There are many new and useful thoughts on the next generation of supporting society and the planet. A growing school of thought that aims to be disruptive in the traditional view of economic systems, that being Impact Investing. The markets stranglehold on value, on product, on market, on return and on investment seems to be lacking both creativity and holistic (joined up) thinking. This reminded me of a lecture delivered by the now elusive but then highly influential Jed Emerson who was the pioneer of what he terms the '
Blended Value Proposition'.
In one of his seminal papers, Jed Emerson once said that:
Companies move from marginal profitability to sustainable economic performance as a function of not focusing upon the parts, but rather the total value they have the potential to create. This value comes not only in financial terms but also in environmental and social terms. The intersect of these three constitutes the real value potential of companies.
This wise and sage statement lead me to thinking about the next inevitable stage of capitalism. With austerity riots in Greece and the Arab Spring western democracies are displaying the usual arrogance of laissez faire power brokers but we the people should look at why these things are happening and what are the root causes. Who are the puppet masters and who's strings are being pulled?
I found this couple whilst killing a few hours looking around the Sunday markets of the Bastille. Strangely enough the sound of their instruments did not resonate but their image will live on forever.
I took this image whist waitinbg for my wife to buy a pair of sunglasses. in the Marais district of Paris. Notice that this father and son are passing the only Kosher Pizza joint I found in Paris.
