What Virtues are Required in a Time of Crisis?

During the 1576 plague that menaced Milan and eventually took 25,000 lives, the civil government fled the city out of fear. The Archbishop of Milan, Saint Charles Borromeo, took over, assured the people he would not abandon them and, together with priests from the parishes and religious orders, cared for their material and spiritual needs.

He organized hospitals, cared for orphans, and brought the sacraments to those who were quarantined in their homes. He got priests to offer Masses in public squares and the middle of streets so that people could take part from their houses. He sold his personal goods and much of the diocesan treasury to feed the hungry and had the tapestries of his residence converted into blankets to warm the poor.

As a Good Shepherd, he will risk his life to care for both the souls and the bodies of those entrusted to him and could persuade so many of his brother priests to join him. Recalling how Christ died for them first, he declared that Christ “does not even request this pathetic life of ours, but only that we put it at risk.”

He challenged them to pay attention not only to what can kill the body, like the pestilence but also to what can harm the soul, commenting, “the devout souls of our brethren languish with desire for divine things.” And providing them, he argued, is not a small matter. “I will certainly say that the sick does not need our help in such a way that without it they would have no hope of salvation, but often our services are necessary. Besides, it is indisputably clear that we all understand how much [the sacraments] benefit not only the bad but also the good, and how much alleviation they usually bring to the sick body and above all to the soul solicitous for its salvation.”

The greatest illustration of that point was how he scaled a mountain of corpses to give absolution and viaticum to a man at the top of the heap who had been placed there prematurely. The example of courage tied to charity is a mirror for the Church and her leaders in every age, most especially of crisis. As all of us confront the coronavirus, we can profit from how St. Charles put the Catholic faith into action in the most demanding and dangerous circumstances. I would heartily recommend reading Msgr. John Cihak’s superb 2017 work Charles Borromeo: Selected Orations, Homilies and Writings.

To become courageous like he was, what virtues do we need?

The first is faith, to recognize that Christ, who promised to be with us always until the end of time (Mt 28:20), is good to his word. Faith likewise helps us trust in God’s providential care. There’s a temptation, in times of crisis, to take control even over things that human beings cannot control. This can come from a practical atheism, from living as if God doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. Faith inspires us to do all we can, but in tandem, rather than apart, from God, knowing that our life is in God’s hands.

The second is prudence, which helps us to discern the good in each circumstance among many competing goods — and to choose the right means to achieve it. It helps us set a proper rule or measure, something desperately needed in times of crisis when certain goods can be emphasized disproportionately, and others can be forgotten. Aristotle, and St. Thomas Aquinas after him, taught that moral virtue is a middle point between two extremes, deficiency, and excess. Compassion, for example, is the mean between apathy and sentimental indulgence. Courage is found between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. In this present circumstance, prudence can help us see that an “overabundance of caution” is not a virtue but a vice. Prudence focuses on the right measure of caution, balancing, for example, the duty we need to protect those most vulnerable to infection by “flattening the curve” through social distancing, hand-washing, and various other practices, with other needs, like providing for one’s family, nourishing one’s soul and others’, providing goods and services, etc. Prudence assists courage in helping people know how to take the right risks.

The third virtue is charity, which helps us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others. “No one has greater love,” Jesus said during the Last Supper, “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13), and charity motivates us to take risks, even dangerous ones, to protect and provide for those we love. Moms and Dads, even the most temperamentally timid and conflict adverse, instinctively protect their children in the face of gunmen, bombs, and tornados. The greater the love, the greater the audacity. Courage does not mean fearlessness, but doing what we ought despite our fear, and love gives us the strength to overcome fear and do what love demands.

The fourth is patience, which means principally not an ability to wait but a capacity to suffer. The word patience comes from the Latin patior, to “suffer,” which is why we call the sick in hospitals “patients.” Courage requires that we do not have an excessive fear of pain and of where our fear of pain ultimately derives, the fear of death.

In the present circumstance, many, including young people at very low risk of serious consequences from Covid-19, are terrified of contracting it, as if it were an automatic death sentence, even though, for 80 percent of those who get it, the symptoms are mild and pass like a cold or flu, and only those whose bodies are compromised by old age or other serious health conditions are in danger.

We should all be doing everything reasonable to prevent transmission out of concern for those who would be most vulnerable, conscious of the reality that our health care system is inadequate to handle over 120,000 people in ICUs at the same time. We need to work together to ensure that no one dies when medical services, received promptly, could save their lives. However, we should not be giving in to an epidemic of fear, as if catching Covid-19 were getting leprosy or stage-4 pancreatic cancer. Hysteria, based on fear of pain and death, doesn’t help.

The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis’ 15th-century spiritual classic, advised us that the easiest way to overcome the fear of death is to ponder it each day. “In every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day.” Once we do that, we take every day more seriously: we do not procrastinate on telling family members and friends that we love them; we ask forgiveness from God and those we’ve wronged while we still have time; we let pass so many things that ultimately matter little; and we get our real priorities straight.

When we pray each day Jesus’ last words from the Cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46), we become emboldened, like Jesus, not to have our life taken from us but freely to lay it down (Jn 10:18). When we’re not afraid to die because we’ve rehearsed it daily in prayer, we will be ready to offer our life without fear should that prove necessary.

Crises, like the present situation of the coronavirus, are times for Catholics united with Christ truly to shine. As salt, light and leaven, Catholics are called to help everyone else to become courageous in the face of the threats, to act to help others and save their lives, and to show everyone how to unite their situations to God. It is a time for Catholics to show that we truly believe Jesus’ words, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid!” (Mk 6:50), and, like waves of apostles and martyrs throughout the centuries, and saints like Charles Borromeo, boldly lead society not only in response to people’s material needs, but in care for their even more important spiritual needs.

Different people can be useful for different projects. Another thing I have learnt over time is that people like being asked for their input and they enjoy discussing ideas – at least those who are any good at it.

When there is a group of you working together – thinking together – try to see yourselves as some kind of hive brain. Each one of you is a single component of a greater entity (idea generation, problem-solving, analysis, organization, figure work, practical skills). Between you, you have all the thinking skills you need. So have some patience, tolerance, understanding of those in the group who think in ways that you do not. Appreciation even. Because without them, the hive cannot function properly in the face of whatever comes along.

Never assume that people who are silent have nothing to say. This is especially true when there are two or more vociferous people in the room. If ideas and comments are flying back and forth – even if it is always fun and friendly – it can be quite daunting to people of a shyer persuasion, or those who consider themselves junior or less qualified to speak. And yet sometimes the sharpest observations can come from people who have a fresh eye, unsullied by experience.

We established it is not helpful if you all think alike and agree with each other most of the time. So, the most useful group is one that thinks differently and whose members often disagree with each other. The group has to express disagreement about it becoming a problem. The single most important way to achieve this is for everyone in the group to understand that it is their job to say if they disagree, and that it is necessary to ensure the group collectively thinks at its very best. Once you know people are briefed to challenge your thinking, and that they likewise expected you to question theirs, it becomes much easier to take. It depersonalises it.

You must have – or find – the confidence to make suggestions even when you think other people might judge them negatively. I have a line I like to use in this situation: ‘I’ve got a stupid idea but I’m going to say it because someone might turn it into a good idea.’ This works for two reasons. First, you do not have to worry people will judge you for having a stupid idea because you have already made it clear you recognise it. And second, instead of rejecting it out of hand (hopefully they would not but who knows), the rest of the group is likely to consider whether there is the kernel of a good idea they can build on. Similarly, make sure the surrounding people know they are always allowed to air ‘stupid’ ideas without fear of censure, and make sure you listen to see if you can think them into more practical ones.

Corruption: The biggest enemy against the sustainable development goals

It is a historic opportunity: to realise the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and secure a better future for us, the peoples on this planet. But this inspiring vision is challenged by risks, the most serious of which is that all 17 unanimously adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be severely undermined by corruption.

The scale and impact of corruption are alarming. This menace costs more than 5% of global GDP, hits the world’s most vulnerable groups the hardest, affects all states, societies, and sectors, and contributes to the collapse of entire countries and economies. Corruption is the antithesis vis-à-vis human rights, the venom vis-à-vis the rule of law, the poison for prosperity and development, and the reverse of equity and equality.

A strong, relentless fight against corruption is therefore a conditio sine qua non for realising the 2030 Agenda. However, it calls for more than just warm words and tepid expressions of support. It requires shared ownership by all, with leadership from the top, nationally and internationally, both from the political and corporate worlds.

And yes, conditions are tough. The world faces other daunting challenges, such as increasing distrust and dispute among leading powers, stern security trials, economic uncertainty, and climate change. Furthermore, citizens’ confidence in leaders’ ability to tackle global issues is declining.

But there are reasons for optimism too. One cause for hope is the growing awareness of corruption’s horrific impact. Another is the explicit language under Goal 16, which aims, inter alia, to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all its forms”. A third is the recognition in the 2030 Agenda that daily implementation is crucial if the SDGs are to become a fruitful reality.

The day-to-day actions against corruption must not rely on traditional criminal law and enforcement alone. It also requires prevention, education, and international cooperation – three of the key areas in which the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA,) an international organisation covering more than five billion people, is empowering anti-corruption and compliance professionals across the globe.

Preventing and fighting corruption is about sustained hard work, not quick cursory plasters. Let us thus be guided by recalling that investing and engaging in anti-corruption education and empowerment is the smart way towards sustainable development, safeguarding human rights, and strengthening the rule of law; on the road to 2030 and beyond.

Educating Our Young People About Climate Change

Sustainability is a concept most people only learn about through social media and news articles. In most places, sustainability is not taught in classrooms or from an early age and thus, it is not deemed as important as other topics such as mathematics or the sciences.

But as many of us are increasingly aware, sustainability is important and can be largely attributed to the intensification of climate change in recent years.

When we emphasize the importance of sustainability and inculcate environmental values during a child’s formative years, they will grow up with an understanding of why they need to protect our Earth and how they can go about doing so.

A poll conducted in the US found that 80% of parents and 86% of teachers are supportive of the teaching of climate change in schools as they feel that this will be the generation most severely affected by it.

Should Climate Change Be Taught in Schools?

In this same poll, however, it was found that less than half of parents and teachers are teaching their children about climate change.

Most teachers cited the reasons being climate change was out of their teaching scope and that they simply did not have the resources and knowledge to help students learn about it.

But teaching our youth about sustainability and how to tackle climate change is pertinent, especially currently where the effects of climate change are starting to manifest in disastrous ways.

The Future of Climate Change

Most projections predict that climate change is going to be catastrophic. Not only for the natural environment but for human welfare as well.

May 2020 has been the hottest month on record, with the record just having been broken in April, which had just been broken in March and so on so forth. This year has presented itself with soaring temperatures all over the world and it is just going to go up from here.

Global warming has devastating consequences. From increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters to food and water crises, the outcomes are bleak. Economic ruin will soon follow.

It is predicted that if we do not act, by 2100, average temperatures will rise by 4ºC, and GDP will fall by over 30%. And these figures are considered optimistic.

Around the World

UNESCO has introduced Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to encourage action for the environment and to lead more sustainable lifestyles. They have since been working with governments around the world to integrate such learning into educational programmes.

Amid the pandemic, New Jersey has been the first state to mandate the incorporation of climate change into the K-12 curriculum, starting from the year 2021-2022.

Though this is wonderful news, the pandemic has resulted in a potential breakdown of the nation’s current outdoor environment programmes. 

It is projected that up to 65% of outdoor education aspects will have disappeared by the end of the year. These had been crucial in exposing and teaching children about the natural environment around them.

Italy has also recently introduced the education of climate change at the core of what the students learn, ensuring that the knowledge they gain in school comes from an environmental perspective.

New Zealand, on the other hand, has introduced an optional curriculum that can be adopted for youth aged 11-15 years old that aims to ease eco-anxiety and prepare youth for environmental activism.

And these are just some of the newer examples. Countries such as Australia, the Dominican Republic and South Korea have already introduced such programmes years ago.

Preparing Our children For Calamity

Many countries are catching on to the importance and urgency of educating their youth on climate change and sustainability.

Having knowledge of climate change and learning the skills to act upon it is crucial and will empower our youth to tackle this disaster.

Environmental values, however, should also be cultivated at home. Parents should bring children up with sustainability at the core of their actions, making them aware that every little thing they do can affect the environment.

Children will grow up with respect and care for the environment and will also better internalise what they learn in school.

Sustainability and the environment are of utmost importance. By educating our children in these areas, the world will stand a fighting chance against our common antagonist: Climate Change.

According to the extant literature (https://350.org/11-trillion-divested/), US$11 trillion has already been divested worldwide. But while it may seem a logical strategy, divestment will not lower demand for fossil fuels, which is the key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, it may even cause emissions to rise.

The Issues:

At first sight, the argument for divestment seems straightforward. Fossil fuel companies are the main contributors to the majority of CO₂ emissions causing global warning (Scientific Consensus | Facts – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (nasa.gov). Twenty fossil fuel companies alone have contributed 35% of all energy-related carbon dioxide and methane emissions since 1965. Revealed: the 20 firms behind a third of all carbon emissions | Climate change | The Guardian

The argument goes that squeezing the flow of investment into fusel fuel companies will either bring their demise or force them drastically transform their business models. It makes sense for investors, too, as they avoid the risk of holding “standard assets”, fossil fuel reserves that will become worthless as they can no longer be exploited.

For companies heavily invested in coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, this rings true. Although new coal plants are still being constructed in countries such as China, India and Indonesia, predictions by majority energy agencies and industry alike indicate a steep decline McKinsey-Energy-Insights-Global-Energy-Perspective-2019_Reference-Case-Summary.ashx ) in its contribution to the global energy supply. With cleaner alternatives readily available, coal is no longer considered a safe long-term investment, and widespread divestment will only add to this sentiment.

When it comes to oil and natural gas, however, the picture looks quite different. Oil is used for a much wider range of products and processes (Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)) than is coal, while the cleaner reputation of natural gas gives it significant appeal as a “bridge fuel” to a zero carbon economy, whether rightly or not (The EU wants to fight climate change – so why is it spending billions on a gas pipeline? (theconversation.com). As a result, the push for oil and gas divestment is likely to have unintended consequences.

The disinvestment paradox/troubles

The primary targets of the divestment movement are international oil companies (IOCs) – private corporations that are headquartered in Western countries and listed on public stock exchanges. ExxonMobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and Total are among the private oil “supermajors”.

Recent research (Does the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement Impact New Oil & Gas Fundraising? by Theodor Cojoianu, Francisco Ascui, Gordon L. Clark, Andreas G. F. Hoepner, Dariusz Wojcik :: SSRN ) suggests that divestment can reduce the flow of investment into these companies. But even if the divestment movement were successful in reducing the economic power of these companies, IOCs currently only produce about 10 percent of the world’s oil (International Oil Companies: The Death of the Old Business Model | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank).

The rest is mostly produced by national oil companies (NOCs), i.e., state-owned behemoths such as Saudi Aramco, National Iranian Oil Company, China National Petroleum Corporation and Petroleos de Venezuela, located mostly in low- and middle-income countries.

Given that NOCs are less transparent about their operations Secretive national oil companies hold our climate in their hands | Environment | The Guardian ) that are IOCs, and that many of them are also headquartered in authoritarian countries, they are less exposed to pressure from civil society. As a result, they are dangerously under-scrutinised (National Oil Companies, with $3.1 Trillion in Assets, are Dangerously Under-scrutinized | Natural Resource Governance Institute), according to the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).

As they are state-owned, they are also not directly exposed to pressure from shareholders. Even the imminent public listing of Saudi Aramco ( Saudi Aramco’s $1.5 trillion IPO flies in the face of climate reality (theconversation.com) will only offer 1.5 percent of the company ( Subscribe to read | Financial Times (ft.com), and this will impose much less pressure to value environment issues. Environmental groups have urged Western multinational banks not to invest in the Saudi company ( Banks warned over Saudi Aramco by environmental groups | Aramco | The Guardian).

This means that while global demand for natural gas (https://www.iea.org/reports/gas-2019) and oil ( https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-2019) is still rising, and investments are insufficient to meet future demand (Global energy investment stabilised above USD 1.8 trillion in 2018, but security and sustainability concerns are growing – News – IEA ), divestment pressures are unlikely to impact the business plans of NOCs. As a result, instead of reducing global fossil fuel production, the divestment movement will simply force IOCs to cede market share to NOCs.

If anything, this would cause CO₂ emissions to rise. The carbon footprints of NOCs per unit of fuel produced are on average bigger than those of IOCs( CDP_Oil_and_Gas_Executive_Summary_2018.pdf (rackcdn.com).

IOCs are also generally better placed and more willing than are NOCs to reduce the carbon intensity of their products and support the transition to renewable energy (Oil and gas company strategies regarding the energy transition – IOPscience). They have, for example, led the way among oil companies in research into capturing and storing carbon, even if results have so far proven elusive.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, the divestment movement will not reduce demand for oil and gas. It will transfer the supply of fossil fuel to companies that are more polluting, less transparent, less sensitive to societal pressures, and less committed to addressing the climate crisis ( Fossil fuel emitters and climate change: unpacking the governance activities of large oil and gas companies: Environmental Politics: Vol 26, No 4 (tandfonline.com).

What I see as the missing link

The divestment movement is understandably enjoying widespread appeal in a time of climate emergency. But by targeting the low-hanging fruit that are IOCs, the movement misses the more complex question of how to actually reduce the global demand for fossil fuels. To achieve that goal, the world would be better off creating a regulatory environment that forces both IOCs and NOCs to redirect their energies. For example, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies (4 Ways to Shift from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy | World Resources Institute (wri.org) and putting a price on carbon (What is Carbon Pricing? | S&P Global (spglobal.com) would make heavily investing in renewables, already cheaper to produce than fossil fuels ( Renewable Energy Is Now The Cheapest Option – Even Without Subsidies (forbes.com), more attractive for all energy companies.

Such changes could also generate nearly US$3 trillion by 2030 ( https://www.wri.org/insights/4-ways-shift-fossil-fuels-clean-energy) for governments globally. These funds could be used to massively scale up renewables ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-019-0365-7) prioritise the development of energy storage to address the intermittent nature of such power, and improve energy efficiency in industry, transport and housing, which will make fossil fuels increasingly redundant.

While IOCs now produce much less fossil fuel than they used to, they still have huge among of expertise ( How the Oil and Gas Industry Is Contributing to Sustainability (spe.org) that could be applied to the energy transition ( Full article: The oil and gas sector: from climate laggard to climate leader? (tandfonline.com). In my view, rather than transferring power to less environmentally conscious NOCs, we should make use of them. As for those with shares in fossil fuel companies: they must exercise their powers as a shareholder to pressure them to support the energy transition as constructively and ethically as possible. Their influence matter greatly.

“DREAMING OF A BETTER RESTART”

Casina Pio IV, Vatican City, May 14th, 2021

The current crisis and global state of confusion must be overcome by ending the globalism of selfishness, exclusion, and the throwaway culture. The increase of inequality and hunger is posing major ethical, economic, and political challenges to which policy makers, civil society and the business community must react.

Pope Francis, like many other leaders, has stressed that this situation demands a new beginning of solidarity and fraternity in the global economic and political configuration from the perspective of human development. Since the 1980s a combination of forces, including the globalization of indifference, the misuse of digital opportunities, and institutional changes, has generated strong centrifugal effects in economies, deepening existing divisions.

Extensive changes in international policy and financial architecture are required to address inequality and poverty. Comprehensive plans to combat climate change and pandemics, and to transform the food system, must be put in place.

The good news is that, in principle, we already have the human, natural, scientific, and technological assets to ensure that such wealth and the gains resulting from the free movement of capital and labour are distributed fairly among the various countries and social groups. But we must want it.

Observations and Implications

While the consultations did not aim at a consensus, important messages for action emerged directly and indirectly from the perspective of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences:

1.             The post-Covid world requires a fresh restart in the spirit of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Fratelli Tutti, fraternity for all. Openness is called for, allowing us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity or country of birth or residence. When contemplating initiatives for financing a way out of the current crises, the needs of the poor and hungry, many of whom have stopped dreaming of a better restart, must be on the agenda. The approach to favour aims at transformational resilience of countries and peoples vis-à-vis their own vulnerabilities.

2.             The multifaceted health crises, i.e., the pandemic, rapid climate change, growing hunger and malnutrition, and lack of employment especially among youth, call for re-thinking fundamental economic and social concepts that preoccupy policy. Non-action may trigger more conflicts and wars. Efficient and effective economic policies are called for but are not enough: global problems such as pandemics, climate change, hunger, and biodiversity loss demand global collective action. This also applies to financing the actions to move forward.

3.             Addressing the debt problems of developing countries, climate finance for green transformation, dealing with Covid19, and overcoming hunger belong together in a coherent policy agenda. Rewiring finance is an urgent matter requiring that the financial accounting systems include social and environmental metrics, and that impact investing becomes a norm of behaviour. We record the value of what we harvest from nature but make no matching entry for its degradation. This means that the true cost of food and energy is not signalled to the markets. In support of this the following three actions are important: 1) Multilateral Finance Institutions and Development Banks need to be supported with significantly expanded resources. Impact and ethical investment funds, opting for justice, peace, and integrity of creation, are to be encouraged. 2) Tax havens must be eliminated and a unified global corporate taxation at meaningful rates must be established. 3) The global conferences of 2021 – Climate COP26, UN Food Systems Summit, Biodiversity COP15 – need to be connected in meaningful ways and must lead to clear action agendas and commitments.

4.             The urgency of stronger climate action is increasing with every year of lost action. Weak competition, feeble productivity growth, increasing inequalities, and degraded democracies are failing citizens. Countries have to cooperate to establish rules and standards, especially in the areas of finance, banking, and international trade regime. It is crucial to mobilize public and private sector finance to drive the net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) transition and to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts on their people’s health. Having a global carbon price, which should probably be much higher than currently contemplated by most governments and corporations, if the direct and indirect costs of expected climate devastations are considered, is the single most powerful mechanism to promote private sector investments into mitigation and adaptation.

5.             A much stronger focus on the poor and hungry, and on equity is called for, related to health and food systems. A large share of the poor is connected directly and indirectly to food systems and farming. Food systems generate a third of GHG and are also crucial for adaptation. So far, relatively limited climate finance has gone for mitigation and adaptation of food systems, while opportunities are big in low- and middle-income countries, such as investments into land restoration, afforestation, avoiding climate-negative land use change, and investments into value chains for reducing food waste and loss.

6.             Ending hunger is possible with suitable policy reforms and focused investments at scale. It needs financing alongside climate financing and financing the restart post Covid19. Research-based estimates suggest a need of additional US$ 39 to 50 billion per annum for the next 10 years to end hunger. Financing this can be a combination of 1) doubling the annual development aid (ODA) dedicated to agricultural and rural development, food, and nutrition security; 2) an “End Hunger Fund”, as also proposed by Pope Francis; 3) fresh finance by the envisaged increased SDRs by the IMF that could facilitate “End Hunger Bonds”. The IMF, World Bank Group and regional development banks are positioned to find and facilitate best financing mechanisms to assure these investments. Private sector and philanthropies should be part of such an initiative that could be launched at the UN Food Systems Summit 2021.

7.             Investments in green transformation are a huge opportunity for sustainable growth and employment. The green-labelled market is experiencing rapid growth. The green bond market reached USD 1 trillion in cumulative issuance in December 2020. There are, however, no well-defined global standards of what constitutes “green” climate finance, i.e., risks of “greenwashing”. We need strong incentives based on sound data to mobilize finance for investments. Data and technology instruments can enable investments.

8.             It is understandable that governments would want the private sector to be more actively involved in funding climate action. But governments still need to shoulder a large part of climate mitigation and adaptation costs that mobilize finance. Climate change involves a lot of externalities; markets are not sending clear signals for action; voluntary actions by the private sector alone will not be enough.

9.             We emphasize that science and innovation to address climate and food crises – especially bioscience, and health sciences, digital innovations, and social sciences – play a key role for sustainability in the Anthropocene. Science investment is too low and global sharing of science is too constrained. Because of low income, inequality between countries in science spending and science capacities is huge and reduces response capacities of low- and middle-income countries to crises. Science is playing a key role in addressing pandemics and coping mechanisms, and in the development of vaccines. Scaling the production and fair sharing of vaccines globally is now critical. The pandemic is not over. Long Covid, that is, the long-term health effects of the virus, is a worrisome emerging issue. The effectiveness of a vaccination campaign depends on its being universal. Therefore, it is imperative to propose that Covid vaccines be considered a global common good, with the ensuing implications on the regulation front and sharing systems.

10.          As PAS and PASS underlined in 2020 in their joint statement at the outset of the Covid19 crisis, a thorough review of worldviews, lifestyles, and short-term economic valuations must be carried out to cope with the challenges of the Anthropocene. A more responsible, more sharing, more equalitarian, more caring, and fairer society is required if we are to survive. That call still needs to be emphasized. Integral human development is meant to be transformational in that it aims to improve people’s lives by enhancing their capabilities. As stressed in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’, the ultimate goal of an integral human development approach is that people become more truly the authors of their own lives.

BUSINESS RESEARCH

With the increase in competition in the business world, the need for business research has also increased. Business leaders need to constantly undertake thorough research of all the areas of a business including the market and customers and use information obtained to maximize sales and profits of the business. They need to carry out research in order to effectively target their customers, understand the market trends, project sales, locate opportunities, prevent future problems, gather better knowledge about production departments and financial practices.

Business research is vital to help better understand the needs and requirements of the existing and potential clients. This helps in the development of products and services based on the customers’ requirements and expectations. Business research also helps the business to know their competitors move and helps the business to remain abreast about the latest trends in their industry.

To carry our research, businesses require software that can help them gather as much information as possible within the shortest time possible.

Data Analysis Software: An Introduction

Data Analysis software is defined as a tool that is used to process and manipulate information, analyze the relationship and correlation between the dataset by providing quality analysis like transcription analysis, discourse analysis, grounded theory method and content analysis, and decision-making methods using the Analytical Capabilities, based upon these capabilities data analysis software is classified as exploratory data analysis and confirmatory data analysis.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis helps in the form of clarification, understanding or interpretation of the individuals and things to assist within the meaningful and symbolic content of qualitative and quantitative information. Qualitative and Quantitative are two fundamental methods of aggregating and interpreting data in the analysis. These strategies can be used independently or at the same time since all of them have the same objectives.

Quantitative analysis is often related to numerical analysis where data is collected, classified, and then computed for definite findings using a set of statistical methods. Qualitative analysis, on the other hand, is concerned with the analysis of information that cannot be quantified and is related to the understanding and insights of objects.

Quantitative and Qualitative research data analysis strategies provide tools that help in transcription analysis, cryptography and text interpretation, algorithmic abstraction, content analysis, and discourse analysis that helps users to avoid wasting time and manage large amounts of information, increase flexibility, and improve validity and suitability of information analysis.

Best software for quantitative data analysis.

Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS): SPSS is the most popular quantitative analysis software program used by social scientists.

STATA: STATA is an interactive data analysis program that runs on a variety of platforms. It can be used for both simple and complex statistical analyses.

SAS: SAS is short for Statistical Analysis System, is also used by many businesses.

R: Free to download and use. You can add your own programs to it if you are familiar with statistics and programming.

NVivo: “It helps researchers organize and analyze complex non-numerical or unstructured data, both text and multimedia,” according to UCLA Library.

MATLAB: Provides “Simulations, Multidimensional Data, Image and Signal Processing,” according to NYU Libraries.

Quantitative Data Analysis Software

Quantitative data analysis software helps in the form of explanation, understanding or interpretation of the people and situations to help in the meaningful and symbolic content of qualitative data. Qualitative data analysis software is a system that helps with a wide range of processes that help in content analysis, transcription analysis, coding, text interpretation, recursive abstraction, grounded theory methodology and to interpret information so as to make informed decisions. The types of qualitative data include, telephone interviews, internet interviews, focus groups, email interviews, face-to-face interviews, nominal groups, Delphi groups, observation notes, and document collation, among others.

Qualitative data analysis software offers content searching tool, coding tools, writing and annotation tools, linking ability and mapping networking tools.

Top Qualitative Data Analysis Software

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Conclusion

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Yesterday, I finished reading the new encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” by Pope Francis, and this will be my final reflection upon it.

Since the Fall of the USSR in 1991, the Scientific Socialism of Marx and Engels was defeated, and this left Enlightenment Liberalism to establish a new world order. Pope Francis now confronts the modern evils of Anglo-American Liberalism, as he condemns Individualism for dissolving the family, Consumerism for promoting a selfish waste culture, and Neoliberal capitalism for creating unstable market busts. The Supreme Pontiff also denounces the irreligion of Secular Humanism, noting that human rights without God leaves society only with a Nietzschean Will-To-Power, a cruel world of might makes right. Globalism is condemned for imposing Liberal cultural uniformity, while National Populism is rejected for basing itself in the subjective will rather than the objective good. Pope Francis gives us a solution in Christian Integral Humanism, where the dignity, rights, and duties of the human person is founded on the transcendent Image of God. Communitarianism–a society based on the family unit–is to be the golden mean between the isolated individual of the Right and the collectivist blob of the Left. The economy should be a socially minded market , where the poor are given preference and a family wage is provided. This is the Post-Liberal world Pope Francis envisions, where a family of nations can live in peace, justice, and harmony.

This new Encyclical letter is a call for a new way of living human relations: not only on paper, not only by words, but with our daily actions, in our private, public or professional life, overcoming social, cultural and religious divides, like Jesus explains in the Parable of the Good Samaritan or like St. Francis showed in his meeting with the Sultan al-Malik al-Kamal in 1219”.

‘Fratelli tutti’ is a new compass useful also at the political level. It indicates the path towards integral human development, spelling out the needed steps to transform our economic and political systems and to shape them with attitudes such as openness, dialogue, engagement, solidarity, fairness, care for our common home, justice, promotion of the common good, support for the poor and marginalized.

In the third last paragraph of Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis issues a combined appeal for peace, justice, and fraternity with Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb (FT 285). An appeal carries weight as it evokes a sense of urgency. It is significant that this joint appeal rounds out the encyclical, maybe ‘saving the best to last’ in a true spirit of inter-faith ‘fraternity’!  The appeal is a powerful text to read aloud, maybe in a liturgical celebration, at a staff meeting or with students. The appeal is book-ended by reference to God; however, it also invokes the names of all those we relegate to the margins: in the name of: innocent life, the destitute, the marginalized, those most in need, the poor ….

To conclude, the document is a moving one precisely because it is not a policy platform or a doctrinal definition, instead it is a timely restatement—an aggiornamento, to use the language of the Second Vatican Council—of core Christian beliefs about the love of one’s neighbour in a time of profound upheaval and conflict. Determining what is real and what is true may be a painful and terrifying process, but the pontiff is right: it is the only way forward.

Let us pray to the Holy Trinity to use the Catholic Church on Earth to further this Social Kingship of Christ!

Pope Francis has a way of throwing us off track. He did so with Evangelii Gaudium. He did it again a few years later with Laudato si! And on October 4, the feast of St. Francis, he continued along the same line with his Fratelli tutti! As the bishop of Rome, Pope Francis has accumulated a sizable repertoire of writings and documents with a style of writing that will surely mark the future writings of the Church. Gone are the lengthy, complicated doctrinal encyclicals with its technical jargon. Pope Francis’ letters are not from on high trying to persuade by their authority; these writings have authority because they seek to convince by their arguments. And if the argument is not convincing, no one is held to account for not accepting it, except perhaps in the current letter on the death penalty and just war.

In Fratelli tutti as well as in Pope Benedict’s social encyclical, Caritas in veritate, the central issue was the same. What happens if humans were to insert love – the biblical agape – in their social relations and encounters. What would happen to the internal economic, social and political relations in a nation or internationally, if we considered the earth as truly belonging to all equally, if we acted toward all earth’s inhabitants as our sisters and brothers, if the relations between humans were not determined by economic power and “right” but by love. Pope Benedict had already explored how we might pass beyond a notion of justice to include the notion of sibling in my relations with others. He had even dared to propose that society would benefit in their social relations if they took the word of Jesus to mind: “Love one another as I have loved you”, to allow us to consider gratuity and graciousness as a measuring stick of our social relations.

This is also the task that Pope Francis gave himself in the latest encyclical. He encourages all of humanity to explore – the encyclical is addressed to all not only to the Catholic community – what the Gospel imperative of love would mean for what Cardinal Czerny has called the “world on the brink”. Many might ask, “Is it not a bit late in the day when the coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the world’s population, when the world economy is imploding under the weight of inequality, and the world’s ecology is threatened by questions of habitability, when politically humans are more and more divided and incapable of hearing one another.” It is indeed a daunting task. Pope Francis provided us with an image of this mission when amid the pandemic he stood alone in St. Peter’s square praying for and blessing the world. Behind him is the massive architecture of St. Peter but empty of people. The institutional power seems broken, the imperial, post-Constantinian framework divested of its symbolic attraction. In a moment of a breakdown of human power relations, is it time to go back to the drawing board? We all might wonder: Is it not too late?

Marcello Neri in his Giustizia della Misericordia (2016) concluded that with the papal ministry of Francis in 2013 a new era in the Church seems to have been inaugurated. He called it the end of the Church as a separated reality. It ended what he called “a Catholic occupation of public space.” This time, with the pandemic stalking us from all sides, it feels like the end of an era. Pope Francis is warning us: “Don’t even think of trying to go back to a time prior to COVID-19.” If one wishes to go back, he advises us, then go back to the Gospel, the joy of the Gospel and drop all the unnecessary what we accumulated. Let us use this time to rethink how we take care of one another economically, how we live together politically, how we relearn to welcome one another, how we learn to speak “charitably” with one another to create neighbours of one another as did the good Samaritan. The message of the encyclical is as unrealistic and farfetched as the Gospel. However, it is the only viable option by going back in order to find our way for the future.

Five things you need to know to really get started.

Setting up and making money from your own business is one of the most rewarding ways to earn a living and also the most challenging. You are in complete control of your own destiny and the power is in your hands to increase your chances of success and outwit the competition. That also means you handle all your decisions and for tackling whatever challenges arise along the way. So, it is vital you get your business on a firm foundation. Better that, than quit your day job straight away! Here are five key steps you should take.

1.       Decide what type of business to start

When deciding on your business idea, it really helps to be familiar with the market that you are interested in and also that you are absolutely clear about what you can add and how you can serve customers differently. Many entrepreneurs know what type of business they wish to start because they have identified a gap or come up with a unique idea for a product or service. You may have several ideas that you want to pursue and do not know how to whittle them down – in which case you can use the resources of the SME Toolkit Caribbean and the Ministry of Trade and Industry websites to assess which ones have the greatest chance of success. You may be an aspiring entrepreneur looking for a business idea and, again, these sites are a great place to draw inspiration. Whatever you choose, make sure that your business idea is something that you feel passionate about. This way you can be sure that the passion and enjoyment of running your own business will never waver, even when times get tough.

2.       Find out if you can protect your idea

One of the first things you should investigate as an entrepreneur is how you can protect and future-proof your business idea. It may be possible to trademark your business name: something to remember is to check that your name is unique in your sector does not mean something completely different or negative in another language, since you may wish to trade abroad in the future. You should also make sure that any business with a name similar to the one you have chosen does not have a poor reputation or trade in an area that is counter to your business ethics.

If you are developing a product that you believe to be new to the market, search for patented works to see whether that is actually the case, it could be very costly if you are infringing any rights held by another business. And if you are planning to make money from photography, writing, fashion, or other creative works you need to look at asserting your copyright and possibly registering your designs.  If you are unsure how to go about this and which element of intellectual property applies to you, attend our ‘How can I protect a business idea?’ workshop. This way, you can ward off the copycats and make sure that you are in pole position to take advantage of future growth opportunities through, for example, licencing and franchising your ideas or inventions. Protecting your intellectual property can also increase the value of your business when you are looking for investors or planning to sell it.

3.       Make sure your idea has legs

A fundamental aspect of setting up any new business is ensuring that there is a gap in the market and that your product or service resonates well with your potential customers. Can they afford to pay the price you need to charge after all of your costs are covered? What are your customers or clients already doing to solve the problem your new idea solves? How does your idea compare? Thorough market research and competitor analysis gives new businesses like yours the ability to make informed decisions about the way you position your products and services and identify your niche.

4. Develop a business plan

A business plan is an absolute necessity for any business aiming for long-term success and growth. It is also good discipline as the key headings in a business plan really make you think hard about all the areas you need to cover for your business to be sustainable, mid- to long term. Write the plan for yourself primarily. It is the perfect opportunity to create a roadmap for the coming months and years and it does not have to read like ‘War and Peace’. A 2–3-page executive summary, a 10–20-page plan and any appendices you want to add should be sufficient. Having a plan will help you keep on track and is essential when you approach potential partners and investors – and will give them the confidence they need to invest in you.

Naturally, any business plan needs to be flexible and fluid, with the ability to change and adapt over time as your business grows. Many businesses of all sizes find the Business Model Canvas an effective and flexible tool to mapping out what their business can do now and where it could be in the future. You can get help with writing your business plan by attending our ‘How to write a successful business plan’ workshop.

5.       Do not run before you can walk

As a new business amid new product development it is important not to a) put all your eggs in one basket and b) spend all of your resource on something without proof of its market potential.

The Lean Start-up method is an excellent approach to finding out whether your product or service will attract real customers before you invest too much time and money. Some people spend months, even years, developing and refining a product without ever testing the product in their target market. It is then a tremendous shock for a potential business owner to find out that the product is not fit for purpose, resulting in the business’s failure before it has even taken off.

Defining a minimum viable product to get the opinions of target consumers is a great idea. It is a skeleton of the final product you would take to market, but it allows you to understand its potential and make any necessary changes before investing maximum resource.

1. Malcolm Gladwell is here with another book: “Outliers”. Like his former books Malcolm does not disappoint with his new work. Success has always been narrowed down to hard work and intelligence. But is that all it takes to be successful?

Outlier’s talks about how multiple things are at work simultaneously around a person making it to the top. Similarities drawn between the secret behind success of the legendary Beatles and Bill gates gives us discernment about how little we know about achieving. Malcolm insists us to ponder the surroundings of a flourished person and we might come to know that sheer hard work may not be the only key to success.

This book decodes success and makes us aware of our shortcomings. As the title suggests, it is a compilation of stories of success and that aspect the author has completely justified. What may seem like a random tale in the beginning has a wonderful ending and leaves us wondering about how unforeseeable turns course our future paths. Facts and data are very well weaved in the writing, making it more relevant to the reader. It tells you more about the realistic aspects of success than any other book. If you are looking for a quick read with a cathartic experience this is the book.

2. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is an inspirational story of Santiago, a youthful Spanish shepherd in the rolling hills of Andalusia. The boy has deep attachment with his flock but realizing that they are devoid of aesthetic sense and appreciation for nature which he beholds, loves and admires, the course of his life changes. His parents’ life is associated with struggle in a country which people from far away fantasize and romanticize but for them it is not a place of dream and charm.

Story starts with a dream followed by a series of adventures ultimately leads to resolution. His time is consumed in herding, reading and dreaming of travelling far-off places. He keeps getting same dream that there is treasure lying underneath the Egyptian pyramids. His encounter with a gypsy woman for consulting his dream gives story a new turn. He gets to know from her to follow omens. As the story moves the events get connected impeccably. Santiago’s quest for treasure, soon his lucky encounter with old King who strengthens his beliefs about living his destiny, coming across mishaps and encounter with Fatima, a desert girl; all this leads him to personal legend that converges the idea of ‘conspiring universe’. Personal legend is the key to living a successful and satisfying life as it is the destiny which one dreams of. He receives assistance from an alchemist who helps him understand his quest for accomplishing his dream. By time his belief grows, and satisfaction nourishes as he is on right path. He comes to know “when you want something all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”.

 Story deals with an internal conflict between his love and personal dreams but this novel ends up showing love as a supporting tool for achieving his dream. This is a beautiful idea that true love can prove to be a great stimulus when time comes. According to Coelho dreams have a price but not living your dreams has even a bigger price. The idea of seeking dreams is marvellous. Pursuing your dream and committing to it makes the whole universe conspiring to give you what you want.

One of the dangerous hindrance described in the novel is fear. The fear of failure which stops us living our destiny. Overcoming this is a great victory as Coelho quoted “tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of dreams because every second of the search is a second encounter with God and with eternity”.

When Santiago is in desert, he comes to know that he can turn base metals into gold. (Although the idea is not true in reality). It is also a bit overrated when alchemist turns lead into gold. It is not necessary that you agree each and everything which Coelho has put into the novel. Instead, your reason and rationale may oppose many things. But one has to have the ability to read between the lines. In spite of being very unreal it is a beautiful fable which has delighted millions around the world because of its thought-provoking ideas of spirituality and destiny. Santiago while travelling understands the relation between man and nature. His quest and how he overcomes the obstacles of violence, confusion and despair is an encouraging pleasure for reader. The setting of novel is real, but events are magical.

Some may find it a good piece to escape reality and some to understand reality. I highly recommend it to young readers as its conclusions directs it solves the purpose to make reader understand having faith in destiny which ultimately leads to achieving it.

A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of many others...the great instrument of moral good is the imagination (Percy Bysshe Shelley 1821, p. 13).

Reimagining alternative systems and rebuilding them requires a new set of skills. While technical competencies remain critical, effective leadership in an interdependent world requires building skills we used to consider “soft,” beginning with moral imagination.

Moral imagination, according to philosopher Mark Johnson, means envisioning the full range of possibilities in a particular situation in order to solve an ethical challenge. Johnson emphasizes that acting morally often requires more than just strength of character. For example, moral action requires empathy and the awareness to discern what is morally relevant in a given situation.

Moral imagination, as defined by Minette Drumwright and Patrick Murphy, is the ability to be simultaneously ethical and successful by envisioning new and creative alternatives. In other words, can people look beyond the dollars-and-cents impact of a decision to see how it affects others?

For example, consider Nestle Foods. The company refused to target young children with advertising for its high sugar, high fat products. Instead, to keep the company competitive in that market, it innovated and created new, healthier products to advertise to young children.

Moral imagination is composed of the four decision processes identified by Rest (1986), i.e., moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral intention, and moral behaviour. Most people are subjective toward themselves and objective toward all others – terribly objective sometimes – but the real task is in fact to be objective toward one’s self and subjective toward all others.

But why moral imagination? This is because we can no longer design systems only for those like ourselves. We must design for those who traditionally have not had a voice — the poor, the vulnerable, the environment. A new generation is demanding that companies not only pursue purpose, but to integrate values of sustainability into their operations and their treatment of employees and customers. Companies will only succeed in the long term if they show through their actions concern for employees, customers, and the earth.

To prepare our students and future generations to lead through complexity in a highly imperfect world, business schools, in particular, must do a far better job teaching and modelling these new “hard” skills, grounded in moral imagination.

These skills include holding values in tension — standing amid the chaos of disparate ideologies and assumptions and considering the values of each side — listening to voices unheard and partnering with humility and audacity.

While training future leaders in specific competencies is vital, so too is ensuring they build the character needed to radically rejuvenate our broken systems and create a new economy in which it includes all of us.

For instance, take the issue of electricity for the 1.5 billion people who lacked it in 2007, 130 years after Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. Sam Goldman and Ned Tozun had the moral imagination and courage to try to change that. They focused their energies on bringing affordable light to the 1.5 billion who lacked electricity, starting first by understanding the needs and desires of their prospective customers.

Sam and Ned would have failed had they not developed the hard skill of listening with all of their senses to voices the market had repeatedly ignored. Thirteen years later, the company d.light has brought clean, affordable light and electricity to over 100 million low-income people, created thousands of jobs and generated long-term financial returns to investors. At every step, the hard skills of moral imagination and deep listening guided the way.

In a world of growing fragility, business leaders will be increasingly expected to play their part in solving some of the toughest problems facing our world. No single system — not markets, not government, not civil society — will solve these problems alone, and it will require new partnerships that transcend sectors. Such partnerships, with government, social enterprises, and philanthropies, even with those we might consider our adversaries, require humility to acknowledge the different strengths and weaknesses of each partner while simultaneously holding to the aspiration of shared goals and collective responsibilities.

Tomorrow’s leaders will stand apart by focusing on others, not simply by enriching themselves. There is ample opportunity to do this within the framework of business if we can make a shift from valuing power, money and fame to a leadership style that insists on putting our shared humanity and the sustainability of the earth at the centre, not simply profit alone.

Responsibility goes hand in hand with privilege. Our educational institutions are well-placed to equip our future leaders of business and government not only with the technical tools to solve the world’s toughest problems — but with hard skills grounded in moral imagination. If each of us were rewarded for giving more to the world than we take from it, everything would change.

References

Moberg, D.J., & Seabright, M.A. (2000). The Development of Moral imagination. Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(4), 845-884. DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/3857836

Rest, J. R. (1994). Background: Theory and Research. In Moral Development in the Professions: Psychology and Applied Ethics, ed. Rest, J. R. and Narvez, D., pp. 1–26. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Though the pandemic is undoubtedly the defining event of 2020, there were many other significant developments in the world of responsible business. Here, Andy Crane looks back at the biggest stories of one of the most turbulent years in recent memory.

1. Coronavirus capitalism

No surprises here. Coronavirus dominated the news in 2020 but more specifically it dominated news about responsible (and irresponsible) business. In fact, we could have easily populated our entire top 10 with Coronavirus-related stories. But the overarching story here is the fundamental nature of coronavirus capitalism. Unusually, the pandemic has been replete with good-news stories of corporate good deeds. Probably the biggest these has been the super-charged and apparently successful development of various COVID-19 vaccines by companies – with support, expertise, or funding from governments, health institutes, and university medical researchers of course. What can beat the efforts of AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Nonavax, Sinopharm, Pfizer, and others in developing products that can save millions of lives and return a massively disrupted world to something approaching normality? There have plenty of other heart-warming stories of corporate heroes during the pandemic, whether turning their factories over to producing sanitiser and PPE, giving mortgage and other payment holidays to customers, supporting locked-down workers, or going the extra mile to help the vulnerable and needy. On the other hand, there has been no shortage of corporate villains too, from companies price-gouging on masks and food essentials, to those that have put their workers at risk, renegaded on supplier contracts, and cut their workforces even while receiving government aid. The big test then will be whether the various ‘Build back better’ campaigns will see companies actually shifting gears on responsible business, and whether coronavirus will prompt the emergence of fairer, more enlightened compact between business, government, and society in the years to come.

2. Black Lives Matter

The protests about racial injustice and police brutality that erupted in the summer of 2020 following the killing of George Floyd were not focused on business, but it did not take long for companies to start realising that that they too needed to respond to the Black Lives Matter movement. A swathe of solidarity messages from big brands followed, along with a huge upswing in attention to how organisations could address racial inequality better in the workplace and through their products and advertising. While most corporate responses were predictably limited and vague, some succeeded in making rather more impressive stands with strong statements and meaningful commitments. Either way, 2020 was a defining year for raising racial inequality high on the responsible business agenda.

3. Trump’s social media warning labels

“Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election…” So ran one of the ubiquitous Twitter warnings that were plastered over the outgoing US President, Donald Trump’s tweets during the 2020 election. It was in many ways one of the election’s most iconic images and represented a remarkable development with social media giants like Twitter and Facebook wading in to censor a sitting US President for the first time. It marked a major milestone in the ongoing debate about social media companies’ responsibility for the content on their sites. Facebook had already suffered an embarrassing, if not particularly financially damaging, boycott from advertisers during 2020 organised by civil rights groups frustrated at the company’s lack of action over hate speech and misinformation. The warning labels and restrictions imposed on Trump suggested that the tide was turning. However, social media companies continued to struggle to deal appropriately with the tidal wave of misinformation around the election from Trump’s supporters and their adversaries. Clearly the broader story here is one that will continue to occupy the headlines – and will undoubtedly feed into further debates about possible regulation of big tech under the new US administration.

4. Wirecard fraud scandal

Although it had rapidly become one of the most valuable companies in the country, the German payments company, Wirecard, was relatively unknown to most outside its home country. But all that changed in 2020 when the firm spectacularly collapsed as a result of a huge accounting fraud. Billions of euros in cash and loans were discovered to be missing from the firm’s accounts, with false accounts and shady business relationships set up to hide the huge scale of fraudulently inflated sales and profits. In reality the company had a huge hole in its balance sheet and once its frantic attempts to disguise the problem fell apart, it caved into insolvency. The CEO and other senior executives were arrested and the demise of ‘the German Paypal’ was complete.

5. Uighur forced labour

The persecution of the Uighur people by the Chinese authorities has continued apace for years, but the issue became a huge responsible business story in 2020 when it was revealed that hundreds of brands were sourcing products and raw materials made by millions of incarcerated Uighurs and other Muslim minority people in conditions of forced labour. While “virtually the entire global apparel industry” was reported to be using cotton sourced from farms and factories using forced Uighur labour in Xinjiang province, many other supply chains had also been affected, including in electronics and automotives. The US Government responded by banning imports of certain products likely to have been made with Uighur forced labour, even in the face of lobbying from big brands trying to weaken the proposed legislation.

6. Rio Tinto’s sacred site explosion

Mining companies have been no strangers to accusations of corporate irresponsibility but there have been some signs of progress in the industry’s approach to social and environmental issues in recent years. However, the industry’s reputation took a huge battering with the news about Rio Tinto’s deliberate destruction of a 46,000-year-old sacred Aboriginal site in Australia in 2020. Although the mining giant had received approval to destroy the site to expand its iron-ore mine, subsequent archaeological findings showed the site was much older than previously known and rich in artefacts including sacred objects. This made the caves one of the most culturally significant sites in the country. Rio Tinto ignored the objections of local Aboriginal groups and went ahead with the demolition – only to be met with a maelstrom of criticism from critics shocked at the cultural damage. Even Rio Tinto shareholders revolted, and within a few months had ousted the CEO and other senior executives responsible for the decision. As one report put it, “it was a rare admission that the mining industry, which has long propped up the Australian economy — often at the expense of traditional landowners — had gone too far.”

7. Luckin coffee’s false accounting scandal

China has had any number of accounting scandals over the years, most of which barely register outside of the country. However, the exploits of Luckin coffee reached a much wider audience when it was revealed that the high growth, tech-based coffee chain had been artificially inflating its revenues to fuel its exponential growth. Luckin stood out because it was listed in the US, had almost tripled its share price in six months since its IPO in 2019, and was reporting six-fold increases in quarterly sales. If it sounded too good to be true, then that it is exactly what it turned out to be, with the firm eventually admitting to some $300 million of fabricated sales. Its shares were delisted in the US and its CEO and COO fired as part of the fall-out from the scandal. Chinese regulators then fined not only Luckin but also some 43 other firms which it said had helped Luckin inflate its earnings. The question that remains, however, is whether these actions will be enough to shore up confidence again in Chinese companies listed overseas – and indeed in the growth-without-profits business model of tech start-ups worldwide of which Luckin was but the latest casualty. We are also no closer to an answer of whether there really is a lucrative coffee market in tea-loving China.

8. Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in opioids case

The ongoing opioids scandal in the US was our third top story in 2019, and so with investigations still rumbling on, it is perhaps not surprising that it features again in 2020. This year, the big story was the landmark guilty plea by the makers of Oxycontin, Purdue Pharma, which admitted to actions aimed at boosting opioid prescriptions, including conspiring to defraud officials and offering illegal kickbacks. The company’s admission of criminal conduct marked a major success in prosecutions against big Pharma for deliberately fuelling the opioid over-prescription epidemic in the US – and signalled the ignominious end of another major pharmaceutical company embroiled in the scandal.

9. Boohoo working conditions

In the UK, the big corporate responsibility of the year was centred on Leicester and the UK garment factories making clothes for online fashion retailer, Boohoo. July 2020 saw the release of a major newspaper investigation into worker conditions in the factories, revealing significant levels of exploitation, unsafe working conditions, wages less than half the minimum wage, and serious breaches of COVID-19 safety protocols. The fall-out for Boohoo was rapid, with its stock price plummeting to less than half its previous value, and evidence emerging that company bosses were aware of poor conditions long before the media expose forced them to act. In fact, Leicester sweatshops had been an open secret in the UK garment industry for years, and so Boohoo’s sourcing strategy was always going to be risky. But with the promise of new and better checks and the news cycle swiftly moving on, sales still managed to rise by 45% and the firm’s share price quickly rebounded. So, despite its critics, low cost, fast fashion looks here to stay for a good while longer.

10. Credit Suisse spying scandal

Swiss banking is known for being secretive but this year things moved to whole other level with the damning revelations of corporate espionage at Zurich-based Credit Suisse leading to the ousting of the bank’s CEO, Tidjane Thiam. The scandal had emerged in 2019 following revelations that the bank had hired private detectives to follow one of its former senior executives, Iqbal Khan who was suspected of stealing clients for a rival bank. When news of further espionage activities against another executive emerged, not to mention lurid tales of personal animosity between Thiam and Khan, Thiam’s position became untenable and he was forced to resign in February 2020. But that wasn’t the end of the scandal; the next month Thiam’s severance package was cut by £2m, even though he had been found to be not involved in the spying row, but was, the bank said, “accountable”. And then, later in the year, Swiss regulators opened enforcement proceedings against the bank, paving the way for a formal prosecution, and the prospect of the secretive Swiss bank having its dirty laundry washed in public.

Building “homes of light” – to care for life and generate new life

To speak of Christmas is to refer to the light of God in our midst. A light that shines in the darkness. In this year 2020 there has been a lot of darkness and so it is harder for us to discover this light amid all that we are living through. And yet, that light has never faltered.

Christmas is a time to look for ways to rekindle that light:

• the light that comes from the Good News of having God among us, for that Christmas is all about.
• the light that gives us hope to face the uncertainty that surrounds us.
• the light that helps us to overcome our fears and anxieties (which may have increased in this coronavirus era).
• the light that we glimpse in the generosity and dedication of so many people in their service to others.
• The light that leads us to imagine a different future, one that we want to create together under the watchful gaze of God. Like the star of Bethlehem that led the Magi from the East to go on their quest beyond their cultures and homelands.

Caring for the light that is in each of us, requires developing our inner lives and spirituality. We must look within and there perceive the light of God shining brightly, a source of hope.

We learn from Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and our mother, how to do this. We can imagine her heart, so free and full of God, and therefore transparent to God’s light. The light that came from within her was the light of God shining in and through her. We are invited to have the same experience.

We are also invited to discern the light of everyone around us, in our communities, families, fraternities, workplaces.

We are invited to discern the light of the most vulnerable, those who lack even the basics of life. We share what we have, to share our very selves. And to let their light shine on us.

To be a beacon of hope in this troubled world is an invitation for us to let our light shine, not just as individuals, but as communities and families, as a global family.

Guided by the star of Bethlehem, let us build “homes of light”, in this moment of fragility and vulnerability around the world.

May this Christmas and the coming year 2021 be full of hope for you.

COVID-19 pandemic: An Opportunity for Leadership Development

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” ― Nelson Mandela

The continuing coronavirus crisis has once more reminded every person about the critical role that leaders and leadership play in addressing unanticipated happenings that are a threat to the life of governments, institutions and corporate world (Bundy, Pfarrer, Short, & Coombs, 2017). In view of their position of influence, leaders get a lot of attention and public scrutiny in these tough times. The reason for this is that people look forward to leaders to provide accurate information, hope and guidance. Such unexpected attention gathered with a robust need for leadership under ambiguity has been demonstrated to profit even non-exemplary leaders in the form of bipartisan support and better responsiveness of effectiveness and charm (Rast III, Gaffney, Hogg, & Crisp, 2012). However, recent happenings reveal that some leaders cannot harness the opportunity presented by the crises, such that some leaders lose support, face resistance from their followers, or cannot protect their organizations from economic distress. Considering that the only sure thing about crises is that they are likely to happen repeatedly. Thus, we maintain that more attention should be given to leadership in turbulent environments.

The speed and magnitude of the coronavirus pandemic proffers monumental challenges for leaders in today’s most important institutions. It is uncomplicated to understand why many leaders have missed the opportunity for honest communication and decisive action. But it is a misjudgement to think failures of leadership are all we can expect in these depressing times.

As the business and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis soars, leaders in every industry and organization are moving urgently to safeguard its workforce and build resilience. Governments are mobilizing to protect citizenries and manage the economic domino-effect. Urgent action is critical, but leaders must also adopt a new agenda – one focused directly at what comes next.

Leadership has always been crucial to the effective functioning of society, and organisational performance depends on the successful management of human capital. Throughout history, leadership has been vital to the fortune of companies and entire economies alike. Yet today, we face a progressively more convoluted world that demands leaders to effectively deal with what we call “wicked problems” – challenges that have extremely many variables involved which it is not possible to solve them with natural-born charisma or talent.

Cities have had to respond quickly and imaginatively to tackle the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. They have a critical role in monitoring the effects of the deadly disease and of the measures introduced on health inequalities and the health of the population. For instance, Kampala, Uganda has designed a COVID-19 vulnerability index to identify which areas of the city need most support. Also, in Freetown (sierra Leone) and in Milan (Italy) local authorities have started and developed emergency food programmes to make sure the most vulnerable in society have sufficient to eat regardless the lockdown measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drawn attention to the critical role played by leadership in times of crises with the popularity of many global leaders rising and the others’ declining. For example, we now know that leaders are mainly important to influencing the meaning of the happenings and giving direction to stakeholders’ understanding and interpretation of the character and outcomes of the developing crises (Sobral et al., 2020). Despite this, our knowledge concerning how leaders can productively and confront the unique challenges that the current crisis has generated for governments, businesses and institutions globally remains scant. Thus, future research should target and examine many of the topics identified in this editorial to aid to better groom leaders and organizations for the next global crisis.

Assuming that crises expose leaders to contradictory pieces of information from multiple sphere of influence, high-levels decision-making, and require communication and contact with multiple stakeholders, they offer ideal conditions for leaders to learn new skills through problem-related capabilities. Similarly, living through a highly disruptive event is likely to increase a leader’s self-efficacy and confidence in managing crises and enhance their motivation to lead (Chan & Drasgow, 2001). Not every leader appears to accept this opportunity for growth and development. This is due to the fact that leading in times of crisis is an immense challenge, and it demands great social, technical, physical, and emotional skills. Some organizational leaders may not have these skills or capabilities or may never have been requested to show them, which provides an opportunity for other people to take part in leadership activities. Therefore, future research could investigate how each of the ingredients of crises promotes leadership emergence and development. Researchers and academics could also test how actual and nascent leaders can get the most out of the crisis-related leadership competences to either enhance or improve their identities as leaders.

While the above findings remain valuable and significant, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed that technological developments and increasing interconnectedness among nations have altered the organizational environment. Thus, the existing framework presents leaders with additional challenges and opportunities when acting in response to disruptive phenomena. Below we identify themes of interest that researchers and academics might want to focus on and investigate to achieve a better understanding of the attitudes and behaviors associated with leadership under crises.

Themes:

Ambidextrous leadership

Authentic leadership

Compassionate leadership

Crisis leadership

Democratic leadership

Ethical leadership

Female/Women’s leadership

Identity-based leadership

Innovation leadership

Leadership for Innovation

Leadership development

Sales leadership

Servant leadership

Transformational leadership

Transactional leadership

Urban leadership