Work-sharing is a way of maintaining employee stability during tough times, and the cost gets shared around.

According to the New York Times report:

"Under the program, known as work-sharing, employers reduce their workers’ weekly hours and pay, often by 20 or 40 percent, and then states make up some of the lost wages, usually half, from their unemployment funds."

Seventeen states have adopted the program.

It is an approach that could offer some hope to companies facing tough choices affecting a loyal workforce.

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The US' fifth-largest credit card company, Capital One, is preparing to make adjustments to its strategies and policies in light of looming legislation that will mandate a more transparent and customer-friendly approach to charges and fees.  Capital One has built its business largely by giving cards to consumers with bad credit, and relies heavily on late and overlimit fees for revenue.  The new rules in Congress' CARD act will limit those income streams somewhat.  But without a broader cultural shift away from easy credit, the changes may amount to little more than the credit card equivalent of the old-style "Surgeon General's Warning" notices on cigarette packs: totally ineffective.

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Over $140bn (£85bn) was invested in solar, wind and other clean energy solutions, compared with $110bn for gas and coal electricity generation.

China,India and other developing nations claimed the prize for the biggest growth in renewables investment, according to the United Nations figures.

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John Viera, Ford's Director of Sustainable Business Strategies, explained the company's approach to the low carbon challenge to GreenBiz.

The strategy appears to be two pronged: a modular, flexible approach to car specifications and production to tailor cars to the fuel efficiency solutions available in the local market; and a new technology called EcoBoost with which some 90% of new Ford cars will be equipped by 2013. The technology reduces fuel consumption by 10% to 20%.

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An article in CSR Asia dissects the corporate social responsibility manager genus into its different species.

We should not forget, however, that companies get the CSR managers they deserve. When you have the wrong person in place, you have a clue as to the quality of leadership of the entire organisation.

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The maker of Mars bars, M&Ms and Snickers is to ensure that all its cocoa used worldwide is sustainably sourced by 2020.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Cadbury's declared similar moves in relation to its UK and Irish chocolate bars.

Mars' Galaxy chocolate bar sold in the UK and Ireland  will be certified sustainable by Rainforest Alliance by the end of 2010.

The sustainability promise incorporate fairtrade and environmental stewardship dimensions.

The FT article linked here highlights the rationale that cocoa prices are rising against stagnant production levels, and sustainability certification helps companies secure a long term supply at a stable price.

Consumer demand for one's little indulgence to not be at the expense of cocoa farmers is also a significant factor, however.

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Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing the Head Specialist in a leading Czech Bank's Sustainable Development Team. Sustainability is still a very new concept in the country and J makes it sound really exciting but challenging to start a Sustainability agenda and offers advice for other professionals who might be facing the same issues.

1) Tell us what you do in your role as Head Quality Specialist in Sustainable Development?
My main role is to participate in the implementation and realization of the sustainable development concept in (bank). It means to define the strategy and to take steps to support the concept in line with the strategy (e.g. to propose changes, to look for process improvements, to propose new procedures to be more environmentally friendly). And especially to change the perception, thinking, and behaviour of the people inside the bank and to convince them that it is important that they themselves begin to behave in line with this philosophy.

2) How does one become a Head Specialist in Sustainable Development? What is the path you took?
I can say for me it happened  by chance. Because I studied quality management system at university, I dealt with implementation and audit of ISO standards for almost three years. The need to do something else - more active job led me to (bank) to a position of an internal auditor. Due to possibility to work in Quality Department, that it discovered more than one year ago, I got the opportunity to be at the launching of sustainable development concept implementation in (bank).

3) What skills do you need to have in order to succeed in this kind of role?
At first, you must be keen on this issue and be certain of this issue importance. An initiative, proactive and creative approach is the touchstone.  You have to still try to find more and more new information on this topic and then use them for solution proposals. Good communication, presentation and debate skills are necessary for efficient promotion of this issue and its successful implementation. The knowledge of company environment is relevant too.

4) What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter this field?
Do not give up, when the reaction to realised measures is not optimistic. Many people consider it only like a shortime "fashion" issue. Before starting you have to persuade company management about sustainable development importance and they have to support you. Then gradually implement sustainable development concepts into company politics, focus on clear communication leading to increase of employees awareness. Try to involve employees in working out actions.

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Thank you so much J for giving our readers an insight into the challenges facing Sustainable Development Specialists in the Czech Republic on a Daily basis.

If anyone out there has any more specific questions for J, please comment here and I will publish her responses in a follow-up comment.

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Coca-Cola has bought a stake of between 10 and 20% in Innocent, the ethically-branded juice and smoothie company, for £30 million.

In a move that has commentators recalling Unilever's purchase of Ben & Jerry's, and L'Oréal's purchase of The Body Shop, Innocent's owners will use the money for expansion across Europe.

Here, at least, we are talking about a minority stake, adding credence to the founders' claims that they will be able to adhere to their ethical credo and apply it on a larger scale. When ethical brands are bought in their entirety the PR line is to suggest that the brand will be permitted to operate as it always has, and/or that its values may begin to permeate into the much larger new owner.

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Louis the Sun King.  Lorenzo de Medici.  Croesus.  Peasants, all.

Too Much: "Not everyone in the international hedge fund industry is making millions. Not everyone in the hedge fund industry right now even has a job. Amid the worst global economic meltdown since the Great Depression, hedge funds are hemorrhaging positions. An estimated 20,000 will be gone by year’s end.

But the hedge fund industry still does have something no other industry in the known universe can match: the best-paid top executives who ever lived.

“These are the highest earners,” as Manhattan College financial historian Charles Geisst put it last week, “of all time.”

That observation came right after Alpha, the hedge fund industry trade journal, reported that the hedge fund industry’s top 25 managers added $11.6 billion to their personal fortunes in 2008, an average of $464 million each, the third-highest top 25 total since Alpha started keeping score in 2002."

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A study published in the April edition of the American Sociological Review finds that the greater a corporation's gender and racial diversity, the better its competitive position within its industry.  

(via Womenomics) For every percent increase in racial diversity, researchers found a 9 percent increase in the number of customers a company had.   Racial diversity was found to be a better predictor of company revenue and sales numbers than company size, company age or the number of employees working at any given location.  

Gender diversity accounts for smaller, but still significant, differences in sales revenue, around 3 percent for every point of diversity. 

The study analyzed 506 US based for-profit companies that provided information about workforce diversity, sales revenue, customer numbers, market share and profitability between 1996 and 1997 for the National Organizations Survey.

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