The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Tag Archive for ‘General Electric’

Why True Leaders Make Us Uncomfortable

John Elkington thinks that if busy people insist on getting all their knowledge in 20-second sound-bites, they are unlikely to be open to the sort of deep conversations that the sustainability agenda requires. The path to great leadership, he suggests, may involve what one executive calls “constructive discomfort.”

The Better Light Bulb Debate

The Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act (H.R. 2417) was a failed attempt in July 2011 by some Republicans in the House to repeal a 2007 law mandating increased efficiency for light bulbs sold anywhere in the U.S. Sponsors of the bill cited the 2007 bulb efficiency requirements—whereby light bulbs must be 25 to 30 percent more efficient by 2014 and then as much as 60 percent more efficient by 2020—as a key example of how government overreaches its authority.

Opinion: Globalizing Your Moral Compass

Keld Jensen argues that yesterday’s moral compass no longer points in the direction of today’s business ethics solutions – and that relativity may apply as much to business ethics as to physics. “Times have changed,” he writes. “As businesses operate in an increasingly globalized world, ethical conduct is no longer an absolute standard.”

BOOKS: In Search of Sustainable Excellence

“Sustainable excellence” is a term used by Aron Cramer and Zachary Karabell to describe companies that operate profitably, are committed to superior business practices, and “integrate consideration of society and the environment into their DNA.” Gael O’Brien reviews their new book.

Opinion: The Case Against the Case Against CSR

Tim Mohin, Director of Corporate Responsibility for technology company AMD, responds strongly to a Wall Street Journal Op Ed article which argued “The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility.”

Facing Pressure, Companies Agree to Halt Sales to Iran

In response to the threat of a public campaign by a U.S.-based lobbying group, Ingersoll-Rand joined Caterpillar, General Electric, Huntsman and Siemans in agreeing to halt sales of products to customers in Iran even though the sales are apparently legal and in compliance with U.S. laws that severely restrict exports to Iran.