{"id":1823,"date":"2018-02-05T11:29:53","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T11:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dgen.net\/0\/?p=1823"},"modified":"2019-03-30T23:35:41","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T23:35:41","slug":"are-we-about-to-do-something-useful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dgen.net\/0\/2018\/02\/05\/are-we-about-to-do-something-useful\/","title":{"rendered":"Are we about to do something useful?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Society is demanding that companies, both public and private,
\nserve a social purpose.”
\nLarry Fink, CEO, Blackrock<\/a> (who manage\u00a0$1.7 trillion of active funds)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Not all of the attention has been favourable, which makes this moment all the more significant.
\nMr. Fink\u2019s words mark a profound shift in the way business relates to society \u2013 a shift long in the making,”,
\nChris Houston,\u00a0Where is the money going?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Is it really the case that this is seen as a “new demand” from society?<\/p>\n

Perhaps I’m naive (or just cynical), but I don’t remember any point where everyone was happy with the way business worked (apart from the ultra-rich).<\/p>\n

What is the “profound shift” he’s speaking of – that someone in power listened and has commented that ‘society’ matters?<\/p>\n

Do you think there is a material difference between this now and, for example, when Al Gore and David Blood published their Sustainable Capitalism manifesto<\/a> (7 years ago), or when the UK passed the Climate Act<\/a> (10 years ago), or countless other statements from ‘important people’ over decades?<\/p>\n

What, specifically<\/strong><\/em>, is the leverage point here?<\/p>\n