Disqus - Latest Comments for JeffMowatt

Re: Purpose in Action: The Secret to Building and Sustaining High-Performance Organizations

JeffMowatt — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 03:58:31 -0000

As a practitioner of purpose-driven business I shared our worlk with McKinsey in Long Term Capitalism . As we argued in a 'Marshall Plan' for Ukraine 2006:

"An inherent assumption about capitalism is that profit is
defined only in terms of monetary gain. This assumption is virtually
unquestioned in most of the world. However, it is not a valid
assumption. Business enterprise, capitalism, must be measured in terms
of monetary profit. That rule is not arguable. A business enterprise
must make monetary profit, or it will merely cease to exist. That is an
absolute requirement. But it does not follow that this must necessarily
be the final bottom line and the sole aim of the enterprise. How this
profit is used is another question. It is commonly assumed that profit
will enrich enterprise owners and investors, which in turn gives them
incentive to participate financially in the enterprise to start with.

"That, however, is not the only possible outcome for use
of profits. Profits can be directly applied to help resolve a broad
range of social problems: poverty relief, improving childcare, seeding
scientific research for nationwide economic advancement, improving
communications infrastructure and accessibility, for examples – the
target objectives of this particular project plan. The same financial
discipline required of any conventional for-profit business can be
applied to projects with the primary aim of improving socioeconomic
conditions. Profitability provides money needed to be self-sustaining
for the purpose of achieving social and economic objectives such as
benefit of a nation’s poorest, neediest people. In which case, the
enterprise is a social enterprise."

Re: Reforms in exchange for investments – EU сommission is starting to implement Marshall plan for a Ukraine

JeffMowatt — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 13:33:03 -0000

A decade ago this month the EU were introduced to a 'Marshall Plan' for Ukraine in the 2008 citizen consultation. Comminssioner Michel Barnier, then VP of the EPP read it in 2012. http://web.archive.org/web/...

Re: Bad Growth vs Good Growth: How to Protect the Earth and Have a Vibrant, More Equitable Market Economy

JeffMowatt — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 03:13:11 -0000

The Economics for Ecology conferences at Sumy gave us the opportunity to repeat the call for a new economic system which we all get to invent. The second presentation was the treatise for a people-centered approach where value is measured in terms of human beings rather than money imagined into existence as debt: http://wp.p-ced.org/project...

Re: Christian, What’s Your Impact in the Business Arena?

JeffMowatt — Sat, 25 Aug 2018 02:49:12 -0000

In 2009 with Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict wrote of the need for ethics which are people-centered. The founder of people-centered economics lost his life in his efforts to help vulnerable children in Ukraine: https://medium.com/@peoplec...

Re: Toward a generative economy

JeffMowatt — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 13:23:17 -0000

I've not been aware of the term generative business but it appears to be much the same as the social purpose approach where social and environmental benefit are the primary objective. I described this to McKinsey several years ago from the perspective of a practitioner, as The New Bottom Line http://www.managementexchan...

Re: British experts say Ukraine has to help itself before asking for help from West within 'Marshall Plan'

JeffMowatt — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 13:24:59 -0000

As the British authors of 'Microeconomic Development and Social Enterprise' a 'Marshall Plan for Ukraine, I know there have been many calls for such a strategy, even in Maidan's 2014 appeal to the EU. Who these "British experts" are would be interesting to know.

Re: It’s Time to Base Economics on Human Nature, Not Homo Economicus

JeffMowatt — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 14:38:36 -0000

“Economics, and indeed human civilization, can only be
measured and calibrated in terms of human beings. Everything in
economics has to be adjusted for people, first, and abandoning the
illusory numerical analyses that inevitably put numbers ahead of people,
capitalism ahead of democracy, and degradation ahead of compassion.” That was the beginning of people-centered economics:
http://www.p-ced.com/1/node/38

Re: We’re Not as Selfish as Economists Think We Are. Here’s the Proof.

JeffMowatt — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 13:21:47 -0000

When the FTSE took a dive on Friday, I thought of the words of Pope Francis pointing out that a fall in stock markets was more tragic than the fate of those disposed of as if they were trash. There are other perspectives https://www.2degreesnetwork...

Re: The Rise of Finance and The Fall of American Business

JeffMowatt — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 02:02:35 -0000

"What is not guesswork is that the broken – again –
capitalist system, be it traditional economics theories in the West or
hybrid communism/capitalism in China, is sitting in a world where the
existence of human beings is at grave risk, and it's no longer alarmist
to say so.

The question at hand is what to do next, and how to do
it. We all get to invent whatever new economics system that comes next,
because we must."

http://www.managementexchan...

Re: Want to Kill Your Economy? Have MBA Programs Churn out Takers Not Makers.

JeffMowatt — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 02:07:08 -0000

When Geof Mulgan of Nesta wrote a book about the future of capitalism he used locusts and bees as metaphors for the predators and pollinators of our economy

"Capitalism has always comprised both predators and
creators (locusts and bees) and if the recent financial crisis taught us
anything, it is that crises occur when capitalism’s predators become
too powerful – extracting value rather than creating it."

https://www.linkedin.com/pu...

Re: How Finance Behaves like a Parasite Toward the Economy

JeffMowatt — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 04:28:22 -0000

"Capitalism has always comprised both predators and creators
(locusts and bees) and if the recent financial crisis taught us
anything, it is that crises occur when capitalism’s predators become too
powerful – extracting value rather than creating it." said Geof Mulgan

Academics and business leaders who imagine a new form of capitalism share the belief that business should contribute more than it extracts from society. Here's what happens when its put into practice:

https://www.linkedin.com/pu...

Re: What Is the Role of Morality in a Capitalist Economy?

JeffMowatt — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 04:20:39 -0000

"Capitalism is the most powerful economic engine ever
devised, yet it came up short with its classical, inherent profit-motive
as being presumed to be the driving force. Under that presumption, all
is good in the name of profit became the prevailing winds of
international economies — thereby giving carte blanche to the notion
that greed is good because it is what has driven capitalism. The 1996
paper merely took exception with the assumption that personal profit,
greed, and the desire to amass as much money and property on a personal
level as possible are inherent and therefore necessary aspects of any
capitalist endeavour. While it is in fact very normal for that to be the
case, it simply does not follow that it must be the case." https://www.linkedin.com/pu...

Re: It’s Not What a Business Does, But How They Do It

JeffMowatt — Fri, 27 May 2016 02:03:43 -0000

Corey, as a software business our efforts were directed at the primary goal of transitioning children from institutions to loving family homes. It began with a business model for social good, a people-centered business. If you Google 'What is the Purpose of Business?" you should be able to find it.

Re: Why most big companies lack a true higher purpose

JeffMowatt — Thu, 26 May 2016 04:46:21 -0000

While I agree entirely with what the article says about purpose wash in big business, from the perspective of running a purpose driven small business it is also true that PR firms move in to dominate and control the debate,to the detriment of those who are walking the talk.

Re: How to stay human

JeffMowatt — Wed, 25 May 2016 13:06:50 -0000

Profit over people as Noam Chomsky described it, yet there was little interest in economics measured and calibrated in human terms, people over profit http://www.p-ced.com/1/node...

Re: The Dumbest Business Idea Ever. The Myth of Maximizing Shareholder Value

JeffMowatt — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 13:01:33 -0000

Lynne Stout's book validated an assertion made about doing business for social benefit . http://www.p-ced.com/1/node...

Re: Sadiq Khan gets social enterprise

JeffMowatt — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:15:37 -0000

Interestingly it was Saddiq Khan's constituency where I introduced our social enterprise in 2004 when we called on goverment support for business which takes the bottom line past profit to people http://www.p-ced.com/1/node/30

Re: Is This the Future of Economics?

JeffMowatt — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 13:35:31 -0000

20 years ago, it was almost heresy to suggest that capitalism was flawed. Bill Clinton, then US president was warned http://www.p-ced.com/1/node/60

Re: Modernising Ukraine

JeffMowatt — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 02:48:06 -0000

Ursino, One of the other peers involved, Lord Risby had been introduced to the 'Marshall Plan' after publication online in 2007, by a staff member of the British Ukrainian Society. The introduction was also forwarded to John Grogan, chairman of the APPG on Ukraine.

Re: Ursala K. Le Guin's Call to Authors

JeffMowatt — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 01:26:20 -0000

Re: A call to action for the common good - Welcome to a story of hope

JeffMowatt — Fri, 29 May 2015 13:49:11 -0000

Good to find you - here's P-CED:

"Our social purpose is poverty relief and childcare reform in the former
Soviet Union. Core framework is straightforward: to build bridges of
friendship based on common ground for the common good in the former
Soviet bloc. We firmly believe that this "soft power" approach to
international relations is inevitably the only solid ground for
establishing and building understanding, good will and peace. We have
therefore pursued that strategy from the beginning of P-CED. In this
regard we consider that Peace is our Business."

http://www.p-ced.com/1/about

Re: Is social enterprise becoming a reactionary force?

JeffMowatt — Thu, 14 May 2015 15:12:09 -0000

What I noted about Benefit Corporations was that they advocate amendment to the corporate charter declaring non-stockholder interest. It was in North Carolina 19 years ago that this was proposed in a form know as People-Centered Economic Development which made the case for business putting people before profit maximisation. Hence the name. What it also argued is that it was within the law to do this, with consent of directors and stockholders, rather than "doing well by doing good". I now ask where human rights are concerned, should we not disregard law that denies this? http://www.p-ced.com/1/node... .

Re: Five ways to deal with a full blown Conservative Government | Blog | Class: Centre for Labour and Social Studies

JeffMowatt — Sat, 09 May 2015 11:25:56 -0000

That is exactly what has been happening since calling on Labour to put people before profit http://www.p-ced.com/1/node...

Re: Former Md. Congressman: ‘We Need a Marshall Plan’ for Baltimore :: Grabien - The Multimedia Marketplace

JeffMowatt — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 03:30:47 -0000

You do indeed. here's someone who had this in mind https://www.2degreesnetwork...

Re: Russian aggression in Ukraine and the Baltics

JeffMowatt — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 02:51:16 -0000

Perhaps Europeans should be asking their MEPs why Ukraine and Maidan never go the 'Marshall Plan' they called for? http://www.p-ced.com/1/node...