinion & ideas, business ethics & CSR

“The best way to address climate change is not through wishful thinking but by using the tools we have – and that includes the established corporate model of maximizing shareholder value. Already, many companies are showing the way, having recognized that going green can generate immediate profits,” writes Rebecca Henderson.

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