[All] President of France on Re-Building Capitalism+

[Robert Milligan]

Hi All,

Certainly we all wish to explore the root of our problems  
(environmental, social, economic, ...) -- dysfunctional capitalism.

So below are some references to help begin the re-design -- hopefully  
via Open Collaborative Innovation subsequently.

Cheers,
Robert

http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Sarkozy_en.pdf
http://www.amazon.ca/cancer-stage-capitalism-John-McMurtry/dp/0745313523
http://www.arts.anu.edu.au/sss/apsa/Papers/burgmann.pdf


Begin forwarded message:

> From: Greenleaf Publishing <publicity at greenleaf-publishing.com>
> Date: February 2, 2010 4:20:38 AM GMT-05:00
> To: mill at continuum.org
> Subject: Post-crisis, Capitalism now a focus for CSR, says Lifeworth  
> Review
> Reply-To: publicity at greenleaf-publishing.com
>
> Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
>
> Post-crisis, Capitalism now a focus for CSR, says Lifeworth Review
>
> Press Release from Lifeworth.
> February 1st 2010.
>
> Capitalism is up for debate, and that's a good thing, according to a  
> new review from a management consultancy. "The dual financial and  
> climate crises are leading people in all walks of life to question  
> the kind of economy that makes sense for their businesses,  
> communities and families," explains lead author of the review,  
> Associate Professor Jem Bendell. "As well as some anger at bankers,  
> the financial crisis has led many to ask deeper questions about  
> finance in general and, therefore, about capitalism. From bars to  
> seminars, bookshops to board meetings, capitalism is being discussed  
> – openly and critically," he claims.
>
> Entitled Capitalism in Question, the annual review describes how  
> politicians and even business leaders are calling for more critical  
> assessment of what kind of economic system we need for a fair and  
> sustainable future. The review from Lifeworth Consulting summarises  
> over a dozen books that have been published in the last weeks that  
> debate the relative merits of capitalism and what form of economic  
> governance is needed post-crisis, and in a new era of economic  
> power. "The majority of these new books seek to do something that  
> previously seemed neither necessary or interesting – to defend  
> capitalism," says John Stuart of Greenleaf Publishing, which  
> supports the review.
>
> Bendell explains that defensiveness won't help. Referring to the  
> "Restoring Trust" report overseen by Allianz, Barclays Capital,  
> Blackstone and Carlyle Group, among others, he said, "seeking to  
> defend one's immediate interests, as the banks writing the recent  
> World Economic Forum report clearly did, is not how we are going to  
> discover together the next step in our economic evolution. Fearful  
> people in incumbent institutions may waste our time with  
> diversionary drivel, but real exploration of the core issues is  
> unavoidable. The question now is who should participate and how."
>
> Co-author of the review, Lifeworth Consulting's Ian Doyle, explained  
> that "much of the corporate social responsibility, or CSR agenda,  
> has been predicated on a belief that government is constrained by  
> global finance and can, or should, only intervene in markets to a  
> limited extent. The giving of huge amounts of money to private banks  
> may suggest that global finance is still dominant, but it also shows  
> that sometimes when called on to act, most governments will  
> intervene in markets in dramatic ways. So it's not unreasonable for  
> people to look to their governments to now shape responsible  
> business practice more than before. And that is what we are seeing."
>
> The review is a call for people to become more involved in exploring  
> how to evolve economic systems to promote fair and sustainable  
> societies, says Bendell. "We are calling for this kind of engagement  
> because after doing nine years of quarterly responsible business  
> trends analysis for the Journal of Corporate Citizenship, we have  
> concluded that there is a nascent social movement for the  
> transformation of business and finance. Behind the jargon of  
> corporate social responsibility, corporate accountability,  
> environmental management, social enterprise and responsible finance,  
> are people like you and me who want to change the way business does  
> business and the way money makes money. As such we need to think  
> through what we are aiming for, longer term, and how we can work in  
> concert. We all need to look up from our projects and shape the  
> unfolding programme of economic transformation."
>
> To contribute to the debate, Lifeworth offers a framework for  
> democratising capitalism. As Bendell, who is also Lifeworth's  
> director, explains, "It's simply that we need more governance of  
> capital by people who are directly affected by its ownership and  
> control. From that one concept flow many implications for tax,  
> currencies, stocks, and all social and environmental regulations.  
> This democratisation of capitalism could be the ultimate goal of the  
> corporate responsibility movement, and the seeds of this approach  
> are already to be found in the ideas and practices of many people  
> working on corporate responsibility today."
>
> A discussion of economic systems can seem distant from the day-to- 
> day preoccupations of most executives and the academics who seek to  
> educate them, but, as Bendell suggests, "making such connections  
> will be important if the corporate responsibility movement is to  
> have a substantial and lasting effect on commerce and society." In  
> Capitalism in Question some initial guidance is given for how  
> business leaders and educators can play a socially progressive role  
> at this time. Specific multi-stakeholder initiatives are  
> recommended, including The Finance Lab, which Bendell co-inspired  
> with Jen Morgan at WWF-UK.
>
> The review of trends in corporate responsibility during 2009  
> includes analysis of government stimulus packages, responsible tax  
> management, responsible mining, responsible cosmetics and beauty  
> businesses, as well as particular trends in Asian and Francophone  
> countries. It also explores the potential of "design thinking" for  
> sustainable business innovation, and provides in-depth analysis of  
> the implications of the Copenhagen climate summit.
>
> "Deep changes will be required in economic governance if we are to  
> achieve a sustainable society ... Capitalism will change, there is  
> no doubt, and it must change so that it delivers both private wealth  
> and public good," explains Professor Malcolm McIntosh of the Asia  
> Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise. "As we enter a period of  
> potential reconfiguration of economic governance, leaders of  
> organisations will need to better understand the issues, actors and  
> dynamics to be successful. Part of Griffith Business School in  
> Australia, Professor McIntosh's centre supported the free release of  
> this review to promote creative thinking at a time of critical  
> global challenges and because "the lead author, Jem Bendell, is an  
> important commentator on the world stage."
>
> Dr Bendell says there are important implications for management  
> education. "In Griffiths new 'Graduate Certificate for Sustainable  
> Enterprise' we help our students to navigate increasingly complex  
> social and political contexts so they can find ways to prosper by  
> being part of the solution."
>
> Capitalism in Question: The Lifeworth Annual Review of 2009 is  
> available in pdf for free download at http://www.lifeworth.com/consult/2010/02/annualreview
>
> Lifeworth's responsible enterprise trends analysis during 2010 can  
> be obtained by subscribing to the Journal of Corporate Citizenship.  
> New subscribers to the journal before March 31st 2010 receive all  
> 2009 copies for free. Visit http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/subs
>
> Information on Griffith's research centre and graduate certificate  
> is available at http://www.asiapacificsustainableenterprise.com
>
> The Finance Lab: http://www.thefinancelab.org
>
> For media enquiries about Capitalism in Question contact Jem Bendell  
> via connect [at] lifeworth.com or +44(0)2071936102
>
> 20% discount when ordering direct from Greenleaf Publishing
>
>
> The Corporate Responsibility Movement: Five Years of Global  
> Corporate Responsibility Analysis from Lifeworth, 2001–2005
> Jem Bendell et al.
>
> 387+viii | 234 x 156 mm | paperback | ISBN 978-1-906093-18-1 | March  
> 2009
> £80.00 €120.00 US$150.00 £64.00 €96.00 US$120.00
>
> "Jem Bendell's latest book is a timely reflection on the cultural  
> and behavioural drivers that can help to transform the future role  
> and purpose of business. ... This book offers a range of challenging  
> insights to those – especially corporate responsibility managers and  
> executives – seeking to engage in that change process within their  
> organisations."
> Simon Pickard, Director General, European Academy of Business in  
> Society
>
> "This is a fantastic resource for libraries that will help readers  
> explore the emergence of contemporary corporate responsibility."
> Andrew Crane, Professor of Business Ethics, Schulich School of  
> Business, York University
>
> MORE DETAILS | BUY NOW
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