Category — Corporate Social Responsibility

Whilst William Blake campaigned to free people’s imaginations from the slavery of command and control authority (see below),  his acolyte Samuel Palmer envisioned the warmth, harmony and intimacy of community.  Like Blake, he was not successful in his lifetime,  again because he did not market his work well,  but his early Shoreham and later art still has the power to reach out to us today.   His early work could well have been the inspiration for Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings; whilst his later paintings are worth studying for what they say about the importance of environment and community values to our well being.

Use examples of his work in innovative brain storming session on improving staff experience.

For those involved in corporate strategy and scenario planning - here is an interesting idea to debate.  Niall Ferguson, Professor of History at Harvard www.niallferguson.org, is of the view that Malthus’ theory of population control due to limits in the food supply (Principle of Population), was not, as we have supposed, wrong.  Far from breaking free of the problem of feeding growing populations,  the countries of the world have been in the upswing of the feast/famine cycle for the last 250 years;  but we are all due to go into a downswing.

The population of the world, he says,  is due to pass the 8bn mark by around 2025, and 9bn by 2050; but the ability of world food production to keep pace is questionable.  Currently food yeilds are 3 tons per hectare, but to feed even 8bn people yeilds will need to be 4 tons per hectare.   Meanwhile,  a number of factors are conspiring to put a ceiling on food production - including low prices and a switch in land use to bio-fuels.   Whilst one swallow does not make a summer, the IMF have recorded a 23% rise in world food prices over the last 18months.  In the UK food inflation was 4.8% in June compared to overal inflation of 2.4%, and the forecast trend is even greater due to the recent bad weather - abnormal factor or long-term trend?  

So the debate to have,  is what effect would this have on consumer demand, corporate social responsibility and world trade?  And what would that mean for your market and organization?  Making poverty history may need a little more effort and innovation than wearing a wrist band. 

Modbury,  near Plymouth in Devon,  has an inspiring story of community spirit to tell - and better still they have put their ‘how to’ story on the web, for anyone who wants to copy them.

This year,  urged on by Rebecca Hosking, a local resident, the town’s shopkeepers banded together to make the town a plastic shopping bag free zone - the first in the UK.  From the 1st May 2007 no trader there will issue a plastic bag to shoppers - instead they will encourage all shoppers to either bring their own bag, buy a reuseable bag,  or issue a disposable paper or cornstarch bag.  

You may or may not agree with the campaign itself; the real inspiring part of story to me is in the way Rebecca has got all the traders to work together on a common cause.  A cause that has led to an increase in community spirit that they are now hoping to use on other community projects. 

It is often said in change management, that you can build collaboration by finding a common cause.   Modbury is a very good example of how to do it.

Packaging!   I hate it.  The residual mound of throw away cardboard, ribbon, and other bits can quite spoil a shopping trip.  I have a hoard of beautiful designer carrier bags - which might become antiques!!  A bathroom cupboard full of pretty pots and bottles I cannot bear to consign to the bin -which might just be useful for travel.  And a larder stocked with jars that might by handy for, well,  something.

I regularly ask shops to keep shoe boxes,  take back hangers to the dry cleaners,  buy loose vegetables,  and constantly forgo plastic carriers.  I recently asked Marks & Spencers for a brown paper bag.  The lady on the till asked another; they concluded they had ‘a bag for life’,  but not a paper bag.  However,  the idea was a good one and they would pass it on in the staff suggestion scheme. 

A Channel 4 programme this week by Mark Constantine, founder of cosmetic store Lush, took up the overpackaging cause together with the Women’s Institute , who have it high on their campaign agenda.    Three interesting facts emerged.

1.  You can complain to local Trading Standards organizations about overpackaging - they will then take it up with the relevant company.

2.  Many companies don’t think customers are ready for ‘naked’ goods,  and so don’t innovate ways of reducing packaging. 

3.  Packaging can bump up the price of goods threefold - you are literally throwing money in the bin.

I cannot be the only package hater !  I don’t particularly want to complain to Trading Standards - smacks of big brother.  So maybe  companies should do a syndicted consumer research study on packaging and innovate a little less waste!  I suspect a tipping point is gathering momentum - particularly in the light of issues with rubbish collections!!!