Learning to love multinationals

On the 7th day after Copenhagen a conclusion came to me...

It’s all about leverage.  Who has it?  How do you apply it?

In the fight against climate change, multinational corporations (MNCs) are on the front lines, bringing both scale and scope to the battle.   Wal-Mart is the often-cited example.  With over 2.1 million employees in the U.S.  alone and a global supply chain of  over 60,000 suppliers in 70 countries, the company’s reach is massive and the impact of its strategic decisions rapidly crosses national borders.  The company has discovered sustainability makes strategic and economic sense and it reinventing itself to take advantage of the opportunity. Most of the major consulting firms (AT Kearney and Cap Gemini efforts highlighted below) have brisk business in the supply chain area helping clients implement these high leverage strategies.  Perhaps more importantly there is also a secondary effect, for as Wal-Mart goes, so goes the world.   All of this has been accomplished without the involvement of multilateral institutions, legislative procedure or regulatory mandate.

While historically the daemon in past, MNCs with the right kind of leadership these companies can serve society while also serving their shareholders.    Educating and influencing the strategy of the world largest MNCs may be both more expedient and more effective than the rhetoric of political process.
Gci Capgemini Future Supply Chain 2016 Report

Sustainable Supply Chain Aug 09