The Financial Crisis and the Sustainability Crisis Have a Common Cause

How are the financial crisis and the sustainability crisis connected?

They are both fueled by large numbers of business people simultaneously using a narrow, short-term view of their responsibilities.

A short-term view is thinking that is narrowly focused on accomplishing short-range internal company goals and fails to consider the impact of business choices beyond the company’s walls and beyond the current financial reporting period.

Using such a narrow definition of corporate responsibility leads businesses to make unethical decisions. Read more about the implications of business leaders using short-term thinking in these articles:

“Sustainable Investing and the Next Economy” by Joseph F. Keefe, Speech to the Boston Economic Club, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

“Short Term Thinking Shorts us All” by Jeffrey Hollender

“Short-Term Thinking Linked to Compensation Problems” by Justin Lahart, WSJ Blogs