AccountAbility to review its sustainability assurance standard with a new wiki platform
AccountAbility wants the revision of its sustainability assurance standard, AA1000AS, to happen in as a collaborative way as possible. In order to maximize participation and leverage the synergies of collective knowledge it has partnered with openDemocracy, Sd3 and BISD to develop a wiki platform to make this a reality.
Tony Curzon-Price, CEO openDemocracy says, “Wikis and crowd-sourcing techniques are all about participation, openness and empowerment, but all within a framework that allows a coherent joint creation. This fits perfectly both the practical requirements of updating the AA1000AS standard and also the ethos of the standard itself. openDemocracy, an expert in collaborative creation projects, is very pleased to be a part of this exciting process.”
This platform has been designed to improve access to and the transparency of the standards process. At the same time it recognizes the established responsibilities of the AccountAbility Standards Technical Committee which has final responsibility for the text that will be published. As such they will be active participants in this wiki, both during open sessions and Technical Committee deliberations.
In the past, after making a draft standard available for open consultation, the Technical Committee would meet to prepare and agree on the final draft. Access to these meetings was limited to members and formal observers. The final deliberations of the Technical Committee will now also take place on the wiki platform so that there will be full transparency around their revisions and decisions.
Doing Business with the World – The New Role of Corporate Leadership in Global Development
Poverty remains the main challenge facing the countries that will be the home of 85% of the world's population in the decades to come. Some 2.7 billion people worldwide continue to subsist on less than US$2 per day. The challenge facing the global community is to eradicate extreme poverty and to foster economic development that benefits all while preserving natural habitats and biodiversity. Business is a core human activity, and it will be instrumental in bringing about sustainable development.
This new publication by the WBCSD Development Focus Area shows how companies can contribute to global sustainable development through their core businesses in a way that is profitable for the companies and good for development. It offers a business perspective on key challenges and opportunities for the development of poor countries, as well as key messages for companies and governments on how to promote sustainable business solutions that benefit the poor and the societies and environments in which they live.
The issues selected are not exhaustive, but they reflect both traditional areas for development actors and business. The issues are Ecosystems, Education and Training, Energy, Enterprise Development, Financial Flows, Governance, Health, Mobility, Trade, and Water.
Produced by: Dutch CSR Platform (MVO Platform) (2007)
Building on an earlier piece of work, this document provides a frame of reference for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and good governance. It also puts forward an overview of standards and operating principles together with a more detailed manual offering basic information and explanations of CSR.
The CSR platform identifies a number of general principles that are essential for the implementation of an effective and credible CSR policy. This includes a Supply chain approach and multi-stakeholder approach as an essential condition for credible and effective CSR.
A number of ways for developing, implementing and integrating CSR policy into business practices can be developed in a number of distinct steps, including:
establishment of effective and transparent corporate governance
companies should gain an understanding of the social, environmental and economic conditions in a given country and/or sector in which it operates
developing policy such as codes of conduct and sector-based initiatives
companies are expected to be transparent about their policy and to report on their CSR performance.
SSRN Announces New Humanities Research Network (HRN)
The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is pleased to announce the creation of the Humanities Research Network (HRN). HRN will provide a world-wide, online community for research in all areas of Humanities, following the model of the other subject matter networks within SSRN (http://www.ssrn.com).
We expect HRN to become a comprehensive online resource for research in humanities, providing scholars with access to current work in their field and facilitating research and scholarship. Initially, HRN will begin with the following networks:
HRN CLASSIC RESEARCH NETWORK
Director: Lesley Dean-Jones, University of Texas at Austin
HRN ENGLISH & AMERICAN LITERATURE RESEARCH NETWORK Director: Susan Heinzelman, University of Texas at Austin
HRN PHILOSOPHY RESEARCH NETWORK Directors: Lawrence Becker, Hollins University and Brie Gertler, University of Virginia
The abstracting eJournals for each of these networks are listed below. You can view the expandable Humanities Research Network taxonomy at http://SSRN.com/browse.
SSRN eLibrary All abstracts and papers, together with bibliographic data and author contact information, will be included in the searchable SSRN electronic library at http://papers.ssrn.com.
The SSRN eLibrary contains more than 164,000 papers by 82,000 authors, including 131,000 full text papers. The eLibrary can be accessed at http://papers.ssrn.com. Downloads from the SSRN eLibrary are running at an annual rate of about 4 million, with over 16 million downloads since SSRN was founded in 1994.
Call for papers for a special issue of Business and Society
Special issue topic: Creating a New Future for Business, Rethinking Management Theory and Business Strategy in the Light of Rapid and Drastic Environmental and Social Changes
Summer academy: Creating a new future for business
Companies are facing growing environmental and social challenges which increasingly affect corporate decision making, performance and prosperity. Therefore, business and management is confronted with the need to take into account environmental and social developments. Rapid and drastic changes both in the natural and social environment of corporate decision making require innovative approaches and solutions that go beyond conventional business practice. Research is needed to develop and discuss novel approaches that define the role and purpose of business and management in the light of challenges such as mitigating climate change, alleviating poverty, coping with migration, dealing with resource scarcities, securing social cohesion, etc.
The SEABUS summer academy invites research papers on innovative responses and strategies for business and management that create new opportunities for future business by contributing to the sustainability of the life-supporting environmental and social systems. We would like to encourage innovative approaches that explore new perspectives on the active role business could play for achieving a more sustainable future. Contributions should go beyond the current discussion of CSR, business and society, eco-efficiency, environmental management, corporate sustainability and the business case.
A new Open Access journal, Ethics & Global Politics, has attracted the foremost researchers from the field to provide peer review and other editorial support. Launched this month by Co-Action Publishing, Ethics & Global Politics is led by Editor-in-Chief Eva Erman and Associate Editor Sofia Näsström, both of Stockholm University. The list of supporting editors includes: Jens Bartelson, Seyla Benhabib, Jean Cohen, Simon Critchley, John Dryzek, Erik O Eriksen, Nancy Fraser, Andreas Follesdal, Carol Gould, Richard Higgott, Bonnie Honig, Hans Joas, Anne Philips, Thomas Pogge, Jan Aart Scholte, Nadia Urbinati, Stephen K. White, and Björn Wittrock.
More information on the journal’s aims and scope, and submission information, can be found at: www.co-action.net/journals/EGP
More information on Co-Action Publishing can be attained at: www.co-action.net
For more information or to schedule an interview with the Editor-in-Chief, contact: Caroline Sutton at Caroline.Sutton@co-action.net, +46 (0)18 495 1126 (office) +47 90 69 05 06 (cell).
EABIS & Ethical Corporation To Launch New Report on Corporate Responsibility and Executive Education
We are delighted to inform you of the imminent launch of the 2nd EABIS-Ethical Corporation Magazine Special Issue on Corporate Responsibility and Global Education. Following the pioneering collaboration in 2006, the Special Issue is a cutting edge report that shines light onto the “state of the art” of corporate responsibility mainstreaming in executive education worldwide.
How Business Schools Address Emerging Executive Needs and Priorities Featuring surveys, interviews with and inputs from leading figures in European and international Business Schools, the report breaks new ground in examining the innovations taking place in global management development to reflect the profound changes in corporate practice and strategy accelerated by globalisation. In keeping with EABIS’ historic focus on relevance and rigour, the report will serve as an important reference point for all stakeholders with a vested interest in corporate responsibility and executive learning.
The Special Issue delivers a clear understanding of the change catalysts within executive learning and outlines how institutions are attempting to reflect the growing demand from business for corporate responsibility issues to be taught in the mainstream curriculum. The EABIS and Ethical Corporation Report is therefore a timely and vital review of what management education is doing to equip current and future business leaders with the new skills and competencies required for ethical, sustainable and profitable management.
Report To Receive High Profile Launch At RESPONSE Conference The international unveiling of the EABIS-Ethical Corporation Special Issue will take place at the RESPONSE Project final conference in front of an audience of 200 global executives and senior representatives from the EU Commission, multinational companies, academic institutions and stakeholder groups. At the launch event, Microsoft International President, Jean-Philippe Courtois, will offer leading perspectives on current and future corporate priorities and the insights offered by the Special Issue.
RESPONSE is the EABIS network’s flagship research initiative, receiving funding from the EU Commission’s FP6 Programme and supported by EABIS’ corporate founding partners – IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Shell and Unilever. Since 2004 the world’s largest research project on corporate responsibility and strategic stakeholder management, it is preparing to announce significant new insights and learning on corporate practices, societal expectations and the challenges and implications for managers.
For additional information on the RESPONSE Project, please visit the official website at: www.insead.edu/ibis/response_project or contact Professor Maurizio Zollo, Academic Director of RESPONSE at Maurizio.zollo@insead.edu
Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy: The Oikos Collection
With the rapidly growing importance of sustainability and corporate responsibility in a globalised world, management schools are increasingly integrating long-term economic, environmental and social issues into their teaching and research. Climate change, poverty, labour standards and human rights are among the many topics that future decision-makers will need to face in their careers. Business education needs to reflect this new reality and provide a broadened understanding of value creation in order to create economic capital while developing social and preserving natural capital. Many sustainability trends also offer interesting new business opportunities that are ripe for entrepreneurial thinking.
Case studies can be important tools for creating learning processes on different levels - students are forced to struggle with exactly the kinds of decisions and dilemmas managers confront every day. In this reflection of reality, the values and goals of the student are systematically challenged. This can be especially valuable in the context of sustainability and strategy - organisations are now continually forced to value the different aspects of sustainability and their interrelations: How do social issues impact the economic bottom line? How can an environmentally sound strategy create a positive impact on employee motivation and thus have measurable impact on economic performance? What comes first and why?
"Case Studies in Sustainability Management and Strategy: The Oikos Collection"
Edited by Jost Hamschmidt, University of St Gallen, Switzerland/Oikos Foundation
12 award-winning cases on sustainability management and strategy
Extensive teaching notes for all cases available to faculty
In its role as network partner EABIS is pleased to invite you to select and score the sustainability reports of interest to you and take a short survey to explain more about your preferences as a sustainability report reader! Express your opinion by scoring sustainability reports and taking the survey, and change the practice of sustainability reporting forever. You must score at least two reports, against five criteria, and you must get your scores in from 1 October until 31 December 2007.
The Survey will collect readers’ views on sustainability reporting and will be analyzed by leading global sustainability reporting trend monitors, KPMG and SustainAbility. Both the survey results and Awards will be presented at the Amsterdam Global Conference on Sustainability and Transparency in May 2008.
Find out more about the Awards and the Survey here and download the Call for Action here
Request notifications