The power to influence individuals' decisions is the power to change the world. Media has that power - it reaches more than 75% of the global population and the existence of an advertising industry demonstrates it can influence the decisions that we make. No government, no company, no supranational body has both reach and the ability to change our decisions. How can media help the world "accelerate out of trouble"?

It has become imperative for business to demonstrate greater social participation and create value in the communities where they operate. But the growing availability of corporate capital for social development has not necessarily resulted in funds finding an effective home. Money often flows to the best-known development programmes or is directed through governments or aid agencies with their own development agendas. This leaves under-developed and under-resourced initiatives, working on the ground to effect change, without access to capital markets. And while corporate philanthropy plays a vital role in the development of communities, is not enough to lift people out of poverty and address South Africa’s historic imbalances. The SA Social Investment Exchange (SASIX) is an innovative platform providing a range of high-impact social investment opportunities from grants to financial investments in responsible initiatives that offer market-related financial returns. This, together...

John Drummond discusses what beliefs he thinks would drive a force for good company, arguing that that the beliefs of executives are often more important than the stated purpose of the companies that they work for.John Drummond is the Chief Executive of Corporate Culture, a communications and social marketing company that has been a finalist for small company of the year in the Business in the Community Awards for Excellence 2008 for the past two years.  He began life as a journalist before working for IBM in sales and marketing for seven years. He was formerly Group Communications Director of United Utilities.

We wanted to find the people who had created a positive impact for society or the planet in the normal course of their business. We wanted them to tell their stories. These are the force for good pioneers.

This article contains the profiles and photos of the first group of the founding 'Force For Good' Pioneers. We will be announcing more in due course.