Vikas Vij

Vikas Vij
Vikas is a staff writer for the Sustainable Development news and editorial section on Justmeans. He is an MBA with 20 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience and global travel. He is the author of "The Power of Money" (Scholars, 2003), a book that presents a revolutionary monetary economic theory on poverty alleviation in the developing world. Vikas is also the official writer for an international social project for developing nations "Decisions for Life" run in collaboration between the ILO, the University of Amsterdam and the Indian Institute of Management.

Posts by This Writer

2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Companies that internally promote ethical business standards and practices have historically outperformed others in financial terms. There is a clear connection between good ethical practices in business and market performance. Ethical companies shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow’s best practices today.

The World’s Most Ethical Companies program honors companies from around the world that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to good ethical practices in business. The program is run by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – The UN Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) have emerged as an integrative framework that gives a cohesive direction to sustainable actions of companies, investors, nonprofits, development organizations, and governments. Innovative fund-raising solutions are necessary to implement these global goals, particularly in the developing economies. 

To fund the expansion of SDGs, the World Bank has issued bonds that for the first time directly link returns to the performance of companies advancing global development priorities set out in the SDGs, including gender equality, health and sustainable infrastructure.

The...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – CSR leaders and corporate foundations experience implementation challenges as they attempt to move from an initial strategy to leading change. Legacy expectations, inadequate capacity, organizational inertia and other strategic choices are some of the obstacles that can slow progress in strategy.

To help these leaders overcome the challenges and advance their CSR strategy, FSG in partnership with CECP has released a learning brief titled “Advancing Strategy: How to Lead Change in Corporate Societal Engagement.” The guide provides best practices and tools to enable corporate foundation and CSR leaders to...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Some of the world’s leading companies are embracing the transition to a low-carbon economy, and are ready to back up their commitments with large investments in sustainability. Their efforts need to be matched by governments with well-designed policies to create enabling and long-lasting frameworks to drive change.

Ikea recently released its Sustainability Report for 2016, which showcased the company’s efforts to promote sustainable living to its customers through its People & Planet sustainability program. Alongside the release of the report, the company also announced a new €1 billion support fund, taking total...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Businesses looking to sign renewable energy contracts or even develop their own solar or wind projects often find themselves on a steep learning curve about borrowing money, structuring contracts and understanding the complex rules that govern the energy industry. Streamlining the supply of renewable energy can help a company to save money and time.

While Corporate America is buying more renewable power than ever before, businesses increasingly favor wind power over solar. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Dow Chemical and 3M are now buying five times more wind...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Sustainable investing has experienced a compound annual growth rate of 104.6 percent from 2012 to 2014, according to The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment. This growth is being driven, in part, by Millennials who prefer to invest in alignment with personal values. Since Millennials are poised to receive more than $30 trillion of inheritable wealth, fund managers are increasingly allocating resources to capture this emerging client segment.

Ernst & Young's new report titled, “Sustainable Investing: The Millennial Investor,” highlights the impact Millennials are going to have on the...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Over the last few decades, a global movement toward a different business model has emerged. The new model is related to broader efforts to promote sustainable development and the circular economy, and is driven in large part by the challenges of climate change. However, the new commitments made by responsible organizations and governments across the world need strong implementation in order to effectively address the global challenges.

To bring these organizations into spotlight, the Security and Sustainability Guide project has released a new report titled “Greening Capitalism, Quietly: Seven Types of...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – CEOs have a key responsibility to ensure that sustainability goals are incorporated into their long-term business strategy. The approach of short-termism is detrimental to their business interests, particularly as consumers, investors and other stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to become a force for societal change and create a long-term legacy.

The inaugural CECP CEO Investor Forum, held recently in NYC, brought this long-term thinking on part of the business heads into sharp focus. Prominent CEOs and executives from different business sectors came together to publicly share first-ever long-term...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – Digitization is transforming consumer behavior in every sphere of business, including banking. In 2015, mobile surpassed branches for the first time in terms of which platform US customers use to perform their weekly banking.

However, this does not mean the need for human element in banking has diminished. It only indicates a shift in customers’ expectations from their bank. More customers are now looking for personalized support and in-depth conversations related to sophisticated financial products.

Banks should recognize that they cannot entirely replace the physical connection to people. While online and...
2 years 9 months ago

(3BL Media/Justmeans) – To control climate change and to create a safe and clean environment, it is critical to make a global transition to a zero-carbon economy. This involves switching over to renewable energy in both homes and commercial buildings across the world.

Developing World Markets (DWM), Church Pension Fund and Wespath Benefits and Investments have invested $60.8 million earmarked for solar home solutions and other forms of renewable energy as well as CO2 and GHG mitigation activities.

The investment has been made in 11 businesses promoting renewable energy and climate solutions across Latin America, Africa and Asia....

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