How business leaders prove they care.
2/23/2004
As a one-stop forum for the latest in do-gooding, the development of this nonprofit site shows how the perception and practices of business's role in the world has evolved in the past decade. Founded in 1992, the org originally brought together small- and medium-sized companies for discussion; now a quick glance over the list of companies represented on its board of directors shows that the big guns have arrived: McDonald's, Unilever, the Coca-Cola Company, Ford Motor Company, and many more. What this means for visitors to the site: strong play given to issues facing global companies—and who isn't in a global company these days? The news corner focuses not just on inequities but, crucially, also on practical steps to improve conditions. For example, recent articles looked at the economic benefits to ending child labor, work being done in global manufacturing to better women's reproductive health, and ways to improve conditions throughout global supply chains. The list of almost seventy "issue briefs" offers accessible primers on everything from human rights to community investment.