This document discusses the need for a new social contract between businesses, communities, governments, and other stakeholders that balances competitiveness with community enrichment. It argues that companies need to operate sustainably and consider social and environmental impacts, while stakeholders must understand the business needs of global competitiveness. A balanced, mutually beneficial relationship is required where productivity increases are rewarded and all sides work as partners towards shared prosperity.

1. Sustainability in business – towards a social
contract that balances community enrichment with
global competitiveness?
21 October 2010
Perceptual asset managers

2. Company success creates wealth. Without that, there is
no wealth to share
• A company should be “good” – it must contribute to society; it must reward
investors; it must create jobs; it must inspire people and communities; it must
empower people; it must inspire the youth; it must encourage innovation in
industry; it must put more back into the environment than it takes out; it must pay
taxes; it must reward productivity.
• People will be productive when they believe in their future – this is only partly a
function of wages and benefits – it increasingly lies in their participation in the
future of the company.
• In all societies, even low paying jobs slowly grow into higher wages and better
standards of living.
• As the ambassador of Mexico to the US said, the alternative of low-paying jobs
is no jobs! Ultimately, once the multiplier of income starts working, most societies
increase the wealth of their people.

3. Yet today, it is about a social conscience & reciprocity,
not only profit
• A company has to be globally competitive to survive long term. It needs to
operate well and be productive – without that, it will not succeed. That
means extracting greater value from the same resources as its rivals. This
has nothing to do with governments, these rules are set by global
competitive forces. A company can ignore these – and go out of business,
which means no jobs at all!
• To stay in business, you have to do “the business-of-business” well.
• Today no company will survive without a social and environmental
conscience that is real. It is actions, not talking, that matter now.
• Society enables the company to operate. Countries, governments and
communities set the rules of what they expect from the company – in that
respect, they will also ultimately only deal with companies that satisfy their
requirements. Companies will invest where they feel welcome and it is easy
for them to operate. Yet, society has a right to demand respect and returns,
exactly like investors.

4. The new balance of power requires both sides
to understand their mutual expectations and obligations
• What the workers and society want and need to increase their standards of
living, working conditions, happiness and future potential.
• What business requires to be globally competitive and what it is able and
required to “pay” for that.
• This requires a “social contract” between workers, communities,
governments and companies.
• A social contract means that society cannot just demand without committing
to reciprocal increases in productivity which will make a company globally
more competitive.
• On the flipside, a company cannot expect more productivity without actively
engaging with society and empowering it to create a prosperous future.
• The one without the other will never work.

5. 5Presentation title
Business depends upon a complex set of stakeholders
who needs to co-exist within a state of equilibrium
The individual
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
The environment

6. 6Presentation title
The traditional scenario was fairly one-sided
The individual – be
productive and
flexible
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for maximum
short-term return
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy
Creating wealth
through jobs and
taxes, enables
communities and
political support
Create jobs
Leverage the
resources of
people, raw
materials and
capital

7. 7Presentation title
The demands of customers - and the challenge
of competitors - create a highly competitive mega-context
The individual – be
productive and
flexible
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for maximum
short-term return
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy
Creating wealth
through jobs and
taxes, enables
communities and
political support
Create jobs
Leverage the
resources of
people, raw
materials and
capital

8. 8Presentation title
The traditional balance of power –
workers create investor wealth, often against all odds
The individual – be
productive and
flexible
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for maximum
short-term return
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy
Creating wealth
through jobs and
taxes, enables
communities and
political support
Create jobs
Leverage the
resources of
people, raw
materials and
capital

9. 9Presentation title
The changing balance of power – a finite balance: the
right to operate balanced with the right to superior returns
The individual – be
productive and
flexible
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for maximum
short-term return
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy
Creating wealth
through jobs and
taxes, enables
communities and
political support
Create jobs
Leverage the
resources of
people, raw
materials and
capital
The rights of workers and society cannot be met and will not be
sustainable if a company is not globally competitive – society
has to balance its own demands within the context of global
competition.
Companies will simply operate elsewhere if these demands are
to great.
However, the more the company listens, the more productive the
workforce, the more productive the workforce, the more
successful the company.
Ultimately the greatest mutual benefit will come from this delicate
balance.

10. 10Presentation title
The drivers of this new balance of power
The individual – be
productive and
flexible
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for maximum
short-term return
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy
Creating wealth
through jobs and
taxes, enables
communities and
political support
Create jobs
Leverage the
resources of
people, raw
materials and
capital
• The democratisation of the individual
• Democracies in most countries
• Open-societies and opportunities
• The globalisation of labour
• Open information flow and access
• The importance of meaningful work for people
• Greater government accountability
• Greater democratic demands
• Greater demands from labour and trade unions
• Greater say of the individual in how taxes are spent
• Difficulty in disguising bad practices
• Social media and natural and organised communities everywhere
• The mobility of labour
• Global competition for investment and scarce resources
• The demands of customers

11. 11Presentation title
The future scenario
The individual –
balance productivity
with enrichment and
job satisfaction
Investors & Shareholders
The community
Government and
other interest
groups
Invest for the longer term wealth
creation, without entirely
jeopardising short-term results.
Have a social conscience. Be
prepared to trade benefits for
returns. Listen. Be a partner in
all respects.
Pay taxes, stimulate
investment into the
economy, attract
investment into the
country
Creating wealth through jobs and
taxes, enables communities and
political support. Create an
investment and sustainability
conscious environment
Create jobs that pay
and reward well
Sustainable
management of
people, the
environment,
health, safety and
natural resources

12. 12Presentation title
What has MTN done in Africa?
• Connects people with family, friends and jobs.
• Creates jobs – directly in their operations, with entrepreneurs who sell
airtime, cleaning services, advertising services, office rentals, security
services – it generates the economic multiplier.
• Creates a positive atmosphere for other investments into the countries.
• Pay taxes which enables government to invest back into the communities
with infrastructure development.
• Creates infrastructure where none exist (in place of rail, roads).
• Inspire the youth.
• Upliftment programs.
• How can that be bad? In fact, if it did not make money, it could not do that!
The most important thing it did in Africa: makes people believe in
themselves. And gradually, makes the world believe in Africa.

13. 13Presentation title
A discussion with Mark Cutifani,
CEO of AngloGold Ashanti
• Reciprocity – caring for people and the environment, balanced with superior
short and long term returns.
• The way people are treated, and the way you integrate into - and respect -
the communities within which you operate, will determine your results
through greater commitment of staff and greater productivity.
• It is never either/ or. The global scenario today demands that – but it is also
the right thing to do!

14. 14Presentation title
Conclusions
• Be aware of the changing context.
• Be open to all sides. Listen. Understand the new social contract.
• Be willing and able to balance apparent conflicting viewpoints.
• A new style of leadership is required.
• The demise of corporate philanthropy and social responsibility. Integrate society with
business strategy.
• Vision now more important than management. People will buy into a vision, from
investors to workers.
• Balance interests. Be open about issues and demands. Reward productivity with
greater returns for people.
• Ultimately, without productive business, there is no wealth to distribute, salaries to
pay or jobs. Neither factors predominate – it requires balance. But yes, the balance is
not as simplistic as in the past!
• Accept that every individual co-creates the future of a company and of society – it
does not belong to the CEO or the executive.
• Do it willingly!

15. 15Presentation title
If we do this well….
• We will create a new paradigm of how business operates within society.
• It will create a new sense of mutual respect.
– Business will not be seen as exploitative and demanding.
– Workers will not be seen as demanding without increased obligations.
– And society will not feel they do not benefit from their resources.
– And future generations will respect us for enabling them a better standard of living and a
healthy planet.
• Being an emerging economy ourselves, we are in a unique position to set the
benchmark for how to integrate how society creates wealth.