The private-equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts (KKR), was famously branded “the Barbarians at the Gate” 20 years ago in a book of that name about the firm’s hostile takeover of RJR Nabisco. Now KKR is embracing un-Barbarian environmentalism, in a new partnership with the NGO Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Matthew hosted a fascinating panel discussion […]
It was not long ago that nobody interested in making a better world would ever have a good thing to say about WalMart, the giant American retailer, and owner of Asda in the UK. Yet speaker after speaker praised WalMart at the Economist conference on corporate citizenship that Matthew has just moderated in San Francisco. […]
Georgia Levenson Keohane reviewed Philanthrocapitalism for Slate magazine, hailing it as “exceptional” and saying that it “should be required reading in any MBA or public policy program”. Georgia thinks we should have given more attention to the question: “Is the “new” philanthropy really even “new”?” She thinks this is an important issue because, in her opinion, […]
Some people question whether companies can really bring anything unique to solving society’s most difficult problems. An interesting example of how they can make a difference recently came to our attention. This involved Nike, a company that used to be regarded as a pariah by critics of multinationals because of its labour practices in developing […]
On Sunday, The Economist hosted a debate in New York on the motion, “The business of business is business.” For the motion, Clive Crook, of the Financial Times and the Atlantic, and Will Wilkinson, of the Cato Institute, argued that this simple rule is a necessary “constitution” for business, to ensure that its managers can […]
Corporate philanthropy is rapidly evolving. As we argue in the book, what has traditionally been a discretionary activity typically in the gift of the chief executive, and of uncertain value to shareholders, is turning into a corporate citizenship programme designed to advance a company’s core for-profit strategy. If we are right, companies will be far […]