"Globalization is disconnecting networks of production and finance from a lagging system of global policies and institutions. A dis-equilibrium is being created between the domain of economic and that of shared values." -Luetkenhorst, 2004
The challenge of the private sector is to find a balance between government and civil society, where the notion of ‘citizenship’ is applied to the corporate structure. The challenge is to find the means by which businesses can apply their expert knowledge base, their economies of scale, their management efficiencies and their global reach in order to find solutions to development problems. Corporations are socials institutions which must build the bridge between business and the communities in which they operations. Corporations can be a powerful player in building a more equitable, sustainable, prosperous and secure future. The challenge is to leverage aid while creating value-added to their bottom-line and to society at large. These relationships should not be underestimated. It is a competitive necessity to utilize knowledge gained from a company’s value chain feedback networks. By linking risk to a company’s strategic intelligence, a company affects its bottom-line while becoming more ethical and socially responsible. The process is producing a shift from one-off partnerships to governance structures and more systemic change. Corporate citizenship is no longer a luxury.
Social Risk = Threat (Issue & Stakeholder Awareness) x Vulnerability
The Global Water Fund assists businesses with environmental, social, economic, and political barriers to water and business development.
- Implementing corporate social responsibility into core business practices
- Risk analysis for business development and investment
- Conducting extensive market research related to scarcity of resources and emerging needs in specific countries
- Facilitating dialogue between scientists and investors on technologies
- Soliciting venture capital funding for large-scale technical projects and local alternatives
- Developing strategies for global integration of sales and distribution of water-related products
- Gathering and assessing information related to country-specific growth, poverty & disease and impact on economic development of country
- Providing technical expertise on desalination technologies, wastewater treatment, and GIS modelling
- Assessing political and economic consequences of new technologies in emerging markets
- Preparing country reports and analyzing risk in potential markets
- Designing scenarios of consumption, supply and demand, and scarcity of resources
- Identifying competitors across business segments in various countries
- Evaluating current governments strategies and impact of new products on national security measures
More Information: