thought leaders

The Drucker Difference - Craig L. Pearce, Joseph A. Maciariello, Hideki Yamawaki. Print. Copyright 2010 / Published by Tata McGraw Hill Education Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

It is in the social sector that we find the greatest innovation, the greatest results in meeting human needs and what we will do as a sector will determine the health, the quality and the performance of the twenty first –century society.

-Peter F. Drucker

Good Works! Marketing and Corporate Initiatives that Build a Better World...and the Bottom Line - Philip Kotler, David Hessekiel and Nancy R Lee. Print. Copyright 2012 / Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Establishment of a Corporate Social Norm to Do Good

IBM: "Addressing the issues facing the world now - from clean water, better healthcare, green energy and better schools, to sustainable and vibrant cities, and an empowered workforce citizenry - does not pose a choice between business strategy and citizenship strategy. Rather it represents a fusion of the two."

-Samuel J. Palamisano, Chairman, President, and CEO

Nike: "It's time for the world to shift. All companies face a direct impact from decreasing natural resources, rising populations and disruption from climate change. And what maybe a subtle effect now will only become more intense over the next five to ten years. Never has business had a more crucial call to innovate not just for the health and growth opportunities for our companies, but for the good of the world."

- Mark Parker, President and CEO

Offense : Choosing a Social Problem to Alleviate

It is true that economic and social objectives have long been seen as distinct and often competing. But this is a false dichotomy ; it represents an increasingly obsolete perspective in a works of open, knowledge-based competition. Companies do not function in isolation from the society around them. In fact, their ability to compete depends heavily on the circumstances of the locations where they operate.

– Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, "The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy", Harvard Business Review, December 2002

Stanford Graduate School of Business Diploma Ceremony - 2010 Graduation Speech

“For me, being part of the creation of eBay was a fantastic experience and gave me the resources to live my dream on a scale I had never imagined. But, throughout, I knew that telling stories that made a difference was what I most wanted to do.

That dream has now taken form as Participant Media, a company I created six years ago. Since then, we have released 25 films, including An Inconvenient Truth, The Cove, Charlie Wilson's War, Syriana, The Soloist and The Kite Runner. These films have been nominated for 17 Academy Awards and have won four times.

But for me it is all comes back to changing the world with a story.

What really makes me happy is to know that the film North Country helped ensure the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act. An Inconvenient Truth brought conversations about global warming into classrooms, living rooms and boardrooms all over the world. And, The Cove has helped to stop the slaughter of dolphins in Japan.”

- Jeffrey Skoll - a philanthropist and social entrepreneur

Marketing Management / 14e / Philip Kotler, Kevin Lane Keller, Abraham Koshy, Mithileshwar Jha. Print. Copyright 2012 / Published by Dorling Kindersley(India) Pvt Ltd / Pearson Education, Inc.

Managing A Holistic Marketing Organization For The Long Run

The most admired-and most successful-companies in the world abide by a code of serving people’s interests, not only their own. Procter & Gamble’s new CEO Bob McDonald has made “brand purpose” a key component of the company’s marketing strategies, noting : “consumers have a higher expectation of brands and want to know what they are doing for the world. But it has to be authentic with a genuine desire to do it.”

Stanford Social Innovation Review / SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS Best of Breed - By Philip Kotler & Nancy Lee | Spring 2004

Safeco: Changing Values for ‘Generations to Come’

In the aftermath of a 1996 wildfire that destroyed 19 homes and 17,000 acres near Bend, Ore., Gordon Hamilton, vice president of public relations for Safeco Insurance, called Bend’s fire marshal, Gary Marshall, offering to contribute $40,000 toward the purchase of new firefighting equipment. Marshall had been fielding offers of assistance from insurers nationwide, but, he recalled, “Most were offering to pay for coffee and doughnuts if the fire department decided to hold a community meeting.” When he heard what Safeco had in mind, he remembered thinking, “Wow, they want to invest some real money.”

Then, ever so gently, he rejected the offer. Instead of buying new equipment, Marshall wanted Safeco, a Seattle-based Fortune 500 company that sells personal and business insurance in 44 states, to pay for a comprehensive public education program on fire safety. “A new piece of equipment might save one more home,” he said, “but to really save homes, individuals have to take personal responsibility for their property before a fire.” His immediate aim, Marshall said, was “to market fire safety like Coca-Cola markets Coke.” His ultimate aim was “to change the values and behavior of citizens for generations to come.”

The Drucker Difference - Craig L. Pearce, Joseph A. Maciariello, Hideki Yamawaki. Print. Copyright 2010 / Published by Tata McGraw Hill Education Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

Peter Drucker was asked in early 1999, " What do you consider to be your most important contribution?" His answer:

That I early on – almost sixty years ago – realized that management has become the constitutive organ and function of the Society of Organizations; That management is not Business Management; - though it first attained attention in business – but the governing organ of all institutions in Modern Society; That I established the study of management as a discipline in its own right; and That I focused this discipline on People and Power; on Values, Structure, and Constitution; and above all, on responsibilities – that is , focused the Discipline of Management as a truly liberal art.

– Peter F. Drucker with Joseph Maciariello, Management, Revised Edition.

Harvard Business Review / Dec 2006 - Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility - Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer

Governments, activists, and the media have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country.

Many companies have already done much to improve the social and environmental consequences of their activities, yet these efforts have not been nearly as productive as they could be—for two reasons. First, they pit business against society, when clearly the two are interdependent. Second, they pressure companies to think of corporate social responsibility in generic ways instead of in the way most appropriate to each firm’s strategy.

The fact is, the prevailing approaches to CSR are so fragmented and so disconnected from business and strategy as to obscure many of the greatest opportunities for companies to benefit society. If, instead, corporations were to analyze their prospects for social responsibility using the same frameworks that guide their core business choices, they would discover that CSR can be much more than a cost, a constraint, or a charitable deed—it can be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage.