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What’s the fundamental question at the core of capitalism? “The question of how you have the right sort of performance with integrity,” said Ben W. Heinman, former General Counsel for GE and Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. 

I think of performance with integrity in terms of the “social purpose” of corporations – a concept that has three key ingredients:

1. Return on Integrity: Telling the truth and being transparent, establishing an “ethical balance sheet”, and ensuring accountability among directors and executives through good governance.

2. Responsible Products and Services: Ensuring that what you make or do has as small an impact on the environment as is possible, choosing suppliers whose operations align with your environmental and social priorities, and marketing what you do in a way that isn’t manipulative – especially among children or others that may be easily influenced.

3. Social Impact: Aligning with social issues and social organizations that resonate with who your company is and what is does, demonstrating the social outcomes of your investments in the community, and understanding and addressing the needs of your employees.

Have you defined and operationalized the social purpose of your business?

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GE Sets Up Comcast Venture With Buy of Vivendi’s NBC Universal Stake (Money Morning, 12/1/09)

New Technology Turns Coal Into Clean, High-Powered Gas (Money Morning, 11/19/09)

Read more on General Electric Company at Wikinvest

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) SAN FRANCISCO, December 3, 2009 – “Always you have been told that work is a curse and labor a misfortune. But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth’s furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born. And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life. And to love life through labor is to be intimate with life’s inmost secret.”

~ Kahlil Gibran, twentieth-century Syrian-born mystic poet and philosopher 
 
“This book is about the life we choose to create for ourselves within our work, the businesses we bring to life, and how we relate to ourselves and each other in the process. It addresses the question: How do we become more human in the context of our work, so we can build life-affirming organizations that serve the greater good, while serving ourselves?” states author, Jeff Klein. “My intention with this book is to provide a meaningful context and the essential tools to support you in deeply and fully expressing your humanity through your work; to open to the vulnerability that makes you invulnerable; to establish a sense of aspirational purpose grounded in principles that sustain you in the face of adversity; and to find rich experience and deep fulfillment.”
 
In the opening of his classic book Working, Studs Terkel writes, ‘This book, being about work, is, by its very nature, about violence—to the spirit as well as to the body. It is about ulcers as well as accidents, about shouting matches as well as fistfights, about nervous breakdowns as well as kicking the dog around. It is, above all (or beneath all), about daily humiliations. To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many
of us.”
 
Klein continues “This book, and the very idea of Working for Good, are meant to be an antidote to the violence people do to themselves and each other through business and work. People may may read Working for Good because they would like to do something to address some of the challenges facing humanity, because they believe that business provides an opportunity to do so, and because they want to understand more deeply how this vision can be manifested. This is what motivates many of us, especially young people; members of the Millennial Generation almost require that the companies they work for or build have a higher social purpose and act responsibly. Readers may also sense a calling to service and want to pursue it more fully. They may want to change their existing business or job, start a new business, or find a new place to work that is more deeply aligned with their purpose and principles. And they may want to learn new skills that will make them more effective in building a conscious business and make your business more responsive to the increasing market demand for good corporate citizenship. Working for Good acknowledges the power of these desires and provides tools for addressing them.”
 
“Working for Good is a way of conducting business and approaching work that orients us on a path of personal growth, development, and service. Based in the skills and practices of awareness, embodiment, connection, collaboration, and integration, Working for Good guides our thoughts and actions to create businesses that value more than financial return on investment, respect people and the planet, deliver broad-based service to society, and promote widespread well-being.”  
 
About Jeff Klein: As CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing, Jeff Klein designs and facilitates collaborative cause-related marketing programs. His current clients include the Conscious Capitalism Alliance, of which he was a founding member, and O.N.E. Drinks, for whom he is producing a campaign to educate moms and others about the health benefits of coconut water. In the context of a Working for Good Collaborative, Jeff is in the process of launching the Working for Good Alliance, with a related web-based platform and integrated education and engagement campaign, and a Working for Good "Greenhouse" and Seed Fund to germinate and cultivate conscious companies.
 
Jeff was one of the visionaries and driving forces behind Private Music, the career of Yanni, Spinning, and Seeds of Change, and has consulted for the Esalen Institute, the National Geographic Society, GlobalGiving, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, among others. He wrote his new book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, to support conscious entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, leaders, and change agents at work.  
 

Peacekeeper Cause-Metics is the first cosmetics line to give donations to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues globally. Peacekeeper builds a bridge between extraordinary women in the land-of-plenty with extraordinary women who, just by chance of birth, don’t have our resources or opportunities.  

Here are the ideals that they pledge to uphold in their business practices:  

Slavery Free

Peacekeeper is building a slave-labor free company, so if we think there is any type of exploitation in hours, safety, healthcare, retirement, etc. we are gone.

They are consulting with www.newstandards.com to monitor this.

Fair Wages

Peacekeeper makes sure that the companies we are working with here and overseas pays a fair wage to their employees.  

Animal Loving

Peacekeeper does not use any products that have been tested on animals. We also provide vegan products for animal lovers who do not use carmine.  

Ethical

Peacekeeper uses the Yamas and Niyamas, which come from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, in its work. They refer to the concepts of exertion and rest and outline the ways in which a Yogi must find an ethical balance in his or her life. Patanjali says that if a person is truly established in the Yamas and Niyamas they gain powers.  

When a Yogi practices truthfulness, ultimately anything he or she says will come true. That's powerful! Or, if he or she practices non-stealing/non-hoarding people will feel so safe around him or her that they will reveal unimaginable secrets and treasures. When we are truly living in non-violence then no negative energy or “enemy” can harm us, in the same way Buddhist monks can safely walk through a battle-field. By establishing ourselves in the Yamas & Niyamas, we can face each day unaffected by the negativity in the world.  

The practice of truthfulness, non-violence and non-stealing enables a person to know where to step so as not to lose their reputation. It becomes clear to a practitioner that taking something that is not theirs will only weaken them of their fierce power of restraint and will ultimately decide not to make the choice that has toppled so many powerful men.  Practicing the Yamas and Niyamas will make people feel safe around you and promote greater fulfillment in all that you do. This is good for you and good for the world.  

To learn more about these and other ethical practices visit these websites – Fair Trade: www.transfairusa.org; Eradication of slavery: www.assetcampaign.org; Animal friendly information: www.vegan.org. To learn more about Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra’s visit http://dailyreadings.com/sutras_1.htm, and visit PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics at www.iamapeacekeeper.com.

One sixth of the world’s population lives on a dollar a day. Another sixth lives on two dollars a day. The global middle class lives on $3,000 to $5,000 per year. What would it feel like to be a person who lives on a dollar a day – or three thousand dollars a year?

What would it feel like to have your wallet or purse taken from you, then your cell phone, credit cards, passport and access to any outside help? Then imagine being kept locked up in domestic, labor or sexual servitude for years. Americans had the shame of slavery on our hands until it was abolished. However, human slavery exists as the largest cartel on the planet with an estimated 2,000,000 men, women and children trafficked each year.  
 
A human life – fragile dreams; precious, meaningful, and sacred. The question is “How much is a human life worth?” In fact, an appropriate exercise would be to imagine being kidnapped and held for ransom. How much is your own life worth? Is it worth your entire estate to save your life? And then, is another life worth that much as well?
 
What are the acts of bold courage we can take outside of our comfort zone to reach out to another person in potent ways? How can we push ourselves far past our limits of safety and comfort to really and truly help another?
 
PeaceKeeper’s Eternal Equity Gloss asks the question, “What does true eternal equity look like where no one thrives at the expense of someone else?” True equity for all; what Founder, Jody R. Weiss calls “Collaborative Interdependence.” True Eternal Equity, where our empowerment and fulfillment is deeply tied to all other people on the planet and where we won’t rest until we know that we all can thrive.
 
PeaceKeeping starts with the small things in life; the way we treat ourselves and our families and the way we use our buying power collectively on products that heal the world. These acts, large and small, enable us to make an evolutionary choice of sustaining ourselves while sustaining the world. That is why PeaceKeeper calls this Beauty For Humanity. We say “Empowering You, Empowers Me.” Now That’s Beautiful™.

Detailed information regarding McKesson's community investment efforts is included in McKesson's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report, available at www.mckesson.com/citizenshipreport. Highlights  are included below.

Community Days
In Fiscal Year 2009, nearly half of McKesson’s 32,000 employees participated in the Company’s annual Community Days volunteer event. At hundreds of sites worldwide McKesson Community Days volunteers created more than 16,000 care packages for hospitalized veterans at VA medical centers. Employee participation in Community Days has grown 500% in since Fiscal Year 2004. More information on McKesson's 2009 Community Days event including multimedia elements are available in an online press kit at www.mckesson.com/communitydays

Caregiver Kits
Since 2006, McKesson has partnered with humanitarian organization World Vision to provide more than 175,000 World Vision Caregiver Kits to local community caregivers who care for those living with AIDS in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Company's expertise and infrastructure in distributing medical-surgical supplies have allowed McKesson to negotiate dramatic discounts with suppliers on the kits' contents, passing these savings on to the community groups — schools, churches and businesses — that purchase materials and assemble the kits for World Vision to distribute in remote areas of developing countries.

McKesson Foundation Strategic Focus on Chronic Disease Management
Established in 1943, the McKesson Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations working to improve the communities where the Company operates. In Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, the McKesson Foundation donated nearly $10 million, primarily to healthcare-related nonprofit organizations and to support employees' community involvement efforts. 
 
In Fiscal Year 2010, the McKesson Foundation announced a new strategy to focus on chronic disease management. By combining the Foundation’s cash donations with McKesson Corporation’s deep institutional health care services and IT expertise, the program seeks to further the social impact that can be achieved. The Foundation’s near-term commitment is to fund innovative diabetes management projects.
 
During this challenging economic environment the Foundation has also expanded its matching gift program for employees and opened it up to all eligible 501(c)(3) organizations. For more information about the McKesson Foundation visit www.mckesson.com/foundation.

 

‘The time is now and we are the ones called upon to make a difference while making a living,” claims Jeff Klein, President of the Conscious Capitalism Alliance and author of Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, the week of the 2009 NetImpact Conference at Ithaca College. “NetImpact members and conscious MBA students are important members of the emerging movement to create healthier, more sustainable businesses, that serve all of their stakeholders and the greater good.”

In that spirit, the MBA Oath begins with these words: “As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater good by bringing people and resources together to create value that no single individual can create alone. Therefore I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term.” (See www.mbaoath.org) 

  According to Klein, “The increasing acceptance of the MBA oath is a powerful indication of the shift in perspective on the role of business in society and our responsibility for creating conscious businesses. The Oath addresses the themes of integrity, authenticity, service, sustainability, accountability, and more. It is deeply aligned with the principles of conscious business that we are articulating and promoting through the Conscious Capitalism Alliance, which are Deeper Purpose, Value Creation for all Stakeholders, and Servant or Conscious Leadership, all of which I address in Working for Good.”

Klein wrote his new book, Working for Good: Making a Difference While Making a Living, to support conscious entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, leaders, and change agents at work to develop the skills of awareness, embodiment, connection, collaboration, and integration, which are essential to conceiving and creating conscious businesses and to working together in conscious teams.

  “Young people today are seeking for meaning and purpose in the work and their lives. They demand that the companies that they buy from, work for, and otherwise engage with are responsible citizens and serve society beyond the value of their products and services, My colleagues on the Working for Good team and I want to inspire and support young entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to pursue their passion for making a difference in the world while making a good living, and we provide them with models and tools for doing so.”

  About Jeff Klein: As CEO of Cause Alliance Marketing, Klein designs and facilitates collaborative cause-related marketing programs. He currently serves as President of the Conscious Capitalism Alliance—an organization dedicated to “liberating the entrepreneurial spirit for good” co-founded by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market. In this role, he recently produced and hosted the 2009 Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism Summit at The Crossings in Austin, Texas.

  Jeff was one of the visionaries and driving forces behind Private Music, the career of Yanni, Spinning, Seeds of Change, and ChiRunning, and has consulted for the Esalen Institute, the National Geographic Society, GlobalGiving, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, among others.

  He is currently creating a Cause Alliance Marketing program for O.N.E. Natural Experience to increase awareness of the health benefits of coconut water and to drive the use of coconut water in the place of other, less healthy beverages.

 

PRESS CONTACT: Julie van Amerongen  EMAIL: julievanam@gmail.com 541.228.4099
 
Amazon link: http://3bl.me/9c4t3s
Barnes & Noble Link: http://3bl.me/953t5x
Facebook: http://profile.to/jeffklein
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/workingforgood
Twitter: http://twitter.com/babajeff

 

CorporateRegister.com is pleased to announce that the full NEWSWEEK GREEN RANKINGS REPORT is now available to purchase at http://www.corporateregister.com/greenranking.html.

CorporateRegister.com played a key role in these rankings, drawing on the resources of our site, our users, and our partners, in order to contribute to what we believe is the first objective ‘green’ analysis of America’s 500 largest companies.

The rankings are a product of a year-long collaboration between CorporateRegister.com, Newsweek, and environmental research firms KLD Research & Analytics and Trucost. Despite the challenges of comparing sustainability across sectors, the team created an overarching methodology to compare firms based on a Green Policies Score, an Environmental Impact Score, and a Reputation Score. 

Companies that topped the rankings include Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, Intel, and IBM, and additional rankings by sector were also clarified. 

The full report, available in PDF and printed formats, features additional details of the findings, including:

• Proprietary data for all 500 companies in the NEWSWEEK GREEN RANKING.

• Sector-by-analysis, including an overview of 15 industry sectors, detailed performance data about the top 10 companies in each sector, and each company's ranking relative to its peers.

• Expanded information about the NEWSWEEK GREEN RANKING environmental reputation survey results, including how a company's U.S. image differs from how it's seen abroad.

The online summary report can be found at http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/.

Registered CorporateRegister.com users can request a discount code for online purchase of the full report. Simply contactinfo@corporateregister.com with subject line ‘Newsweek’ and your username to request the discount code. Then go to http://www.corporateregister.com/greenranking.html to purchase the full report.

We caught up with fair-trade jewelry pioneer, Kimarie Burnette of Kimarie Designs to learn more about what inspires her and why she uses fair-trade labor from Bali.

1.  How did you get started in making jewelry?

I traveled to Bali and fell in love with the art and the people.

2.  Sustainability in the jewelry sector is pretty rare, what inspired you to go fair-trade?

My friend told me people were dying refining metal in Indonesia because of the toxic chemicals, we then set about learning how to refine our own metal and establish best practices.

3.  What one thing would you like all jewelry shoppers to know about traditional jewelry?

I'd like people to know that jewelry making in Bali is a centuries old tradition that is handed down from generation to generation. All our jewelry is hand fabricated with a lot of love.

4.  Who are you outside of the founder and designer of Kimarie Designs?

A mom and wife and big fan of sushi.

5.  Who would you be most thrilled to know is wearing your jewelry?

My friends.

6.  What is the experience of working in Bali like?

Working in Bali has been amazing. My goldsmiths now our the kids of my previous set of goldsmiths that are retired and fishing now. It has been wonderful to see them grow up get married and now have to enter “the real world” have a job raise kids etc. My aesthetic and constitution seems to fit Bali like a glove. I love the organic wild and at the same time laid back and very fatalistic tones of their culture. I am able to understand it and work within it very well.

PCI-Media Impact, a New York-based non-profit with 25 years experience using communications for development, is initiating its sixth year of the My Community program on November 2 with an international training on Entertainment Education and Social Marketing in Lima, Peru.

 The 32 selected participants – including radio hosts, journalists, community activists, and professors– representing Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, will participate in a five-day  hands-on training  and learn how to design, produce and broadcast entertaining radio soap operas that address urgent community needs.

“This year’s training promises to be one of the best,” said Media Impact Programs Director, Sean Southey.  “Between staff, community activists and media leaders, and representatives of current My Community coalitions, we will have representatives from  leading NGOs and grassroots social movements in Latin America coming together to discuss how to create global changes beginning at the local level.”

Media Impact received applications from more than 40 coalitions hoping to participate in the training, of which the top 11 were invited to attend.  After successfully completing the Entertainment Education training, coalitions are then eligible to apply to produce their own radio campaigns. 

During the past twenty-five years, Media Impact has worked with local partners worldwide to produce educational, culturally sensitive radio and television serial dramas that combine the power of storytelling with the reach of broadcast media to address social issues in developing countries.  For the past five years, this approach to social change has centered on the 8 to 12 annual My Community projects.

“We are really excited to meet and train the new coalitions,” says Mike Castlen, Media Impact Executive Director.  “They bring issues to the table that affect their daily lives, like child prostitution, discrimination against indigenous populations, and domestic violence.  We can help them address these heavy issues in an entertaining, effective way.  My Community thrives on this strong local buy-in; our partners develop communications strategies that are enriched by their in-depth cultural understanding and vested interest in driving local change.”

The current My Community projects address a variety of sexual and reproductive health and environmental issues plaguing developing nations.  Most recently, successful projects have addressed rising HIV prevalence rates in Central America, deforestation of rural areas in South America and the importance of demanding civil rights and civic engagement. 

This year, the training will feature a presentation by My Community partner, Asociación Comunicares, a coalition that has, for the past two years, produced a youth-run radio drama, “The Intruder.”  The group will discuss their successful experience leveraging local resources to scale up a community-level program to a national campaign. 

“Comunicares has been a strong partner over the past two years, and we are excited for them to share their experiences with the new coalitions,” says Queta Valdez, Media Impact Programs Officer for Central America.  “Showing the impact their campaign has had will give workshop participants a taste of what they can accomplish in their own communities, and a sense of how effective Entertainment Education tools are in achieving social change.”

To follow the training and receive daily updates, please visit Media Impact’s Facebook Fan Page or its Twitter page.