Lifeworth Consulting » Videos

Re-designing Capitalism – the role for business

Jem Bendell — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:44:04 +0000

The current debate about economic growth is based on false assumptions about the monetary system, so both management consultants and business schools must do better to help business leaders explore how to re-design capitalism, according to Lifeworth’s founder, Professor Jem Bendell, in a recent video interview.

Professor Bendell explains that the damaging effects of the financial crisis on companies are making some business leaders ask deeper questions about our economic system. Increasing inequality also presents risks to business, according to the International Monetary Fund and World Economic Forum. Meanwhile, as the costs of natural resources rise and our population reaches 7 billion, so more business leaders are wondering whether the world can support more and more economic growth. Professor Bendell, explains that management consultants and business schools have largely failed to provide business leaders with insight on these questions, and help them develop appropriate strategies. Throughout 2011 more business thinkers shared initial ideas on creating a new form of capitalism, but were too narrow in their analysis, according to Bendell.

He says we need to uncover our hidden assumptions in order to develop new insights into the strategic implications of our current crises. He describes how the current debate about the merits of economic growth is illustrative of how the wrong assumptions lead to meaningless and unresolvable debates. Professor Bendell explains that there are now four main views about the role of economic growth in society – pro-growth, no-growth, green-growth, and beyond-growth. These positions seem irreconcilable, and yet they are all based on a false assumption that the nature of money, and its mode of creation, is neutral in its effect on society. He explains how better understanding the monetary system could help resolve the impasse on growth, and lead to new approaches from business, even including new business opportunities.

The interview echoes arguments in his 2009 book “The Corporate Responsibility Movement”, where he suggests the fundamental reform of capitalism is now an issue for responsible business leadership. The interview follows up Professor Bendell’s TEDx talk on the hidden cause of the financial crisis, which is rapidly becoming the most watched speech on monetary reform available online. During 2012 Professor Bendell will be helping Griffith Business School develop its research and events to explore redesigning capitalism for sustainable development.

Interview at Griffith University, December 2011

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speech at TEDxTransmedia, September 2011

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video Interview with Director of UNPRI

Jem Bendell — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:07:46 +0000

In the belly of the beast of global finance, there are people motivated not by bonuses, but by supporting a more fair and sustainable world. These people can become allies not enemies of the needed transformation of finance and investment. The new networks and projects they are creating may be crucial in the coming years, as societies call on governments to make financial systems, and the professionals involved, more accountable and supportive of society as a whole. One important initiative is the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), whose signatories now account for a significant proportion of global capital. In this video interview the founder and now Executive Director of the UNPRI, Dr James Gifford, talks to Lifeworth’s Dr Jem Bendell about how the UNPRI began, the role of responsible investment, the extent of responsibility from investors, and implications from and for the financial crisis. In addition, the accountability of investors in making decisions on social and environmental issues is discussed, as well as James’s reflections on responsible leadership. To discuss implications of the issues raised, we recommend you consider joining The Finance Lab, which is a new multistakeholder platform for sharing ideas on how to create a financial system that will help not hinder a fair and sustainable world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Read more about the UNPRI or see more videos from their participants at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNPRItube

The Finance Lab is the result of a project initiated in 2007 by Jen Morgan at WWF-UK and Lifeworth’s director Jem Bendell. Senior Lifeworth Associate Cheryl Hicks is convening the online dialogue, and Lifeworth Associate Matthew Slater is cohosting the discussions in the Lab on Money Systems.

CNBC Show on Eco Luxury

Jem Bendell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:20:28 +0000

A TV show on CNBC about the challenge sustainabilty to the luxury industry is now available on youtube. Lifeworth Director Jem Bendell helped the Luxury Channel edit it, and he appears, along with the report he cowrote, called “Deeper Luxury”.

Lifeworth is exploring future such TV projects to promote awareness of responsible enterprise.

CNBC on Eco Luxury

The New Lifeworth Consulting Site is Launched

Lifeworth Consulting — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:27:34 +0000

I am delighted to announce the launch of the new Lifeworth Consulting website. It maps out what is key about what we do, and allows us to share some of the outputs of our work, such as our publications.

There are a three ways to navigate the site. First, you can select from the main menu. From here you can see an outline of “what” we do, including the services of strategy, creativity, communications, liaison and education:. In addition is takes you to information on the work programmes we have, including Authentic Luxury, Enterprise Trends and Engaging Change. Clicking on “with” will show you who we have been working with. If you want to see the 18 of us who are associated with Lifeworth Consulting, click on “who”. If you want to know the approach we take and the principles underlying our work, click on “how”. If you click on “Insight” you can access our latest “publications”, read our latest “news and views” or even watch us in “videos”.

Another way to navigate the site is to click on the tags in the *Jump To* box on the right hand column. The tags in this box will keep changing as the content evolves over time. A third way to delve into what we do is to click on news items, such as those in the *Where We Are* box, and then from there you can click on the category of the news item, to view related content.

We hope this will provide a way for you to get the information you need. If you like what we do, then click “connect” in the main menu to find out how to engage us, or sign up to our quarterly updates.

The site is driven by wordpress software. It again demonstrates the potential of open source software, after our new responsible enterprise careers portal, which is based on Drupal software. In the digital age, owning code is like owning the rights to using a pen and paper. I think it is in keeping with our transformative approach that we are now part of this open source movement.

Thanks to Sam Baja for working on the site for us, and thank you for visiting.

Dr. Jem Bendell
Founder/Director of Lifeworth and Lifeworth Consulting