One of the big challenges for sustainable business is that sometimes it costs more. Although higher costs driven by sustainable decision-making is not always the case, if you are providing higher quality, paying your workers or suppliers more, or reducing pollution from your products then sometimes this costs more. While it is beneficial to ensure... The post Lower Cost Is Not Always Better first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
A lot of businesses have done bad things in their past. Andre Hoffman, Roche’s Vicechair and heir to the founding family, has a book, written with Peter Vanham, on a better approach to business. Amongst other things he notes how bad businesses can get better. (I doubt he would say that Roche was at the... The post Bad Businesses Can Get Better first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
It is hard to improve the world even when it should be obvious that the world needs to improve. When things look bad it may be helpful to look at history to observe people fighting injustices that most of us can, thankfully, only imagine. Campaigners in history saw plenty of occasions when it seemed like... The post Social Change Will Always Face Setbacks first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
Jacob Soll’s The Reckoning looks the history of financial accountability. He starts from early accounting and makes the point that tracking how the finances works has been central to the success (and failure) of many nations. The key point is that understanding money really does matter. Various potentates have over the years decided that financial... The post Understanding Money Really Does Matter first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
Gerd Gigerenzer has made some important contributions to the study of decision-making. As someone who has been educated in the US system (at least for my PhD) I find it interesting that he largely rejects that approach. He, often correctly, makes the point that a lot of tests of decision-making set those being tested up... The post Intuition Can Be Good Or Bad first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
The reason why business exists is to make the world better. This purpose, making the world better, can be more often honored in the breach than the observance. (I am using the common meaning of the phrase — doing something less than it should — not whatever Shakespeare is supposed to have meant.) That said,... The post Creating Social Impact first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
It is popular, particularly in left-wing circles, to note the presence of systemic problems. When you know a bit about how humans behave this makes a lot of sense. We tend to adapt to the situation we are in. Economic models help drive action. Similarly, you will often see organizations “dictating” the way people in... The post Believing In Responsibility And Systemic Problems first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
Rutger Bregman’s book, Moral Ambition tells us to aim higher. Why not have an ambition to improve the world? People have achieved amazing things in the past and there is no reason why we can’t make stunning progress again. Ambition Isn’t Bad In making the world better it helps to have ambition. That ambition needs... The post Ambition To Improve The World first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
One concern that people who care about the environment typically have is that developed nations tend to create massive harm to the planet and life on it. That concern is often hard to argue with. A valid concern has led some — let us call them the shitty wing of environmentalism represented by Paul Ehrlich... The post Leapfrogging Towards A Better World first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought
I have a confession to make. I think it is a bit odd when people click their fingers in appreciation of a comment. In some ways I get the basic notion — you don’t want to disrupt the speaker making the point. Still, making a meaningful show of support is what we have clapping for.... The post Being Part Of A Big Team first appeared on Marketing Thought.| Marketing Thought