The question whether foundations can – and should – use their stock market investments to influence corporate behaviour is often asked, not least in these pages. In March’s Alliance, Stephen Pittam of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust spotlighted their decision to disinvest from Reed Elsevier for organizing exhibitions for the arms trade.

Still, until SustainAbility got a grant from the Skoll Foundation, the ‘shouldfoundations-bring-financial-pressure-to-bear’ question seemed remote. Our work is more concerned with how to influence companies by working with them to address issues such as global governance, climate change, natural resource depletion, poverty and corruption.

No doubt the invitation to contribute to Alliance flowed from an impression, which is only partly true, that SustainAbility knows how to influence business. Our work is often a pragmatic blend of corporate psychiatry – trying to change thinking by poking around in the corporate psyche – and corporate acupuncture, where we seek (and needle) pressure points. For years, though, I have envied James Bond: every time he finds himself in a villain’s control centre he knows which button to press. I often end up pressing whatever comes to hand.

For full article download the PDF.