Momentum Partnerships

social marketing & corporate responsibility (CSR) & business and human rights

self induced hearing loss & how to prevent it

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self induced hearing loss & how to prevent it

Self Induced Hearing Loss

Attention has been focused on the potentially negative effects smartphones can have by way of emissions, privacy intrusion and unsafe driving practices. We haven’t yet shed sufficient light on the impact smartphones, MP3 players and other listening devices can have on our hearing.

1.1 Billion Young People Are at Risk of Hearing Loss

This has led to a situation where,  according to estimates by the World Health Organisation, about 1.1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.

Due to the prevalence of relatively cheap modern technology we are facing a sharp rise in self-induced hearing loss.  Luckily, however, state of the art remedies – including highly effective and almost invisible hearing aids- are available.

Prevention of Hearing Loss Requires a Change in Attitude

[Read more…]

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Business and Human Rights the basics (2)

The Business and Human Rights field is evolving quickly.

If you are interested in the topic from an academic viewpoint, the debate about a business and human rights binding treaty will interest you. If you are more interested in the practical application of human rights in the business world, outcomes of litigation and new case studies, then the following will be more relevant to you:

The Institute for Business and Human Rights has released their list of 2015 Business and human rights priorities again, each of which offers a good entry point into the topic.

Alternatively, you can read the list of priorities here with some extra explanations. Now you obtained a quick overview of priorities in business and human rights, here is an introductory resource list for those of you who want to dig deeper into the topic:

[Read more…]

Drug Awareness Week: How Safe are Prescription Drugs?

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Drug Awareness Week: How Safe are Prescription Drugs?

DrugFacts_Wednesday

The American Recall Centre is running an outreach programme to raise awareness of the use of medical drugs in the USA  and part of the outreach consists of asking bloggers to share the information with their networks during drug awareness week.  Upon review of the facts, it is clear why: Did you know, the United States alone consumes 75% of the worlds prescription drugs? And that: [Read more…]

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recommended reading for animal welfare reform

The following 3 books provide an entry point about different aspects and perspectives of our changing relationship to animals, the different attitudes to animals in different cultures, animal welfare issues in food production and related law reform.

The books are a must read for anybody with an interest in animal welfare. The 1st book is as relevant today as the day it was first published in 1975: [Read more…]

Mission Driven Fundraising & Social Marketing Campaigns

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Mission Driven Fundraising & Social Marketing Campaigns

Mission driven fundraising refers to fundraising that is designed and implemented to promote the organisational mission. There are many misaligned fundraising initiatives solely focused on raising money and completely detached from the organisational mission – a topic for another time.

When fundraising and mission merge positive results are almost guaranteed – provided a good social marketing campaign is part of the strategy – no fundraising  strategy can succeed if not enough people know about it – no matter how good it is.

Fundraising Overheads

Fundraising consumes an enormous amount of resources – money and time, often up to half of what is being raised. There has been much public discussion about the acceptable level of expenditure for fundraising campaigns as these resources, on the face of it, compete or are taken away from service delivery resources.

Headlines like “Charity Spends More on Fundraising than Research” don’t inspire public faith in charitable organisations and are regularly reported in the media. [Read more…]

Corporate Sustainability Strategies – a feel-good gimmick or good for the planet’s bottom line?

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Corporate Sustainability Strategies – a feel-good gimmick or good for the planet’s bottom line?

The failed attempt of voluntary corporate sustainability strategies to save the planet.

Corporate sustainability strategies developed in response to the resource constraints of the 21st century.  These constraints are the result of over population and over consumption and their damaging effect on the health of the earth.

Even the gentle Sir David Attenborough has joined the chorus of people arguing for fewer people in the interest of more biodiversity and a quality environment in his speech People and Planet in March 2011.

We have been trying to persuade companies to engage in voluntary corporate sustainability programmes of all kinds in order to address the obvious negative impacts of the way the ‘developed’ world does business.

Corporate sustainability strategies or planned abandonment?

However, do we ever stop to consider if it actually makes sense for a particular industry to engage in sustainability programmes or should it rather be a question of planned abandonment of this particular industry/product/ manufacturing process?

Water courtesy coca colaTake the issue of water. [Read more…]

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Business and human rights (part 3): advantages of the human rights framework for CSR

The debate on business and human rights has become a central theme on the international and national corporate sustainability & responsibility agenda.  The world has changed significantly with the majority of large-scale projects – including those delivering basic human services – being privately rather than publicly funded. This has led to a new set of obligations and demands from business.

Part 1 of this series offered four key introductory texts into the subject, part 2 looked at The Role of National Human Rights Institutions with links to various players; today I will review the advantages of the human rights framework for corporate sustainability and responsibility, a link often overlooked by practitioners.

Human rights refer to the basic rights and freedoms all human beings are entitled to.  [Read more…]

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Business & human rights: the basics (part 1)

For the past decade or so I have been keeping abreast of  developments in business and human rights in Australia and abroad and have just updated an introductory reading list for a forthcoming workshop.  I would like to share the key documents with those of you who need to get across the topic quickly without compromising quality.

Whether you are a law student, a sustainability or corporate responsibility professional or simply an interested individual – if you want to save time sifting through the vast amount of material and wish to get to the substance immediately – look no further. The list of articles below is organised in priority order:

[Read more…]

integrated sustainability reporting

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integrated sustainability reporting

Integrated Reporting for Corporates by Terence Jeyaretnam & Amanda Nuttall

I have spent a significant part of my life focusing on how corporate reporting could be expanded from traditional financial accounts to non-financial (environmental, social and economic metrics).  I have not been alone on this path.  Happily, a number of us recently convened at the Harvard Business School (HBS) in Boston to talk about the future of corporate reporting; that is to pave a vision forward for a framework for Integrated Reporting.

“Integrated reporting” is a term that is generating excitement in sustainability circles.

The idea that sustainability issues should be fully integrated into business strategy and reporting seems like a no-brainer. [Read more…]

“together we can change our world”

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“together we can change our world”

When most people think Girl Guides they probably don’t think of progressive girls and young women who play a significant advocacy role in local and global issues?

Well,  think again everybody!

This is precisely what the 10 million members of the world’s largest  volunteer organisation for girls and young women do, with memberships across 145 countries including Australia.

As their Global Action Theme, girls worldwide say: “Together we can change our world”. This theme is based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). An activity pack supports the curriculum and helps children and young women to learn about the MDG’s and, most importantly, to take action on the issues that affect them and their communities. [Read more…]