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Forum polls 130.000 people on Facebook about values

The current economic crisis is also a crisis of ethics and values according to over two-thirds of the respondents of a World Economic Forum poll published in Faith and the Global Agenda: Values for the Post-Crisis Economy, a report on issues related to the role of faith in global affairs. Only 50% of the respondents think universal values exist.

The public opinion poll on values was conducted through Facebook and reached over 130,000 respondents in France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United States.

The poll results point to a trust deficit regarding values in the business world. Only one-quarter of respondents believe that large, multinational businesses apply a values-driven approach to their sectors, while over 40% believe that small and medium-sized businesses apply such an approach.

 

Almost two-thirds of respondents believe that people do not apply the same values in their professional lives as they do in their private lives. When asked whether businesses should be primarily responsible to their shareholders, their employees, their clients and customers, or all three equally, almost half of the respondents chose the option of “all three equally”.

 

When asked to identify the values most important for the global political and economic system, almost 40% chose honesty, integrity and transparency; 24% chose others’ rights, dignity and views; 20% chose the impact of actions on the well-being of others and 17% chose preserving the environment.

Work in Progress

After a very successful Annual Meeting, (and one week off), we are now working on how to put the thoughts and ideas generated throughout the Annual Meeting into concrete actions.

The ideas ranged from creating a social venture fund with private-public seed money for pro-poor business activities, to conveying information about disease outbreaks, etc., using our Members' e-mail networks. However, the key question in the area of "New Mindsets / Changing Attitudes" raised during the Big Debate in Davos has been

"How can we create a global education framework that fosters inclusivity?"

We are now assessing the different ideas, as well as our existing initiatives and projects, to come up with a concrete implementation plan by the end of March.

We will keep you posted.

Best regards,

Saman Ahsan & Emanuel Frauenlob

Podcast: Rabi Soetendorp

Rabi Soetendorp is one of the many religious leaders present at the World Economic Forum. He comments how important it is for them to meet and exchange for a better and peaceful World.

-Loic Le Meur

To Kick-Start the “New Mindsets / Changing Attitudes” Action Group

Welcome to the World Economic Forum Action Group 3 Blog. This action group, formed in our Annual Meeting 2006 focuses on New Mindsets/ Changing Attitudes.

We are looking forward to an exciting and intensive discussion process over the next days. What are the upcoming disruptive technologies changing the way we think and act, how to unleash the power of alternative energy and how to take responsibility for the next generations. What are the new mindsets that we need to create and how do we go about it? These are just some of the questions that we shall discuss on this blog and during our Action Group meetings.

Just “hot air”?

No, we don’t think so.

1. Each Action Group will be composed of different communities (such as Young Global Leaders, Business Leaders, Academia), representing the stakeholders of real-world issues, and providing a broad range of intellectual views and experiences
2. Whilst the brainstorming will not be limited in any way, at the end of the Annual Meeting Journey we will come up with a concrete recommendation
3. Throughout 2006 we will work hard to implement parts of the recommendation, by making the best use of the existing initiatives of the World Economic Forum.

We would like to especially invite everybody to contribute and to post your opinion. Please enter any relevant messages regarding this theme so we gather and sift through information as we go through our Annual Meeting and also beyond.

Please ensure you sign your name after each comment so we can attribute good ideas later.

We are looking forward to your posts!

Saman Ahsan                                                            

Global Leadership Fellow                                          

C-100 Initiative         

    

and

 

Emanuel Frauenlob

Global Leadership Fellow

Europe

Welcome to Regional Struggles Action Group

Welcome to the World Economic Forum Action Group Blog. This action group, formed in our Annual Meeting 2006 focuses on Regional Identities and Struggles. The aim of the Action Group  is to address how the business community can positively impact the regional economic growth and prosperity of Europe, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Topics we hope to discuss (and disagree on) are: - Labor movements, regional immigration, economic and social integration - Social reform: combatting poverty and disease - National identity and religious struggles - New regional balance and emerging hotspots - Emergence, or not, of new leadership So, now it's time to introduce ourselves: two Mediterranean inquisitive minds (an Italian and a Lebanese) who usually write and think in less dry terms ( it's really late right now!!!!!) who will try to navigate you through the thousands of different sessions where the best minds will try providing real answers to serious questions! Jokes aside, we will try to be faithful reporters on the discussions we witness in Davos, on the one side, and critical analyzers on the other. We are hoping to keep you informed and entertained- and we promise to report the fashion faux-pas of the day. Hope you do the same! Thea Chiesa and Diana El-Azar (of course, you knew we were women from all our exclamation marks!)

"Let's stand up against racism", your help is needed !

The Hatred of Immigrants session today at the European Economic Forum was very intense, even more intense as the Speakers were Religious Leaders from around the World.

During the session, Participants decided we would say as loud as we can "Let's stand up against racism" and sign it on the World Economic Forum weblog.

Please stand up with us against racism and sign this note too by leaving a comment, and we would also really appreciate if you can help us get more people around the World sign it too by spreading the word (especially on your own weblogs of course if you have one)

Names of Participants of the European Economic Summit are not in any special order. Company names have been removed.

Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Archbishop of Kaduna, Nigeria
Abdullah O. Nasseef, President, World Muslim Congress, Saudi Arabia
Shimon T. Samuels, Director, International Liaison, Simon Wiesenthal Center, France
Henryk Sawka, Editorial Cartoonist, Poland
Awraham S. Soetendorp, President, European Region, Progressive Judaism, Liberal Jewish Community, Netherlands

Martin Varsavsky, Spain
Jelka Kvsar, Slovenia
Barbara Sadowska, Poland
Tomasz Sadowski, Poland
Miles Webber, UK
John Burbridge-King, UK
Krzysztof Stroinski, Poland
Georges Ugeux, USA
Gavin Fennel, Poland
Jo Deblaere, Belgium
Marek Ostrowski, Poland
Adam Leach, UK
dr. Miran Mejak, Slovenija
Lars Bertmar, Sweden
Adam Horowitz, South Africa
Roberto Favaretto, Switzerland
Siegfried Borho, Spain
Bernadette Ségol, Belgium
Loïc Le Meur, France

Please join us by adding your name to the list. Simply add a comment below.

Religious Leaders at the European Economic Summit in Warsaw

The World Economic Forum is a non profit, multi-stakeholders organisation (learn more). Religious leaders of the World take part in discussions and actions of the World Economic Forum and that is one of the reasons it is unique. Interacting with Religious Leaders, NGOs, Social Entrepreneurs (see my post on the World Soccer Cup for the Homeless), Politicians and not only Business People is just extraordinary.

I really enjoyed meeting again Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism today as I was when the GLTs met with Religious Leaders from tens of different Religions and parts of the World at the GLT Breakfast with Religious leaders in Davos this year. Amazingly rich discussions about the role of Religions and how different Religions interact with one another in the World.

Rabbi Awraham and I discussed that we really needed to get young Religious Leaders into the GLT community and we will try to identify some around the world to join the community. If you know young religious Leaders, please comment.

What role do you think Religion should play in our World today ? Do you think Religion is losing interest or gaining interest from young people ?