There’s no doubt that 2016 has been a turbulent time for business and society. Yet with this instability has come progress and awakening. Many organizations took the opportunity to redefine what “responsibility” looks like – beyond just material issues or products and services – to what a company’s larger role in society could be. We saw moments in time grow into movements, employees roll up their sleeves on sustainability, and technology play a leading role in communicating to consumers. As the year draws to a close, Cone Communications evaluated a years’-worth of corporate social responsibility (CSR) trends to bring you the top 10 trends of 2016.

Billionaire Warren Buffet famously said that “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” As we begin approach the promise of a new year, Mr. Buffet’s words provide a reminder for businesses and consumers about the importance of a strong reputation.

A year can seem like a long time, especially when you’re in the ever-evolving world of corporate social responsibility and volunteerism.

Here’s the game. I will give you a quote, and then I will challenge you with the impossible task of guessing who said it. It could be Justin Bieber. It could be Kim Jong-un. Who knows?!?!

As a long-term investor and responsible steward of the assets it manages on behalf of its customers, Old Mutual Africa is on course to becoming the leading responsible investor on the continent, where it has offices in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Old Mutual Africa’s Responsible Investment Committee spearheads this initiative, ensuring that we continue to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations in the assets in which we invest. Marjorie Mayida shares some of the learnings along her ESG journey into the African investment landscape.

Employee giving and engagement programs are changing -- not dying.

SCS Global Services is pleased to announce that Jim Knutzon has joined its corporate management team as the new Vice President for Special Projects.

While making general health care accessible to all has been a focal point for the most recent federal administration, bringing specialty health services like optometry to underserved communities has not been the priority.

According to a CBRE Research report on Wellness in the Workplace, 79 percent of employee respondents said balancing private and professional commitments was a cause of stress, while 80 percent of employees said wellness programs would be crucial to attracting and keeping them at their jobs for the next 10 years.

An international alliance of over 100 MPs from 34 different countries have written to the world’s stock exchanges calling on them to factor in the financial risks of climate change.