Month of September, 2011

IBM surveyed more than 10,000 people to explore the wants and needs of energy consumers worldwide. To help illustrate the survey results, IBM hit the streets of New York to hear from a few consumers about their perceptions and knowledge of energy.

The number of business schools teaching MBA students to examine the social, environmental and ethical impacts of business decisions continues to grow, spurred by the global economic downturn, rising student demand and increased faculty willingness to explore those issues, according to the Aspen Institute’s Beyond Grey Pinstripes, biennial survey and alternative ranking of business schools.

The banking system is of vital importance to the creation of a social economy, yet there is much distrust and anger on both sides of the spectrum. Indeed, if one cannot deny the damage done by banks during the recent economic crisis, it is also true that financial firms can offer social enterprises access to capital, networks and expertise.

The GRI NGO Supplement is a version of GRI’s G3 Guidelines tailored for NGOs. The G3 Guidelines are to be used by organizations for measuring and reporting on the economic, environmental, social, and governance dimensions of their activities, products, and services.

Most Americans work full-time because they must. Part-time jobs typically have lower hourly pay and no benefits. Instead of using higher productivity at the national level to increase consumption, why not use it to reduce work hours?

This Discussion Paper considers the rationale behind the move towards Integrated Reporting, offers initial proposals for the development of an International Integrated Reporting Framework and outlines the next steps towards its creation and adoption, including the publication of an Exposure Draft in 2012

The GfK Roper Consulting Green Gauge Report is the only nationwide, long-term syndicated study of consumer attitudes and behaviors towards the environment.

The essays collected here were developed from papers first delivered at a research seminar on youth employment organised by the partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Commission in the field of youth. They represent a diverse and, at times, provocative collection of analytic snapshots of the position of young people on the European labour market.

The toolkit provides useful methodology for evaluating the positive and negative economic and social effects of mining at the local, regional and national levels in mining countries.

It is important that companies take the time to properly understand the communities they work with including their particular context, concerns and aspirations. This Guide aims to assist help companies achieve those constructive relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

This report on Ecosystems for Water and Food Security is part of UNEP’s contribution to the global food crisis,  developed in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and other partners. The report explored the links between ecosystems, water and food, and illustrate how resilient ecosystems can support and increase food security.

The World Economic Forum's report on innovative business models that can improve sustainable food production and help to reduce poverty in developing countries.

The World Economic Forum has published this report on innovative approaches through which companies across a broad range of industries can tap the economic potential of the “base of the pyramid” (BOP), generating sustainable economic growth while improving the livelihoods of the poor.

The World Economic Forum’s Responsible Mineral Development Initiative (RMDI) was launched to explore the views, priorities and concerns of key stakeholders on mineral development, and to seek answers on what works. This report presents the preliminary findings of research covering 13 countries in three regions.

The Responsible Business offers a new and strategic approach to doing business that holistically integrates responsibility into all aspects of an organization, allowing for returns at every level, business and social.

The second Ad Hoc Expert Group meeting tought to assess whether existing monitoring tools on diversity, particularly in relation to migrants and ethnic and religious minorities, are effective and suggested options for addressing the limitations identified, including indicators, targets, and benchmarks.