ABSTRACT
There are at least three fundamental leadership roles global corporations can exhibit with regard to crucial issues shaping the future. The first is to ‘put a stake in the ground’ about the nature of particular issues and to lead by action around those issues. Leaders like John Browne can utilise the ‘bully pulpit’ they can command to draw attention to the practical significance of otherwise controversial issues that are easy for businesses to ignore. The second is to be willing to work in partnership with others to shift market, technology and regulatory conditions that individual firms cannot alter by themselves. The third, companies must be prepared to undertake radical changes in their established ways of operating, including creating alternative products, processes and business models. Traditionally, corporations have insulated consumers from major issues such as food and water, energy and climate change.
