Wal-Mart will see you now
By Dave Chase The views expressed are his own.
“We don’t have a debt problem. We have a healthcare problem.” Those are the words of Laura Tyson, one of the most respected economists in the world. In Bill Gates’ recent TED talk, he described healthcare as the factor that is devastating state budgets leading to education cuts. Clearly something must to be done now to address this crisis.
With the possible exception of the federal government, no organization is in a better position to reverse healthcare’s hyperinflation than Wal-Mart.
If that sounds crazy, let me explain. As Ezra Klein recently pointed out in a Washington Post graphic, it’s not the age or obesity of the population that is driving healthcare costs. Nor does it have much to do with alcohol or even malpractice costs. Rather, as the many cost comparisons in the presentation below show, we simply pay more for the same items when compared to other countries.
No organization in the world has more prowess than Wal-Mart at negotiating costs with suppliers of products and services. With 1.4 million employees and hundreds of millions of customer visits every month, Wal-Mart’s impact is without parallel. It’s one reason that the Sierra Club partnered with Wal-Mart on its Sustainability Program. In healthcare, Wal-Mart’s $4 prescriptions program has saved their customers billions since the program’s introduction.
Sam’s Stimulus
For real results on climate, look beyond Copenhagen
– Aron Cramer is the president and CEO of BSR, a global business network and consultancy focused on sustainability. He is also coauthor of the forthcoming book Sustainable Excellence (Rodale 2010). The views expressed are his own. –
(Updated on December 17th to correct figure in McKinsey study in paragraph 7.)
As world leaders seem uncertain about whether a binding treaty is even possible at Copenhagen, it’s important to remember what was already clear: Twelve days in Copenhagen were never going to solve climate change anyway.
No doubt, these negotiations, now extending into 2010, are crucial. The sooner we can seal a global deal to reduce emissions, the sooner we can avoid catastrophic climate change. But as important as the treaty negotiations in Copenhagen’s Bella Centre are, even a successful outcome will be for naught if boardroom decisions and factory processes aren’t reoriented toward a low-carbon future.
To steer the world in that direction, business must change how it operates, with a shift of historic proportions. Otherwise—like the Kyoto Protocol of 1997—a new international climate agreement won’t achieve its goals.
Making this change requires business to focus on innovation, efficiency, mobilization, and collaboration—and that work must start now.
At every turning in point in history, from the advent of the railroad to the internet revolution, innovation has redefined our economy. Solving climate requires exactly the same thing. Everything about a climate-friendly economy—from the basic products we use to the places we shop to how we commute—will look different.
Collaboration is the key to economic growth
– Aron Cramer is president and CEO of BSR, a global business network and consultancy focused on sustainability. The views expressed are his own. —
As the World Economic Forum’s “Summer Davos” meeting in Dalian, China, gets underway, it is a bit chilling to think back to how the financial crisis was unfolding in real time during last year’s event.
As the 1,000 leaders gathering for this year’s event spend three days debating how to restore economic growth and social stability, the need to focus on a long-term transition to a more sustainable economy is clearer than ever.
Doing this will require unprecedented cooperation among businesses and consumers. The companies that build new business models and innovative products and services will win in the reset world, and shape an economy that avoids disruptions like the one that erupted last fall.
At this year’s meeting, I am chairing two workshops, where we will explore how to build new models of production and consumption that hold the potential to create not only a return to growth, but to a more sustainable model of growth.
Arising from an interlocking set of crises, three immense challenges stand before us. We must:
1. Return to economic growth while deleveraging massive debt. 2. Transition to a low-carbon economy that uses natural resources more efficiently. 3. Create new social contracts both inside and between nations.
Dear Editor,Your article on World Economic Forum and related economic growth are very knowledge oriented.When compared to previous decades,now a days,many countries have started doing the new ,real economic thoughts to their action oriented schedules.Due to new,real and progressive thinking,major under developed countries are turning to developing nations.Why,because collaboration and co-ordination on trade,education,tourism,exchanges of goods and services,and knowledge sharing for better economic and social growth.We knew very well that,historically said about China.India,South Africa and Brazil branded as old,traditional set up.Now, everything is changing at jet speed.As per your reporters,and coverages of latest extra ordinary better co-operation and co-ordination by China and India with Australia,Iran,Japan and with famous western countries are created,produced and showing fantastic results on many sectors.Your one sentences can be agreed by all economic thinkers-A year after the Great Recession,we know not only what the challenge is but also what the answers look like.I think that all recent developing,big nations will participate and will raise new queries for long pending issues in forth coming World Economic Forum.Your subject can be very useful to Economics school of thoughts.Lastly , I want to finish my comments —–Together We Can and Together We Will.This slogan will be practicable at this economic juncture.
Green business and the conscience premium
Welch is the publisher and editorial director of Ogden Publications, home to Mother Earth News and Utne Reader. Any opinions expressed are his own.
Green business is arguably the most important marketing innovation of the century. And it’s here to stay.
When we talk about green business, we’re really talking about the provenance of the products and services we sell. A business is green if its creators take into account its impact on the environment, and on society. Like a historic work of art, a pair of running shoes now has a provenance – a chain of collaborators, stakeholders and events that led to its appearance in your closet.
Did the factory owner in Guatemala employ child labor? Are the materials carcinogenic? What about the environment downstream from the factory, is it threatened? Did the shipping company control the pollution from its freighters? Does the U.S. distributor pay a living wage?
Consumers care.
And because consumers care, businesses can charge a premium for conscience.
Take the green building sector for instance. People often mistakenly assume that the boom in green building technologies was driven by conscientious consumers. In fact, contractors and manufacturers largely invented green building, then introduced it to the consumer as a way of differentiating, and premium-pricing, new products and services.
I don’t see going to Walmart for my primary care but I’m glad they are planning to do it. It should provide a jolt to get the broken healthcare system to fundamentally rethink what they are doing. What exactly was wrong with paying my family doctor directly without insurance middlemen mucking things up? When Walmart brings efficiencies, consumers usually win. If you don’t like them, shop elsewhere. Sounds simple to me.