Wayne Visser's Official Weblog


	Wayne Visser's Official Weblog Weblog for www.waynevisser.com

Baku: Cove of the Caspian

After going to Baku in Azerbaijan to teach a Masterclass in Corporate Social Responsibility, I was struck by the city's ancient history, diverse culture (with Turkish, Arabian and Russian influences) and sprawling modernisation due to oil revenues. I tried to capture this sense in a poem, which begins:

The scattered seeds of history
Lie sheltered in the desert shade
And watered by the crescent moon
Rise up to form a sickle blade

The full poem is posted on:
www.waynevisser.com/poem_baku_cove_of_the_caspian.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 5/15/2008 3:08 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

CSR 2.0

After nearly 15 years of studying and working in the field of what is variously known as CSR, sustainability, corporate citizenship and business ethics, it has become clear to me that we are on the cusp of a new era in the relationship between business and society.

Simply put, we are shifting from the old concept of CSR - the classic notion of "Corporate Social Responsibility", which I call CSR 1.0 - to a new, integrated conception - CSR 2.0, which can be more accurately labelled "Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility".

The allusion to Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is no coincidence. The transformation of the internet through the emergence of social media networks, user-generated content and open source approaches is a fitting metaphor for the changes business is experiencing as it begins to redefine its role in society. Let's look at some of the similarities.

Web 1.0 and CSR 1.0

* Web 1.0 was a flat world just beginning to connect itself and finding a new medium to push out information and plug advertising. Likewise, CSR 1.0 was a convenient new vehicle for companies to establish relationships with communities, channel philanthropic contributions and manage their image (which many called "greenwash").
* Web 1.0 saw the rise to prominence of innovators like Netscape, but these were quickly out-muscled by giants like Microsoft with its Internet Explorer. Likewise, CSR 1.0 included many start-up pioneers like Traidcraft, but has ultimately turned into a product for large multinationals like Wal-Mart.
* Web 1.0 focused largely of the standardised hardware and software of the PC as its delivery platform, rather than multi-level applications. CSR 1.0 also travelled down the road of "one size fits all" standardisation, through codes, standards and guidelines to shape its offering.

Web 2.0 and CSR 2.0

* By contrast, Web 2.0 is being shaped by watchwords like "collective intelligence", "collaborative networks" and "user participation". CSR 2.0 is similarly being defined by "global commons", "innovative partnerships" and "stakeholder involvement".
* Web 2.0 tools include social media, knowledge syndication and beta testing. Similarly, CSR 2.0 embraces mechanisms like diverse stakeholder panels, real-time transparent reporting and new-wave social entrepreneurship.
* Finally, Web 2.0 is as much a state of being as a technical advance - it is a new philosophy or way of seeing the world differently. Likewise, CSR 2.0 is recognising a shift in power from centralised to decentralised; a change in scale from few and big to many and small; and a change in application from single and exclusive to multiple and shared.

It is my contention that, as our world becomes more connected and global challenges like climate change and poverty loom ever larger, businesses that still practice CSR 1.0 will (like their Web 1.0 counterparts) be rapidly left behind. Highly conscientised and networked stakeholders will expose them and gradually withdraw their social licence to operate. By contrast, companies that embrace the CSR 2.0 era will be those that collaboratively find innovative ways tackle our global challenges and be rewarded in the marketplace as a result.

(Copyright Wayne Visser 2008)

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 5/13/2008 10:59 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

From "Flight" to "Wildlife" - More Everyday Inspiration

I have loaded more of my Everyday Inspiration prose on the web, including:

* Flight - Flight is the journey beyond our limitations ...
* Flowers - Flowers are Nature's way of smiling and laughing ...
* Food - Food is a universal language spiced by delicious local dialects ...
* Friendship - Friendship is the bond between hearts and the bridge between souls ...
* Generosity - Generosity is sharing that which you can least afford to give ...
* Home - Home is wherever we feel we most belong ...
* Leadership - Leadership is the ability to inspire individuals to act for the common good ...
* Love - Love is the ultimate human quest ...
* Music - Any music can be played, but the best music plays us ...
* Partnership - Partnership is the journey towards being better together than apart ...
* Radicals - Radicals are the root of all progress ...
* Responsibility - Responsibility is the choice we make to respond with care ...
* Rituals - Rituals are labyrinths with meaning at the centre ...
* Seasons - Seasons are the shades of blush when nature is changing ...
* Silence - All sound begins and ends in silence ...
* Space - The building blocks of life, the universe, and everything are the spaces in between ...
* Sport - Sport is a better peacemaker than politics or religion ...
* Theatre - Theatre is where we go to let others expose who we are ...
* Time - Time is our greatest gift ...
* Touch - Only when touched do we truly come to our senses ...
* Wildlife - We were all born to be wild and tricked into being tame ...

You can read these at www.waynevisser.com/prose.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 5/07/2008 3:15 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Poem - Life Scribes

This is my latest poem, which begins:

A fresh sunrise
A blank white page
Where we as scribes
Record our days

To read the full poem, go to: www.waynevisser.com/poem_life_scribes.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/25/2008 2:59 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Everyday Inspiration

I have started to populate the Everyday Inspiration section on my website. These are short (1-2 page) pieces of creative prose, on anything from "ageing" to "wildlife". They are not all loaded yet, but so far, you can read those on:

* Ageing (As much as age is a concrete reality, it is also an ethereal illusion ...)
* Art (Art is the mirror in which we see our truest self reflected ...)
* Beginnings (Every new beginning is just a first step away ...)
* Books (Books are the ongoing conversation of the ages ...)
* Dancing (Dancing is allowing ourselves to be moved by music ...)
* Dignity (Dignity is the saving grace of humanity ...)
* Doubt (Doubt is the shield we carry through the battlefields of life ...)
* Dreams (Dreams are the swirling smoke of our spirit's fire ...)
* Enchantment (Suspending disbelief is not nearly as powerful as never having stopped believing ...)
* Epiphanies (An epiphany is seeing the same world again, but differently this time ...)

To read these and other prose, go to: www.waynevisser.com/prose.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/25/2008 2:57 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Poetry: Q&A

Over recent years, I've given several online "interviews" to people who are interested in my views on poetry. Mostly, these have been questions by school children who have to do an "interview a living, published poet" project. So I thought I'd share some of my answers on my web. Some of the questions I answer include:

* Why do you write poetry?
* How does poetry impact your life?
* What are the qualities to become a poet?
* What first inspired you to write poetry?
* What creates an inspirational environment for the poet?
* Who are your favourite poets?
* What inspired you to use Africa for your poems?
* What is the message of your poem “I am an African”?

My answers are posted at:
www.waynevisser.com/poetry_q&a.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/13/2008 4:33 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Travel: A Promise Of New Worlds

After my recent trip to Manheim, I've been reflecting on the nature of travel, and wrote a poem, subtitled "A Promise Of New Worlds". It begins:

The journeys we plan
The trips we make
The holidays we remember
All are vivid fantasies
Conjured from desire
Unattainable utopias
Wished upon a dream
Sun-picked memories
Pocketed for a rainy day

I've posted the full poem at:
www.waynevisser.com/poem_travel_a_promise_of_new_worlds.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/13/2008 4:24 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Poem - A Tale of Two Cities

I have just returned from Manheim in Germany, where I am teaching a four day undergraduate course on corporate social responsibility to undergraduate business students. The trip got me thinking about how destinations often don't match our expectations, but nevertheless offer surprises.

Here's an extract from the poem I wrote, entitled "Manheim: A Tale Of Two Cities":

A modern city by the river -
The brochure purred enticingly
Omitting to mention
That it was flattened in the war
Then rebuilt as a lego-block town
Cut off from the river
By a ten track railway

To read the full poem, go to:
www.waynevisser.com/poem_manheim_a_tale_of_two_cities.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/13/2008 3:58 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Living Poets: Wendy Cope and Ben Okri

As part of the Cambridge Word Festival, I went to a poetry reading by Wendy Cope. Although I had heard her name and read one or two of her poems before, I was largely unfamiliar with her work. Needless to say, I left the evening a convert, having bought four of her books, which she kindly signed. I also went to a reading by Ben Okri. He is as inspiring and thought-provoking in "real life" as in his poetry and stories. I was delighted to get the chance to meet him and have him sign some of his books as well.

Here is an extract of the poem I wrote, entitled "Wendy Cope: Lasso Poet":

Her famous biting wit
With which she's known to poke
Is wicked when it's writ
But wickeder when spoke

To read the full poem, go to:
www.waynevisser.com/poem_wendy_cope_lasso_poet.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 4/13/2008 3:50 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Most Admired Companies, But Are They Responsible?

This week, Fortune Magazine released their list of the world's most admired companies. It got me to thinking. Does social and environmental responsibility get factored into our judgement of companies, or are other things (like good product design and efficient service) simply more important?

Let's have a look TOP PERFORMERS on the list:
1. Apple - no outstanding CSR/sustainability track record, or am I wrong?
2. General Electric - launched Eco-Imagination a few years back.
3. Toyota - Leader in fuel efficient, low emission cars like the Prius.
4. Berkshire Hathaway - Not really on the radar screen for me.
5. Procter & Gamble - leaders in innovation, but what kind?

Fortune does have a COMMUNITY/ENVIRONMENT category. The best are:
1. United Parcel Service - I don't know enough to comment.
2. Anheuser-Busch - Ditto.
3. General Electric - Fair enough.
But are these really better than our other CSR/sustainability "hero" companies?

A look at the INDUSTRY SECTOR "winners" is even more worrying:
1. For Petroleum Refining, Exxon Mobil tops the list (as they do for Financial Soundness and Use of Assets, coming 2nd for Long-Term Investment). Well, we all know their reputation, built on the Exxon Valdez spill and their legacy of climate change denial and lobbying against the Kyoto Protocol.
2. In Mining, Crude Oil Production, Occidental Petroleum is first. So where are the multinationals with more of a CSR/sustainability profile, like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto? They come in 3rd and 6th.

So what does this say about the importance of CSR/sustainability in the way we view companies? Clearly, it's a mixed bag. To me, these rankings show that "responsible" and "sustainable" companies can be among the most admired, but somewhat depressingly, so can the most irresponsible and unsustainable companies.

What do you think?

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 3/15/2008 8:02 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

The Universe Explained

Last week, I was watching a programme on Stephen Hawking called "Master of the Universe", as well as some YouTube videos by him called "Origins of the Universe". Apart from being inspired by his brilliance and tenacity (he types at something like 3 words a minute), it got me reflecting on the current state of thinking about "unified theories" of the universe.

I wrote a slightly tongue-in-cheek poem called "The Universe Explained", which starts:

    According to scientists
    The world's made of string
    That buzzes and fuzzes
    Or some such strange thing

The full poem is posted on my website at: www.waynevisser.com/poem_the_universe_explained.htm. Although the poem is a bit of fun (especially the twist in the last stanza), those who know a little about the latest scientific unified theories may spot that it is not as much nonsense as at first it appears to be.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 3/14/2008 1:59 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

CSR International

I set up a new CSR Yahoo group today, which has an explicitly international focus. Postings are moderated to cut out spam, duplication and non-relevant content.

NAME: Yahoo Group: CSR International

DESCRIPTION: Dedicated to promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) around the world. This is a forum for the exchange of CSR ideas and information including: best practices, case studies, conference announcements, courses, research findings, public reports, corporate reports and job advertisements. Postings are moderated to ensure relevance - both in terms of CSR content and international focus and relevance. No spam or commercial advertising is tolerated.

EMAILS:
Subscribe: csr-international-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Post message: csr-international@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: csr-international-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: csr-international-owner@yahoogroups.com
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/csr-international

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 3/05/2008 5:20 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

I Weep For Africa

Anyone who knows me will know that I am a great advocate for Africa. It is where I was born and where I've lived most of my life. I love the land and I love its people. As a result, most of my writing on Africa is in the spirit of appreciation and optimism. However, I cannot deny that sometimes Africa breaks my heart. Sometimes its pain and suffering overwhelms me - whether it is the genocide of Rwanda or the war in Darfur, the devastation of Aids in South Africa or the scourge of corruption in Nigeria, the disaster of dictatorship in Zimbabwe or the resource curse in the DRC. As my latest poem says, I Weep for Africa:

    I weep for the invisible:
    For all those who still live in darkness
    Because the light of the world's media is dim
    And poverty's face does not sell

The full poem is posted on my website at:
www.waynevisser.com/i_weep_for_africa.htm

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 2/21/2008 4:30 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Doubt

This weekend, I've been thinking about doubt. I'm struck by how often we think of doubt as negative and certainty as positive. And yet I'm not sure that I agree. Isn't doubt one of the things that protects us - from disappointment, from danger, from pain? And isn't certainty one of the things that blind us - to growth, to diversity, to reality? Here is an extract from a piece I wrote today as part of my Everyday Inspiration series:

    Doubt is the path to awareness, while certainty is the road to naivety.
    Doubt is like a mountaineer with a walking stick, which she uses to test the ground ahead before stepping into the unknown.
    Certainty is like a blind man without a stick, stumbling forward in the misguided belief that all obstacles will be cleared from his path.

You can find the full piece of prose on my website at:
www.waynevisser.com/prose_doubt.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 2/17/2008 12:47 PM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Partnership

One of the hats I wear is as internal examiner for Cambridge University's Postgraduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships. This week, I've been reviewing assignments, which got me to thinking about the concept of partnership. What does it mean to be "in partnership" with someone? What makes partnerships succeed or fail? I've captured my musings in prose as part of my Everyday Inspiration series (see www.waynevisser.com/prose.htm, note, I'm still uploading the backlog). Here's an extract:

    Despite its fragility, partnership is the rule of life, rather than the exception.
    The ocean partners with the sun to form rain.
    The sun partners with the rain to grow plants.
    Humans partner with nature and each other to form homesteads and communities, organisations and industries, nations and civilizations.
    On and on it goes.
    In short, life on earth is a grand experiment in partnership.

You can see the full piece on my website at:
www.waynevisser.com/prose_partnership.htm.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 2/14/2008 7:40 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Fog

What a strange and eerie delight to wake up yesterday and find Cambridge blanketed in a dense cloud of fog. I was so enchanted that I wandered around in the icy hazy snapping photos at every turn. I'm inserting one here, and I'll post a set on my website soon.

I also wrote a poem called - can you guess? - Fog. Here's an extract:

    I walked through the park
    Fascinated
    As murky phantasms emerged
    And melted into thick air
    Like wraiths in the netherworld
    Gliding between lost and found
    Hovering around murky lampposts
    Searching for signs
    To uncertainty

You can get the full poem on my website:
www.waynevisser.com/poem_fog.htm

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 2/14/2008 7:29 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

Watch this space

I've spent the past month and a half revamping my website - www.waynevisser.com. It needed a new look - something a bit more creative and dramatic (I hope you like it!?). Also, a slightly modified design, so that depending on whether you are looking for Information or Inspiration, you can navigate accordingly. I will be actively populating it with more pages and downloads over the coming months, and flagging new additions on this blog, so watch this space.

POSTED BY WayneVisser.com AT 2/11/2008 10:07 AM | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT | DIGG IT

MY PROFILE
Name: WayneVisser.com
Location: UK
This is not so much a diary as (in the spirit of blogging) where I share random thoughts as and when I think I have something vaguely interesting to say. This is also the place where I will flag what's new on my website - www.waynevisser.com - especially new writing, poems and art, as they are loaded.

RECENT POSTS
Baku: Cove of the Caspian
CSR 2.0
From "Flight" to "Wildlife" - More Everyday Inspiration
Poem - Life Scribes
Everyday Inspiration
Poetry: Q&A
Travel: A Promise Of New Worlds
Poem - A Tale of Two Cities
Living Poets: Wendy Cope and Ben Okri
CSR at Harvard's top 50 successful domestic companies?
Most Admired Companies, But Are They Responsible?
The Universe Explained
CSR International
I Weep For Africa
Doubt
Partnership
Fog
Watch this space

ARCHIVES
May 01, 2008
April 01, 2008
March 01, 2008
February 01, 2008