For the Nobel-Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz happiness is just as important as the measure of the economic success, or failure, of a society. For Stiglitz, along with a growing number of serious economists the question is whether a single-minded objective to economic growth has led to governments neglecting other important goals. Goals such as social [...]
Archive for the ‘philosophy’ Category
The Measure of National Happiness
Posted in Business, Government, Sustainability, environment, philosophy, psychology on September 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Socrates, Money and Happiness.
Posted in Business, philosophy on September 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Most people think that if they had posses an abundance of wealth they would be happy and successful, however such a belief is certainly not necessarily true. According to the Greek philosopher Socrates the quest for profit and wealth is fine as long as such a quest is accompanied by knowledge. The philosopher argued that [...]
Big Business and Lack of Corporate Social Responsibility
Posted in Business, environment, philosophy on May 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In 1964 Chevron (then Texaco) began drilling for oil in the remote northern region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Prior to that this pristine rain-forest provided both the physical, spiritual and cultural requirements of the many indigenous inhabitants of the area.
Over the following 25 years or so Texaco made deliberate, cost-cutting operational decisions that resulted in [...]
Corporate Social Responsibility (2 of 2)
Posted in Business, Leadership, Shared Learning, Sustainability, management, philosophy on May 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) incorporates three key ideas:
The idea of ethical responsibility.
The idea that business and organizations, just as with individuals, can be held responsible for their actions.
The idea of obligations towards society at large.
However, certainly in business and corporate world, CSR is generally treated with cynicism. This is unfortunate and in [...]
Corporate Social Responsibility (1 of 2)
Posted in Business, management, philosophy on May 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The question is: As a SME business owner, or organizational leader, why should I have anything to do with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
Well as Geoffrey Klempner (see: http://www.businessphilosophy.co.uk) points out: “Apart from a few academic philosophers who have taken an interest in business ethics, or in the philosophy of business, all you will get when [...]
Leadership: Not that Word Again?
Posted in Business, Leadership, Life skills, Sustainability, learning, management, philosophy on April 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It could be said that the term ‘leadership’ has been, and continues to be, misunderstood and overused by ‘experts’ in the business, organizational and political worlds to a point where the concept has simply ceased to have any real meaning.
A ‘consultant’ who has never seriously studied, or understood leadership can call himself a leadership expert. [...]
Leadership is Not About the Leader – Not About the Individual
Posted in Business, Leadership, Shared Learning, Sustainability, management, philosophy on April 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Leadership, certainly in terms of ‘the exercise of leadership’, is not about individualism, but about being part of a greater totality. It is not about the lionization, or acclaim, of this or that person, but about the success of the enterprise as an ensemble of people working together for the overall benefit of all.
It could [...]
AIG – An Organization Without Leadership
Posted in Business, Leadership, Sustainability, management, philosophy on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
An organization with the guile to insist on paying (with, or without , contracts) bonuses of $165 so as to keep ‘top’ people on board, that is after receiving billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money in order to bail it out following the lost billions of dollars making crazy decisions, is to say the least, bizarre.
However, it should not [...]
What is Leadership? A legitimate question?
Posted in Business, Leadership, Sustainability, learning, management, philosophy on February 18, 2009 | Comments Off
There is little doubt that many people in the business, organizational and social fields are today seeking to find out about the concept and practice of leadership, as indeed many are writing about it.
It could be supposed that this increased interest is due to the challenges that organizations in the business and social domains are [...]
How Can You Make 2009 A Happier Year?
Posted in Leadership, Life skills, learning, philosophy on January 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The simple answer is:
Truly knowing what makes most of us genuinely happy and doing something about it in 2009.
What many psychologists and researchers are now finding – indeed, what many philosophers throughout history have been saying - and that is: Your actions can indeed have a significant effect on your happiness and well-being in life, as [...]
