Something is happening to ownership. Does it matter?  I believe that it does. The way companies behave will shape the health of our society. It is likely – although not inevitable – that the way companies are owned will shape how they behave. Companies are unlikely to get far as a force for good if their owners don’t like the idea! That is why Tomorrow’s Company is exploring the question “What is happening to ownership?”. What do you think?

The affordability of pensions and how they are to be funded must be looked at in the light of the nation’s long-term economic and social objectives.  In this context, the terms ‘support’ and ‘dependence’ are used and measured in an unhelpful way that incorrectly assumes a one-way relationship.  The elderly are depicted as dependent ‘takers’, but they also support the economy and society through paying taxes and voluntary activities. Instead of looking at the ‘old age support ratio’ policymakers should focus on the ‘total economic support ratio’, which relates the number of people who are working to the numbers not working.  This was 0.48 in 2003 and is projected to decline to 0.45 by 2041.  At this point it will be almost the same as it was in 1961.

The business model of the future rests on an alliance between economics and humanism. Social entrepreneurs and visionary business leaders are showing us how to do good

Dialogue between Anthony Alexander, writer, consultant and Director for Research for Alan Baxter & Associates engineering and planning consultancy; and David Vigar, report author.   AA: My work in the built environment sector is focussed on the practical delivery of carbon reductions. This is affected by a number of factors including: the extremely long development cycles in planning, urban design, architecture and construction, the need to transform the working practices and business models of the commercial property sector, and the institutional inertia and steep learning curve related to any change in policy.    Hence, I thought your analogy in the introduction to the Beyond Peak Carbon report that the government was like an architect and business was like a builder was rather an interesting one. 

National Conference -National HRD NetworkMumbaiNov 25, 2009 The following article is Anand Mahindra’s superb address given to the National HRD Network in Mumbai – a gathering of hundreds of the nation’s business and HR leaders.