Each year, donors around the world spend over US$200 billion in aid for emergency response and global development. They do this with the intention of improving the lives of individuals and communities suffering from abject poverty, food insecurity, poor health, violations of their human rights, violent conflict, or natural disaster. Yet despite the commendable efforts of the global community, there are still millions of people around the world that remain vulnerable. In a recent blog called Managing Confirmation Bias in … “Letting People Speak: Tales of Traveling Through India to Listen to the Poor”
In a new article in The Cornerstone Journal of Sustainable Finance & Banking, I note that trust is “strategically important” to organizations—and once lost, extremely difficult to recapture. Trust in financial institutions, while deeply negative in many regions, is still quite high in Africa— suggesting a compelling opportunity for the banking sector to play a meaningful role in continued development on that continent. While an Executive Summary of the Journal is available to read free of charge, you will need to … “Profiting from Trust – Opportunities to (Re-) Define a Positive Social Role For Financial Institutions”
Debate at the recent Mining Indaba Sustainable Development Day in Cape Town, South Africa was a continuation of the discussion from the 2014 forum. The key takeaway from 2014 was that there is an onus on business to engage with affected communities in order to progress the development agenda. This year, Her Excellency, Graça Machel, President of the Foundation for Community Development shared her vision for the world, and Africa in particular, in a very engaging conversation with Dr. Anthony … “How NGOs Can Build “Trust Bridges” Between Stakeholders in Africa”
The HP Living Progress Exchange (LPX) is an online discussion that brings together leading experts and thinkers to share perspectives and develop new ideas to help make sustainable progress in three key areas: human progress, economic progress and environmental progress. On September 9, 2014, hundreds of experts from around the world joined HP and GlobeScan in the first online LPX to explore challenges and ideas in these three key areas of sustainability. The discussion was rich and enlightening, with some … “Engaging Experts on Human, Economic and Environmental Progress: The HP Living Progress Exchange”
Sustainable consumer behavior has improved only incrementally, and remains stagnant or has become less sustainable in areas such as transportation, housing and consumer goods, according to the 2014 Greendex survey. Let’s examine some ways that consumers can change their behavior to increase their sustainable consumption. The fifth edition of this Greendex survey detects increasing concern about the environment, together with increasing awareness of human activity as the cause for climate change coupled with growing concern about how a changing climate will worsen people’s … “5 Ways to Whet Consumers’ Appetites for Sustainability”
In celebration of today’s World Humanitarian Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked us to reflect on the following question: What do you think the world needs more of? Many people hoped that the end of the Cold War in 1991 would bring about global peace and prosperity. Yet the world does not look like a better and safer place today than it did twenty years ago. Looking at current events, naming one thing that the world needs more of appears easier … “What Do You Think The World Needs More Of?”
In public debates over environmental, economic and social issues around the world, some of the most important voices have yet to be heard: the voices of our youth. For over a century, Boys and Girls Clubs have been helping young Canadians discover, develop and achieve their best potential as they grow to become the nation’s adults, citizens and leaders. In 2013, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC) and GlobeScan joined forces to better understand global issues of concern to young … “How Canadian Youth Would Change the World: A Celebration of International Youth Day”
Sometimes you have to go see for yourself. GlobeScan and BBMG first published our “Aspirationals” consumer market framework in 2012, in which style and status seeking consumers are shown to have widely adopted paradigm-shifting intentions that collaboratively embrace sustainable brands and socio-environmental equity. Since then, many of our colleagues in global B2C enterprises have enthused about its potential to unite the sustainability agenda with their marketing and product innovation powerhouses by which they are usually dwarfed internally. From higher altitudes, … “Competitive Conformity: The Aspirationals in Southeast Asia”
Originally published for K Magazine, GlobeScan CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet, takes a look at how Asian consumer attitudes to business in society are changing and the need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility. Divided into a 3-part blog series, our first post looked at trust, optimism, and extending corporate leadership in Asia, our second on health and safety issues, while this post will look at the rise of ‘Aspirational’ consumers. In the first part of this blog series, we looked at the growing trust … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia: Rise of ‘Aspirational’ Consumers”
Originally published for K Magazine, GlobeScan CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet, takes a look at how Asian consumer attitudes to business in society are changing and the need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility. Divided into a 3-part blog series, our first post looked at trust, optimism, and extending corporate leadership in Asia, while a future post will look at the rise of ‘Aspirational’ consumers. This one focuses on health and safety issues. In the first part of this blog series, we looked … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia: Back to Basics on Health and Safety”