Blogs

Of the 44 MBA curricula we reviewed, almost half had some social-purpose-related material, but only two schools earned an A In 2022, Corporate Knights published The Social Purpose Transition Pathway, a report that graded companies on how well they were implementing...

Image: PixabayThe purpose ecosystem is coming of age. You can see this when you start coming across academic research defining it and studying its potential and constraints, when you watch it come to fruition through your or others’ deliberate efforts, or when over...

Image: Kindel MediaMore and more companies are adopting a social purpose as the reason their business exists. There are different definitions of a social purpose business, but fundamentally it is a business whose reason for being is to create a better world. This...

“Business leaders across Canada are increasingly aware of aligning their business with their corporate purpose. Businesses with more established [sustainability] may even be looking at putting their corporate purpose at the core of everything they do.” This is how...

Since our launch last year, the Canadian Purpose Economy Project has accelerated, mobilizing the Canadian social purpose ecosystem, developing tools to support social purpose stakeholders and influencers, and convening supporters across the country. On February 13,...

An invitation to CEOs to lead the way toward a social purpose economy in Canada

Policymakers everywhere now have a blueprint — and role models — for purposeful policy to better align corporate behaviour with public interest and to create allies for the work that lies ahead.

The private, public, and third sectors all have their roles to bring about a fairer, greener economy. How can they work together to forge a better future?

The private, public, and third sectors all have their roles to bring about a fairer, greener economy. How can they work together to forge a better future?

Corporate Knights’ recent publication presents insights into how 34 Canadian social purpose companies are implementing and operationalizing their purpose—and reaping the benefits.

A long and winding road has lead Peter ter Weeme to his current role as Chief Social Purpose Officer and VP, Player Experience at British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

We talk about some of the steps he took along the way, and his passion for the #SocialPurpose movement.

We’re in a moment of awakening about the role of organizations in society. Organizations are examining what they stand for in a world undergoing fundamental transformation. This includes associations who are at the interface between their members and the stakeholders...

Those critics seem to be coming out in droves this year. Some, like former Vice President Mike Pence in his Wall Street Journal piece, seem clearly motivated to politicize the work. Some, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk via his anti-ESG remarks, seem petulant in the face of...

Our client had needed to downsize by about 30% in the year before the pandemic, due to a ‘perfect storm’ of issues. We of course spent time unpacking those issues and discussing how the right strategy post-pandemic could make the firm more resilient to such shocks,...

Too many companies still understand their purpose — or fundamental reason for existence — as maximizing profits or shareholder wealth. How can they move beyond that narrow definition of purpose, towards defining how their businesses help address society’s challenges?...

Purpose in Canada just entered the ring. Corporate Knights, the famed Canadian publisher that annually ranks the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations, recently released its rating of 34 Canadian companies with a social purpose (a report I co-authored). It found...

With a growing number of companies adopting a social purpose beyond profit, Corporate Knights and I weigh in on the leaders and laggards in this report. You will know Corporate Knights for their annual ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations and...

The rapidly growing movement toward social purpose in business holds the promise of better ways of doing business, leading to healthier communities, restoration of our shared environment, and better outcomes for companies’ staff, customers, and other stakeholders. In...

Expectations of business and its role in society are changing. As society faces challenges including rising inequality, pandemics, recognition of systemic racism, accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss, stakeholders increasingly look to business to play a...