ABSTRACT
Capitalism was able to bring previously unknown levels of prosperity to humankind. The arguments of leaders including President Sarkozy of France, helped remind people of the different models of capitalism. Different forms of capitalism have different implications for voluntary corporate responsibility, and during 2009 some began looking at the experience of Francophone business to gain a broader perspective. Creative capitalism’ is the favoured term of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and other business leaders, and was the title of a book on their ideas published at the end of 2009. Promoting capital accountability implies creating more ‘present’ ownership. Owners of property are often more accountable if they are present with that property. Creating more present ownership is also part of a process democratising capital ownership in general, and efforts from within both governments and large corporations to encourage a greater diversity of capital ownership across an economy should be supported.
