Keith Suter’s Global Insights
What on earth is going on?
Articles (8 of 27)
Archive Article: Corporate Social Responsibility. 13 Sep 02.
December 29, 2008 | The corporate crashes in the United States, Australia and elsewhere have again focussed attention on the issue of corporate social responsibility. I spoke recently in Brisbane at a corporate governance conference organized by the Queensland Division of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. I examined the problem of trying to define "corporate social responsibility" and I suggested an alternative approach. "Corporate social responsibility" is now an ambiguous term. For example, at another conference organized by the Australian Institute of Company Directors there was a person wearing a Rotary badge and speaking against corporate social responsibility. This is a bit ironical... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 6:18 PM Comment
Archive Article: A Shortage Of Water. 20 Sep 02.
December 29, 2008 | The United States is currently mediating a dispute over water between Israel and Lebanon. This is an indication of how disputes in the Middle East may occur as easily over water as over oil. The Earth Policy Institute in Washington DC has just issued a report entitled "Water Deficits in Many Countries". Its author, Lester Brown, explains that the world's shortage of water has been, until recently, an invisible crisis. The over-pumping of water from underground and the falling water tables are not easily seen. Unlike burning forests or invading sand dunes, these developments cannot be easily photographed. Indeed, the... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 6:03 PM Comment
Archive Article: New York: Garbage Capital Of The World. 27 Sep 02
December 29, 2008 | I have just returned from New York City for September 11-related events. As always, I very much enjoyed my time in the city. It is one of the world's most exciting cities. Unfortunately, it is also a city with major pollution problems. The Earth Policy Institute, based in Washington DC, has just issued a short report on New York as the "Garbage Capital of the World". 11,000 tons of garbage are produced each day in the city. If all this garbage were placed in a line of garbage trucks, the line of trucks would run for nearly nine miles. Most... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 5:55 PM Comment
Archive Article: Progress In International Environmental Protection 4 Oct 02.
December 29, 2008 | The recent World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, finished up with mixed results. But the international environmental situation is not entirely gloomy. The Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Norway has just published its "Yearbook of International Co-operation on Environment and Development". There is a group of six chapters dealing with current issues. I have a chapter in the book reviewing the work of Friends of the Earth International, one of the world's best known environmental non-governmental organizations. About 80 per cent of the book (which has a total of over 300 pages) are given over to a summary of... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 5:48 PM Comment
Archive Article: Mission's Spring Fair. 11 Oct 02.
December 29, 2008 | Wesley Mission has had another very successful Spring Fair. It is worth looking at this well known Sydney institution in a larger historical and social context. The Mission's Spring Fair began in 1914, around the time of the onset of the First World War. It is therefore one of the longest running church fetes in Australian history. Over a third of a million dollars was again raised this year - and so this makes the Spring Fair also the largest church fete in Australia. The Spring Fair is the continuation of a tradition going back for many centuries in Europe,... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 5:44 PM Comment
Archive Article: Increasing The Alcohol Outlets. 18 Cct 02.
December 29, 2008 | There has been a proposal to permit the sale of alcohol at petrol stations and supermarkets. This is the triumph of economic rationalism over common sense. The head of the NSW Liquor Administration Board has proposed that alcohol be sold at petrol stations and supermarkets because it is already being sold in shops next to them. It is claimed that the proposal would increase competition for bottle shops and hoteliers. This is the standard type of economic rationalist argument - the importance of the market over social (or health) considerations. But overseas experience shows how foolish is this proposal.... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 5:38 PM Comment
Archive Article: Does Terrorism Work? 25 Oct 02.
December 29, 2008 | Does terrorism work? It certainly causes a great deal of suffering. But does it actually work? Some of the debate since September 11 last year has been based on the idea that one must use force against force. The implication is that the "good guys" lose out to the "bad guys" because the "bad guys" are more ruthless and so are more willing to use extreme force. But does the use of force actually work? The answer may seem rather surprising but the historical record shows that the use of force is often counter-productive. A Royal Navy captain (and therefore... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 5:33 PM Comment
Archive Article: 2003 International Year Of Freshwater. 1 Nov 02
December 27, 2008 | The United Nations has declared the year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater. This is a timely decision because of the global concern over the shortage of drinking water. The world's population lives on the 2.5 per cent of the world's water that is both fresh and accessible. The largest reserve of freshwater is the Antarctic iceshelf, which has about 80 per cent of the world's supply of freshwater. There is a great deal of concern about the shortage of freshwater in Australia. This is the world's oldest, flattest, driest continent. Indigenous Peoples made a success of living... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:19 PM Comment
Archive Article: The Arc Of Crisis. 8th Nov 02.
December 27, 2008 | There is a great deal of attention to the prospect of war in Iraq and the continuing violence in Afghanistan. But it is worth recalling that there is an entire region that is in crisis. I have just returned from the annual conference of The Club of Rome, the global think tank. This year's conference took place in Turkey, at the country's first private university - the Bilkent University. With all the debate in Australia over private higher education, it is worth noting that this new university is already one of the country's finest and it is one of the... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:15 PM Comment
Archive Article: Some Of The Real Aussie Battlers. 15 Nov 02.
December 27, 2008 | There is much talk about "Aussie battlers" who have a daily struggle to survive. I have just been reading a wonderful book about some of these genuine Australian heroes. PP Cranny has edited a book entitled "Lodging: Conversations, Stories, Poems and Images from Sydney's Street Community". It is published by Reclink, a network of welfare agencies in inner-city Sydney. Reclink offers recreational opportunities to homeless and disadvantaged people who live or visit the hostels and agencies. Wesley Mission has been involved in this work from the outset and Ruth Polley, of the Mission's Edward Eager Lodge, is the Chairperson. All... Full article »
Posted by: Amanda Foxon-Hill at 10:10 PM Comment
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