For business to flourish, society must flourish. In today's global economy, business serves the common good not only by producing goods and services but also by reaching out to the many who are not even in the market because they lack marketable skills and the resources to acquire them. Sustainable Development: The UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN Global Compact, and the Common Good contains twenty-two essays that document the work of Western companies, working through the UN Global Compact and its Principles of Responsible Investment and the Principles for Responsible Management Education, to shape more peaceful and just societies. Seven case studies by leading businesses and private-public partnerships-including Microsoft, Merck, Sumitomo Chemical, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Novartis, and Levi Strauss-outline their projects, especially those advancing the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) designed to alleviate dire poverty. Twelve chapters reflect on some of the conceptual issues involved with the MDGs, and the three concluding essays examine the future of the UN Global Compact, of the Millennium Development Goals, and of the role of business enterprise in society.

About the Author

Oliver F. Williams, C.S.C., is director of the Center for Ethics and Religious Values in Business and associate professor of management at the University of Notre Dame.

Reviews

"This book offers critical insight into the role businesses must play in cooperation with governments, the United Nations, and civil society to develop more sustainable and healthy societies. Sustainable Development eloquently captures the unmistakable correlation between the private sector and the common good: where equality, human rights and ethics thrive, so too does business." -Georg Kell, Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact

"Against a sombre picture of global challenges painted by Bishop Kevin Dowling, Fr. Oliver Williams has assembled an outstanding collection of contributions demonstrating how six diverse multinationals have addressed these challenges both in their core businesses, through their supply chains, and where they have voluntarily taken on projects to advance human rights in the wider society. Papers from academia and civil society then frankly analyse what such corporate efforts really mean in terms of delivering benefits to both shareholders and society, as well as discussing criticisms." -Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hermes Equity Ownership Services and the United Nations Global Compact Foundation

"The United Nations Global Compact is a major initiative in the worldwide effort to ensure the fair distribution of the enormous wealth generated by the globalization of corporate capitalism, an initiative of interest to all nations, corporations public and private, and the present and future citizens of the world. These papers are the state of the art in the scholarly examination of the international efforts on the part of private enterprise to assist in economic development and forging peace." -Lisa H. Newton, Fairfield University

"The book contains twenty-two essays, seven case studies, and reflections regarding the work of Western companies working through the U.N. Global Compact to shape more peaceful and just societies and alleviate dire poverty." -Notre Dame Magazine Online

"The contributors include representatives from academic institutions, corporations as well as the public sector. Parham (in Chapter 11) presents case studies to illustrate the role of partnerships between governments, the private sector and the civil society in achieving [Millennium Development Goals]. . . This book's main contribution is in bringing to the reader a diverse range of perspectives on sustainable development." -Journal for Peace and Justice Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780268044299
Author Oliver F. Williams
Format Paperback
Page Count 440
Imprint University of Notre Dame Press
Publisher University of Notre Dame Press
Weight(grams) 585g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm