In a world with soooo many ideas, there’s no doubt that its only the ones that spread that win. The question is what drives idea diffusion? All of us have too many choices, and too little time. Seth Godin argues that we only notice the remarkable (worth making a remark about). We like new, we [...]

Consumers expect a lot (well, relative to before that is) of corporates these days, and philanthropy is still a big part of the corporate response. McKinsey has published a Global Survey on The state of corporate philanthropy, which tells us that a small group of respondents say their companies are reaching beyond traditional corporate goals [...]

I took this picture at a tube stop earlier. (Is that allowed?) I’ve been thinking lots about ‘open-sourcing’ of world-changing ideas recently - surely if you love something, you should set it free! I remember reading in The Times last year that too many entrepreneurs with social aims ‘hoard’ their ideas and need to [...]

Earlier today, Ed Milliband, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, was speaking at a conference I was attending on creating the conditions for public sector innovation. He made the point that this is necessary, but easier said than done, particularly when the public sector doesn’t enjoy the same levels of ‘creative destruction‘ as the [...]

Media-savvy Richard Branson seems to have caught on to the green agenda, and he sounds quite serious: ‘going green makes smart business sense‘. His latest company, Virgin Fuels, is investing heavily in carbon efficient alternatives to oil, such as biofuels. If the oil price stays high, investing in biofuels should produce good returns - [...]

Today, an interesting report was quietly launched at Skoll World Forum which I’ve been attending. SustainAblity one of my favourite consulting firms and think-tank, is increasingly referring to something they call Mindset 3.0. Just as software morphs through successive generations, 1.0, 2.0 and so on, the business case for engaging with sustainability challenges [...]