Media & Communications

Who owns the internet? The answer in the USA is “We all do”! The internet research and invention was paid for by US taxpayers and then turned over to the private sector, becoming the basic platform today for our entire economy and society!

The stage was set in 1970 by Professor Milton Friedman, who wrote in a New York Times Magazine essay: The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. He famously said in conclusion: “here is one and only one social responsibility of business–to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud."

As the wild ride of 2017 comes to an end, we reflect on a year that was replete with loss and pain, but also a year when leading corporations have stepped up on major social issues.

Through CECP’s collaboration with 200+ companies, hundreds of monthly inquiries and discussions, proprietary surveys, and conversations with leading experts and on-the-ground practitioners, we see six trends as companies lead during these uncertain times.

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey are encouraging responsible alcohol consumption and service during the 2017 holiday season through their award-winning Live Free & Host Responsibly campaign.

For the seventh year, the Jack Daniel Distillery and the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) have kicked off their “Operation Ride Home” campaign that provides financial assistance to active duty junior-enlisted military and their families to travel from their place of military service to “home” for the holidays.

Harvard Business Review is one of the most powerful of external influences for the corporate C-suite. Ideas, concepts and themes appearing in the pages (digital and print) of HBR create important initiatives in American companies. HBR editors are focusing these days on corporate sustainability in various dimensions.

What is Facebook thinking? We live in a values laden society. To presume that those values can be discounted and ignored and factored out of the algorithmic equation ignores the current reality of our society and world. It is still people who are using the platform and people are imperfect.

In its latest analysis of US companies’ action on climate change, the nonprofit CDP recognized 21st Century Fox as a national leader in environmental sustainability. The annual report evaluates the strength and effectiveness of corporate sustainability efforts, and this year, it awarded 21CF an overall performance score of A-, a higher score than any of its media peers. The honor arrives as 21CF celebrates the 10-year anniversary of launching its corporate sustainability program, committing to addressing its environmental impacts and inspiring its global audience to take action.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded CEGAH project, MSI, A Tetra Tech Company, partnered with Indonesia’s Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to create a unique film festival aimed at engaging more young people and creative professionals around government accountability and transparency.

Sustainable Brands®, in conjunction with Harris Poll and Carol Cone On Purpose and supported by Ketchum, recently released a comprehensive new report, Enabling the Good Life. According to a survey representing the general US adult population, consumers are shifting their focus away from status, money and personal achievement to value a life that is simpler, more balanced, and filled with meaningful connections to people, community and the environment.