faulker031

The topic of the ethics of sports (see last week's blog) does not want to disappear from the news. Reading this weekend’s news about the death of a protestor during the Formula One race in Bahrain will raise eyebrows with any CSR (Corporate Social Reponsibility) Expert. Now it’s even Formula One, that has to answer questions of social responsibility. In itself this comes surprisingly late. As a sport, Formula One is not the environmentally friendliest sport. With 527 million viewers global television audience in 2010 it is one of the most powerful advertising platform for global brands making sure that even in the remotest hut in Indonesia or the poorest village in Tanzania consumers receive due induction the world of global (Western) brands. But be it is it may, Formula One is certainly a business success. Taken from modest beginnings in the 1970s by its current President and CEO Bernie Ecclestone Formula One is now a multibillion dollar industry. Run by – and for – ‘petrol head...

Corporate involvement in the Olympic Games continues to expand in size and significance. This year, the 2012 London Olympics will boast sponsorship on hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate sponsorship and tie-ins. But as the corporate money flooding into the Games increases, so too do the attendant ethical risks. For all the advantages of being associated with one of the world's greatest and most watched sporting events, it also puts you at the mercy of activists and other critics ready to use the Games' huge pulling power to target big brands. Adidas, BP, Dow Chemical, McDonald's and Rio Tinto are all currently in the firing line regarding their involvement in the London Games. So the big question for the companies is: come closing ceremony time, who are going to be seen as the ethics winners and who will be the ethics losers?  Four years ago, the 2008 Beijing Olympics also brought to the fore some major ethical risks for the Games' sponsors, mainl...

Our blog has been a little quiet these last weeks. No, we haven’t been short on ideas to talk about. Hell no, what a stretch of events we had. The facebook IPO – what a rich field day for business ethics, to which thankfully other voices have added thoughtful reflection . Or the ongoing ‘American Idol AKA Republican Primary’-show, where even a lunatic like Mitt Romney - who as a Mormon Bishop among many other things believes in baptism of the deceased - appears the sanest option; what a rich field of exploring ethical issues in the public sphere. Next to travelling and a busy work schedule there are a few domestic issues which have kept us busy these days. One of which was thinking about buying a car. Starting a family in North America obviously seems to equate with starting to become a car owner. In Canada, there is always the weather to blame, of course. But with public transport being what it is, trips to the supermarket, the doctor or the daycare just ultimately suggest you need a ...