Appealing to B Corps for Collaboration
In 2009. following publication of our ‘Marshall Plan’ proposal I approached B Labs, seeking collaboration in business with a ‘New Bottom Line’.
Included in the information I shared with them was the synopsis of our 1996 position paper which challenged the widely held belief, that a corporation is legally bound to maximise shareholder returns.
From: Jeff Mowatt <jeff.mowatt@btinternet.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:00:48 +0000 (GMT)
To: <thelab@bcorporation.net>
Subject: B Corps membership
I was interested enough to register on your site a while ago, but there’s little more that I can do now, it seems.
In 2004, I created a business with a profit for social purpose business model which has a mission in Eastern Europe.
It’s named after the model proposed in a 1996 white paper for President Clinton re-election committee. Terry Hallman the author deployed it in Russia in 1999 to source the Tomsk initiative and microfinance bank.
http://www.p-ced.com/about/history/
http://www.p-ced.com/projects/russia/
http://www.iccrimea.org/scholarly/economicdev.html
We set focus on Ukraine since launching in the UK and in 2006 published a microeconomic ‘Marshall Plan’ which has since influenced several areas of government policy
There are many items in your survey which I really can’t respond to although I believe we are working toward the same ends. I don’t know if it’s a question of our limited visibility, but in the field of social enterprise I’ve often felt there’s competion where there should be collaboration, such that one organisation fails to endorse the efforts and achievement of others.
We’re a very small organisation, not in any way a corporation but I believe we’re creating impact that as yet hasn’t come up on radar.
Regards,
Jeff.
The response at the time from Hardik Savalai was to say::
“Unfortunately we are not at a point yet where we are able to certify companies outside the US. But many foreign companies are still using the B Ratings System to benchmark their own performance and help start similar conversations in their countries. “
7 years later in 2015, B Labs would be among those beginning to question shareholder primacy, when Jae Coen Gilbert spoke of the potential for tackling society’s greatest challenges.
One of these challenges was the crisis in Ukraine and in particular the appalling conditions in childcare institutions. The ‘Death Camps, For Children’ issue and appeals for support which were reported on our founders death in 2011.
These appeals included the 2008 EU Citizen Consultation on the economic and social future of Europe.
In 2013, the EU hosted a conference on people-centred business in Strasbourg. It was about business which puts people rather than profit at the heart of business. As described in our paper illustrated by our actions.
In February 2014 Maidan leaders appealed for support from the EU including a ‘Marshall Plan’ strategy. I made contact with local MEPs to share the appeal, reminding them of past communications.
Just this year, the European People’s Party have announced the development of another ‘Marshall Plan’ for Ukraine. Their VP is Commissioner Michel Barnier who denied knowledge of our 2008 ‘Marshall Plan’ proposal.
Even more recently I’ve become aware of a project which appears to be supported by EU funding on The Purpose of the Corporation. On their web site, Christopher Halburd of Frank Bold, writes on the issue of shareholder primacy.
Notes: The graves of children shown above are from the Kalinovka orphanage and were published in 2008 when Happy Child founder Albert Pavlov declared that its no longer possible to keep silent, as indeed many had, through fear.
‘Death Camps, For Children’ was based on reports from the orphanage at Torez, where children had also been buried in rough trenches. In 2014, the bodies of passengers from flight MH17 fell in the orphanage garden.
