November 2011
2 posts
Shared Value - changing the corporate mindset
Michael Porter and Mark Kramer’s work on “Shared Value” has sparked much debate since its publication earlier this year (see my post below). There has been much discussion as to whether their approach is viable, or even sustainable in the corporate context.
One of the more interesting blogs since then has come from Valerie Bockstette who discusses how companies are beginning to...
Sculpting the 'flexible' corporate form -...
One of the more vexing issues confronting new social ventures, is how to structure the form of organisation to get the benefit of tax exempt charitable status while having a business which may produce profits. Additionally, where an organisation is set up as a company, how does the not for profit attract directors who, on the one hand will not be paid for their work, but on the other, face the...
September 2011
3 posts
1 tag
The Hunger Project
Last week I was invited to hear Cathy Burke, CEO of the Hunger Project (Australia) talking about the work they are doing to help in the battle against world poverty. Her stories were inspiring, as they attempt to create a sustainable model for change. Their words are better than mine:
We function at the grassroots level, finding local leaders who then work within the community to set their own...
Paradox of Choice →
This is the TED lecture that I recommend in my post below. Well worth the 20 minutes!
1 tag
Freedom from Choice - where do you get it?
The Sydney Writers’ Festival recently invited Jonathon Franzen, featured on the cover of TIME Magazine as arguably the greatest living American novelist, to be interviewed on his work, his views on American society and the impact of 9/11.
In a wonderfully erudite and often amusing 40 minutes, he challenged whether 9/11 has had the impact critics often attribute to it, regaled stories of...
July 2011
1 post
June 2011
4 posts
3 tags
High achievers hijacking their potential?
As part of the Women in Business and Finance Program, I have been “matched” with a wonderful mentee who is scheduled to meet with me twice a month over a 6 month period. As part of a wider commitment to diversity, the Program is designed to help a range of women progress to more senior management roles quickly and more effectively.
Having been the beneficiary of some outstanding...
3 tags
The Culture of Penny Pinching - Philanthropy in...
The growing chorus of calls for more and better social investing by Australians is encapsulated in a timely article in this weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald. Citing Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, and his observations that the “elephant in the room [is that] we really are not overly generous,” it details how our wealthy are remarkable penny pinchers with 33% of people...
1 tag
Biology of Resistence
Does your body learn how to deal with stress or does it switch receptors on and off which can you more susceptible to disease? Children who have been subjected to considerable stress at an early age have been shown to have greater cortisol release and higher long term anxiety and stress than others. A very interesting discussion with Brian McKewan (Professor of Neuroscience and...
2 tags
WatchMichael Porter on “The Big Idea: Creating Shared Value: Rethinking Capitalism”
The end of Corporate Social Responsibility … or “old wine in new bottles?”
I have discussed this in my post on the “Culture of Penny Pinching” above.
