OLD GM / NEW GM AND AUTO DEFECT ACCOUNTABILITIES -- WHAT IS FAIR TO THE VICTIMS AND THE COMPANY? General Motors was created with the merger of various companies and badges (Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and others) in the early 20th Century and was an example of the efficient large industrial enterprise with the scale and scope to innovate and manufacturing wondrous machines. (We remember with Olds 88, the Pontiac Trans Am, the Corvettes of our youth with great fondness.) Alas, GM also become scoleric and bureaucratic and in the eyes of both customers and “car guys,” lost their way. The end of the “old” GM era was June 1, 2009, as the firm filed for bankruptcy protection (Chapter 11, reorganization). It became “General Motors,” with the infusion of U.S. Treasury funds (US$49 billion in taxpayer monies) to keep the enterprise chugging along. New management was installed. Uncle Sam became a shareholder. “We” lost $10 billion – Treasury unloaded the “New GM” shares at $39 billion in December 2013. So “what” we might ask does the New GM owe the Federal government and the American taxpayers for the helping hand extended? Truth and candor, today’s critics are saying. The government aid was a lifesaver -- the company produced $20 billion in net income since 2010 (after emerging from bankruptcy). “We will always be grateful for the second chance extended to us and we are doing our best to make the most of it,” GM’s CEO (Dan Akerson) told The New York Times. This past week members of the U.S. Senate posed tough questions on what is being termed a cover up on the defects by critics when the new CEO (Mary Barra) appeared at hearings in Washington. The serious defects in GM cars caused crashes and killed people. She “repeatedly ducked lawmakers’ sometimes testy queries…” said The New York Times. Does a government helping hand put special status when questions are put to the head of the rescued operation? How do you think the new CEO is handling the situation? What do you think the government’s future of view of the “new GM” might be? Details in our Top Story this week. Top Story of the Week GM’s Barra: ‘I cannot tell you why it took years for a safety defect to be announced’
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014)
Source: Washington Post - General Motors chief executive Mary T. Barra faced a barrage of questions on Capitol Hill on Tuesday afternoon on why the automaker had ignored complaints about faulty ignition switches for a decade without reporting the problem... Sustainability in Focus Nike outlines global strategy for more sustainable business
(Saturday - April 05, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy
Source: MENAFN - Energy and Climate Change Strategy In 2009, Nike instigated the formation of new coalition of consumer companies called Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), which is advocating for strong US.... The deeper meaning of sustainable investment
(Friday - April 04, 2014)
Source: GreenBiz - Two crucial obstacles limit sustainability initiatives on college and university campuses. The first is financing and capital investment. The second is organizational process. I experienced these issues firsthand as president of... Investors can be catalysts in transition to sustainable biofuels
(Thursday - April 03, 2014) Associated Profiles : Eiris
Source: Click Green - The EIRIS mug Biofuels Report, produced by EIRIS and mug (EIRIS' global network partner in Germany), introduces different types of biofuels and shares EIRIS' insights into key environmental and social risks and... McDonald's Awards Suppliers for Advancing Global Sustainability Initiatives
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014) Associated Profiles : CSRwire
Source: CSR Wire - Climate Change and Energy The Coca-Cola Company routed orange juice from a processing facility to a ... human rights advisor to BSR (Business for Social Responsibility). "By highlighting good practices among its supply... Sustainability plan for old buildings
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014)
Source: Gulf News - Dubai: The focus on new buildings and development projects is not the only way urban planners want to achieve a sustainable city by 2030 – they are also now looking at old buildings and how to turn them green... Do new leaders have sustainable answers?
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014)
Source: Business Line - Last September, at the UN Global Compact Leaders’ summit in New York, we published the global findings of our study of 1,000 CEOs’ attitudes towards sustainability. Since then we have discussed the findings in Davos, in January... U.S. port sustainability focus of Environmental Protection Agency summit next week
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014)
Source: The Times-Picayune - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a National Port Stakeholders Summit next week in Baltimore to address environmental concerns and sustainability at ports around the country. As part of the April 8 summit... Reporting 'misrepresents' business sustainability
(Tuesday - April 01, 2014)
Source: PHYS.org - Several prominent Australian companies could be inflating their adherence to corporate social responsibility guidelines, often filing reports with "partial and missing information", according to a new report. The lack of... Euro delegates look to trade in sustainability
(Monday - March 31, 2014)
Source: The Vancouver Sun - For Vincent Roumeas, a business development manager for the Paris Region Economic Development Agency, Vancouver’s Globe conference is something of a hunting trip. He is part of a French delegation on the trade-show floor at Globe... ESG Issues & Players 7 reasons for any business to become socially responsible
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014) Associated Profiles : Business for Social Responsibility
Source: realbusiness.co.uk - Ivan Ivanov believes there are seven reasons why every business regardless of size, location or sector ought to become more socially responsible. For many organizations the initial impetus towards social... The 10 Companies Considered 'Best For The World'
(Friday - April 04, 2014) Associated Profiles : Corporate Knights
Source: Forbes - While most other corporate responsibility rankings, like the Corporate Knights Global 100, Ethisphere Institute’s Most Ethical Companies and Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best... America, Your Annual Energy Report Card Has Arrived
(Friday - April 04, 2014)
Source: 109.com - Even though Americans increased their use of renewable sources of energy in 2013, the annual level of carbon dioxide emissions increased for the first time since 2010. The news comes from the Lawrence Livermore National... Panel’s Warning on Climate Risk: Worst Is Yet to Come
(Monday - March 31, 2014)
Source: NY Times— Climate change is already having sweeping effects on every continent and throughout the world’s oceans, scientists reported on Monday, and they warned that the problem was likely to grow substantially worse... Asset Managers, US Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds High-speed stock trading is focus of several investigations
(Saturday - April 05, 2014)
Source: LA Times - If you're not investigating high-speed stock trading, you're missing one of the hottest trends on Wall Street. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. announced Friday that the Justice Department is examining high-frequency trading for... Norway To Invest More Of Its $920B Sovereign Wealth Fund In Renewables
(Tuesday - April 01, 2014) Associated Profiles : National Wealth Fund
Source: the9billion.com - At a staggering $920 billion, Norway has the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, and Norwegian Prime Minister Erona Solberg has flagged that the country is planning to invest more of that national wealth... Major state pension plans still less than 60% funded
(Sunday - March 30, 2014) Associated Profiles : Employees Retirement System of Rhode Island (ERSRI)
Source: Providence Business News - The Rhode Island state pension fund grew by $426 million in fiscal 2013 to $7.7 billion, the state Office of the Auditor General said Thursday. The Employees’ Retirement System... Watching the Watchers Global Water Partnership 
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Established: 1996
KEY PARTNERS
Co-founders are World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Swedish International Development Agency.
OVERVIEW/MISSION
The Global Water Partnership states its mission: “The Global Water Partnership's vision is for a water secure world. Our mission is to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels.”
BACKGROUND
The World Bank, United Nations Development Programme and Swedish International Development Agency established the Global Water Partnership in 1996. GWP's financing partners group is composed of North American and European governments, and its sponsoring partners list comprises countries and organizations that signed the Global Water Partnership Organization's memorandum of understanding in 2002.
STRUCTURE
Global Water Partnership is a network that includes "over 2,550 Partner organizations in 161 countries around the world. The network has 80 Country Water Partnerships and 13 Regional Water Partnerships." Global Water Partnership invites organizations working on water resources-related programs to join its partnership program. GWP also has a system of regional chairs and secretariats. News Sweeps Innovative U.S. Water Technology Solutions Showcased for Worldwide Audiences
(Saturday - April 05, 2014) Associated Profiles : Global Water Partnership
- U.S. Department of State - The U.S. Department of State showcased innovative American water technologies at US Tech H2.O,â a half-day event held on Friday, March 21 in Washington, DC in celebration of World Water Day....
Imran Khan comes to bat for forests in Northwest Pakistan
(Thursday - April 03, 2014) Associated Profiles : Global Water Partnership
- Eco-business - and a South Asia expert for the Global Water Partnership. Amir said some corrupt provincial forest officials are part of a timber mafia and must be replaced with honest officials for...
Opening ceremony of the International High-Level Conference on Water Cooperation came to an end
(Wednesday - April 02, 2014) Associated Profiles : Global Water Partnership
- khovar.tj - The International High-Level Conference on Water Cooperation has launched its work in Dushanbe. More than 900 high-ranking guests, well-known specialists and experts from over 70 countries of the world and... | Check It Out...
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Tuesday, May 13th
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- The Landscape of Sustainable Investing (Opportunities & Perspectives)
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Keynote Address / Panel Sessions / Workshops / Opportunity to Network.
| Ethical Corporation's 13th Annual Responsible Business Summit
 More than 15 CEOs and C-suite members gather at
Ethical Corporation’s 13th Annual Responsible Business Summit (19-20 May, London) to discuss the challenges and opportunities sustainability presents. This year’s summit features insight from CEOs at SABMiller, Alliance Boots, Sainsbury’s, Interface, National Grid, BUPA, British Land, The Southern Cooperative, ITC Hotels and PureCircle. Keep up to speed here. |  |  |  |  |  |
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_______________________________ Corporate ESG Performance Factors & SustainabilityHQ Corporate ESG Performance Factors are important to financial analysts, asset owners and managers, and many stakeholders. The ESG framework or approach considers environmental issues and impacts, the company’s positioning and actions on social/societal issues, and important aspects of corporate governance. ESG key performance indicators are considered by investors as proxies for effective governance and management. Increasing numbers of of independent research and financial analysis firms monitor and measure these and advisie investors. The Sustainability HQ™ platform is an important profiling and monitoring resource for the G&A team, and for our clients and subscribers. ESG market players and corporate reputation influencers are profiled and monitored by G&A Institute. In these Highlights we provide some results of our continuous global scanning for ESG, sustainability and corporate responsibility news. The Associated Profiles indicated are in our platforms. For more information, please email us at info@sustainabilityhq.com
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