Coalition action on sustainable capitalism

Professor David Grayson, CBE

“There is nothing so practical as a good theory!” one of my Cranfield, professorial colleagues is fond of observing. (I imagine mentally adding “soundly applied.”)

Institutional Theory of social change suggests the importance of organisations which can convene, socialise new ideas, capacity-build and codify new good practice for successful social change processes. Hence, the attention that Jane Nelson and I gave to the emergence, growth and development of the corporate responsibility coalitions, in our 2013 book (Corporate Responsibility Coalitions: The Past, Present and Future of Alliances for Sustainable Capitalism), to explain the movement for responsible business.

Being a force for positive change in the world: the time is now

There is an excellent report on the state of the world, and how to make it better from a group of eminent people, headed by the former boss of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, called Now for the Long Term. This group of distinguished, largely international public servants with some business figures was convened by the Oxford Martin School to examine how to “break gridlock on global challenges or risk an unstable future.” Their excellent report which, if you have not yet read it, I heartily commend, begins with an arresting statement: “NOW is the best time in history to be alive.”

How to optimise involvement in corporate responsibility coalitions

“Companies not yet active in any corporate responsibility coalitions should consider whether they can afford to continue to miss out” – David Grayson

According to a 2010 Accenture study with the UN Global Compact, 96% of CEOs of compact signatory companies believe sustainability should be embedded in business strategy and operations. Even allowing for this being a self-selecting group (one might expect CEOs of companies who have signed the ten compact commitments to answer in the affirmative), it does show the extent to which corporate responsibility is now accepted across the world.

The growing acceptance of corporate responsibility can be attributed to a number of factors, including the growth in power of multinational corporations as a result of privatisation, liberalisation and globalisation; and the information and communications technology revolution that means business can operate remotely and in difficult terrains (from deep-water mining platforms to the Amazonian rainforests) while being subject to intense global media and social media scrutiny.

“It’s no good just putting a triangular logo on something… we need to educate consumers”

In the the fifth video of the interview series with contributors to Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, editor David Grayson talks to Lynette Ryals, Professor of Strategic Sales & Account Management at Cranfield School of Management about her chapter in the book Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability which looks at the issues in sustainable marketing. Follow the discussion here:

“Each business coalition needs to look to its future… is it fit for the future, and can it play a bigger role in tackling sustainable consumption?”

An exclusive preview of the content of David Grayson and Jane Nelson’s new book Corporate Responsibility Coalitions: The Past, Present, and Future of Alliances for Sustainable Capitalism.

“The thing about sustainability is, people can see it coming… the question is, will they plan for it?”

In the the fourth video of the interview series with contributors to Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability, editor David Grayson talks to Mike Bourne, Professor of Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management about his chapter in the book “Cranfield on Corporate Sustainability” on how to deal with sustainability in terms of business performance. Follow the discussion here: