World Economic Forum warns of economic turmoil and social upheaval
The threat of fresh economic turmoil and social upheaval threaten to put at risk the gains produced by globalisation, the World Economic Forum said. The growing number of young people with little chance of finding a job, an increasing number of elderly people dependent on states deeply in debt and the expanding gap between rich and poor, were all fuelling resentment worldwide, the forum said in its Global Risks 2012 report. The survey of 469 global experts identified chronic problems with government finances and severe income inequality as the most prevalent risks over the next decade.
Corporate social responsibility remains tough to measure
Almost three-quarters of companies support a formal corporate responsibility program, up from slightly less than two-thirds in 2010 according to Corporate Responsibility magazine. The magazine reports that 62% of businesses now have a corporate responsibility officer on the payroll, compared with just 42% of those surveyed in 2010. Approximately 62% of organisations now have some dedicated corporate responsibility funds — although more than half of companies put less than $500,000 annually into this function.
Clegg recruits big business to fight culture of unpaid interns
More than 100 big companies have pledged to pay young people on internships wages or expenses in the Government’s drive to boost social mobility. The firms have promised to advertise all work experience places for young people in an attempt to end the “who you know” culture which can blight the prospects of youngsters from modest backgrounds who lack connections. Nick Clegg will today write to 50 other big firms urging them to join the scheme and hopes that it will eventually spread to the entire business world.
Community
ACCP and LBG partner to test a global approach to measuring corporate community investing
The Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals (ACCP), a nonprofit advocacy dedicated to corporate philanthropy and LBG (the London Benchmarking Group) have embarked on a pilot program to improve companies’ ability to measure the impact of corporate community investment. The pilot, focused on the LBG measurement model, launched in November 2011. Over the course of the programme, a series of intensive workshops will take place applying the model, which was adopted by The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) as their assessment criteria for measuring corporate community investment.
CSR Wire http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/33596-ACCP-And-LBG-Partner-To-Test-A-Global-Approach-To-Measuring-Corporate-Community-Investing
Equality
Pepsi Beverages pays $3.1 million to settle federal race discrimination charges
Pepsi Beverages Co. will pay $3.1 million to settle federal charges of race discrimination for using criminal background checks to screen out job applicants — even if they weren’t convicted of a crime. The settlement announced Wednesday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is part of the United States government crackdown on hiring policies that can hurt ethnic minorities. EEOC officials said the company’s policy of not hiring workers with arrest records disproportionately excluded more than 300 black applicants.
Stonewall names Ernst & Young as top employer for gay and bisexual staff
Ernst & Young has topped the list of Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2012 for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) staff. In second place is the Home Office and Barclays comes third. MI5 secures a position on the Top 100 for the first time, and is one of 25 new entries. The 2012 Index introduces new weighting for global employers that recognise worldwide support for LGB equality. Accenture won the award for Employee Network Group of the Year and the Department of Energy and Climate Change is named Most Improved Employer.
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