Marc Le Menestrel

Fairphone: much more than a fair phone

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-12-19T11:11:50Z

Fairphone is much more than a fair phone.

Fairphone is a fairer phone but it is firstly a movement. Any movement is a transformation of the world, something that continuously changes and evolves. Fairphone is a movement transforming the world, continuously changing and evolving. This is the most important thing I understood from a discussion with Laura Gerritsen (Impact and Development).

Fairphone aims to do things differently. It is “creative, innovative, involving and incorporating many different ideas aiming at changing something not envisioned to be changed.” The primary importance is given to “the process”, “the difference is in how to do things”.

Of course Fairphone has an ambition in terms of “fair economy”, an objective to pay more attention to “human values”. But this is “without determining top down what is fair”, which is done through “debate” as “fairness is subjective”.

The dynamics is not merely motivated by a clear vision of what has to be changed: “this can be debated.” Indeed, the opening of a conversation by providing a “platform for discussion” may be the first transformation Fairphone has already accomplished.

I especially liked the expression that “…in a sense, values are created”. In line with the approach taught in my course, this is an existentialist approach to ethics. Fairphone is not bound by a dogmatic approach defining first what is ethical. They first try to build a very large perspective in order to understand what happens in the field and then act appropriately (see the blog of Laura for what she does around mining, a major issue for the supply-chain of phones).

Fairphone has understood that ethics remains a grey zone. By promoting “transparency” through a debate they want to be “inclusive”. But transparency also means being open about what you have not been able to achieve and what remains to be improved, such as working conditions at mine sites. Hence, Fairphone is not exempt of unfair issues. There is much more to do evidently and they have noted that “being open about the issues you have not been able solve and why does not necessarily lead to more (negative) criticism, but is key to develop a constructive debate”.

In fact, they have been criticized a lot and this has empowered them. “If you take critics seriously, it leads to a good discussion and a good learning. It does not need to be always easy but it can be very useful.” Sometimes, misinformed supporters can also raise issues, for instance by saying wrongly that the phone is biodegradable or fully recyclable. Things are both fair and unfair which, as we know, does not imply that they are equally fair (see ethics as a grey zone).

In class, we often discuss why Apple, Samsung or Sony have not yet launched such a product. For Laura, this is not just about the product. “You can have 1 product over 20000 that is more fair and ecological but what does it mean?” More important is whether there is a change in approach and social and environmental values are integrated in the everyday decision making and activities of companies.

“At Fairphone, the DNA is different. Still, we know we are a small company and believe we need to work together with all players to trigger a change that goes beyond Fairphone. By establishing the market for ethical products we hope to motivate the entire industry to act more responsibly”.

More than a fairer product, Fairphone creates a movement with transparent and inclusive discussions about how to move forward.

Questions for reflection:

• Under which conditions a clear vision of the future is not necessary to accomplish a great project?

• Why, when and for whom it can be difficult to accept that a fairer phone may not be entirely a fair phone?

• Why, when and for whom communicating about ethical vulnerabilities can be appropriate?

• If a company can be “a movement”, what would it mean for you as a person to be “a movement”?

Open Source Ecology

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-12-10T11:19:48Z

Brief introduction of Open Source Ecology in its own words:

We're developing open source industrial machines that can be made for a fraction of commercial costs, and sharing our designs online for free. The goal of Open Source Ecology is to create an open source economy – an efficient economy which increases innovation by open collaboration.

To get there, OSE is currently developing a set of open source blueprints for the Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) – a set of the 50 most important machines that it takes for modern life to exist – everything from a tractor, to an oven, to a circuit maker. In the process of creating the GVCS, OSE intends to develop a modular, scalable platform for documenting and developing open source, libre hardware – including blueprints for both physical artifacts and for related open enterprises.

The current practical implementation of the GVCS is a life size LEGO set of powerful, self-replicating production tools for distributed production. The Set includes fabrication and automated machines that make other machines. Through the GVCS, OSE intends to build not individual machines – but machine construction systems that can be used to build any machine whatsoever. Because new machines can be built from existing machines, the GVCS is intended to be a kernel for building infrastructures of modern civilization.

We – the countless collaborators upon whose shoulders this Vision stands – imagine a world of innovation accelerated by open, collaborative development – to solve wicked problems – before they are created. We see a world of prosperity that doesn't leave anyone behind. We see a world of interdisciplinary, synergistic systems thinking – not the isolated silos of today's world.

This work of distributing raw productive power to people is not only a means to solving wicked problems – but a means for humans themselves to evolve. The creation of a new world depends on expansion of human consciousness and personal evolution – as individuals tap their autonomy, mastery, and purpose – bo Build Themselves – and to become responsible for the world around them. One outcome is a world beyond artificial material scarcity – where no longer do material constraints and resource conflicts dictate most of human interactions – personal and political. We see a future world where we can say – “Resource conflicts? That was back in the stone age.”

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about Open Source Ecology?

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Business Europe

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-12-02T12:22:04Z

Business Europe in its own words

BUSINESSEUROPE is the leading advocate for growth and competitiveness at European level, standing up for companies across the continent and campaigning on the issues that most influence their performance. A recognised social partner, we speak for all-sized enterprises in 33 European countries whose national business federations are our direct members.

The organisation is headquartered in Brussels at the heart of the EU institutions. We work on behalf of our member federations to ensure that the voice of business is heard in European policy-making. We interact regularly with the European Parliament, Commission and Council as well as other stakeholders in the policy community. We also represent European business in the international arena, ensuring that Europe remains globally competitive. [...]

We are convinced that by acting together in the European Union, our economies and societies are stronger. European companies want to invest in Europe and throughout the world. EU policy-makers must help business create the jobs, investment and opportunity that will secure our global future by urgently implementing competitiveness, growth and employment-enhancing policy changes throughout Europe.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about Business Europe?

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The Debian Project and the Linux Foundation

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T14:16:54Z

The Debian Project in its own words

The Debian Project is an association of individuals who have made common cause to create a free operating system. This operating system that we have created is called Debian.

An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. At the core of an operating system is the kernel. The kernel is the most fundamental program on the computer and does all the basic housekeeping and lets you start other programs.

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

However, work is in progress to provide Debian for other kernels, primarily for the Hurd. The Hurd is a collection of servers that run on top of a microkernel (such as Mach) to implement different features. The Hurd is free software produced by the GNU project.

A large part of the basic tools that fill out the operating system come from the GNU project; hence the names: GNU/Linux, GNU/kFreeBSD, and GNU/Hurd. These tools are also free.

Of course, the thing that people want is application software: programs to help them get what they want to do done, from editing documents to running a business to playing games to writing more software. Debian comes with over 37500 packages (precompiled software that is bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on your machine), a package manager (APT), and other utilities that make it possible to manage thousands of packages on thousands of computers as easily as installing a single application. All of it free.

It's a bit like a tower. At the base is the kernel. On top of that are all the basic tools. Next is all the software that you run on the computer. At the top of the tower is Debian — carefully organizing and fitting everything so it all works together.

The Linux Foundation in its own words

More than 20 years ago, Linus Torvalds sparked an open source revolution with a short email declaring he was doing a new project “just for fun.” Today, Linux powers 98% of the world's super computers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and tens of millions of Android mobile phones and consumer devices. In short, Linux is everywhere.

The Linux Foundation is here to help. By supporting the kernel development community — including employing Linus Torvalds himself — and fostering collaboration on a truly massive scale, the Linux Foundation unites thousands of curious minds in the free and open exchange of ideas. With this collective wisdom, people everywhere are using Linux to solve harder problems, innovate faster than ever, and change the way the world works together. We are here to provide the crucial services and collaborative infrastructure to continue Linux' advancement and protection.

The Linux Foundation is also here to help companies and individuals navigate the ever-changing landscape of Linux. From new member mentoring programs to advanced consulting services, we're here to guide you through the labyrinth of open source opportunities—so you can make the most of your Linux investment. Join us.

We are also dedicated to expanding the collaborative DNA of Linux to other industries and markets. Companies, open source projects and individual developers can work with our Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects to make collaborative development the de facto way of solving the world's hardest problems. You can participate in large-scale, industry-wide innovation by joining a Linux Foundation Collaborative Project or starting one of your own.

Just like the Linux platform itself, our Linux Foundation community is intrinsically designed for flexibility. Whether you want to boost your open source compliance know-how, meet with developers from around the world, help staff build their Linux chops, or participate in massive collaborative efforts, your opportunities to get involved are literally wide open. Please explore our programs, events and training to see how you can get involved.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about the Debian Project and the Linux Foundation?

Back to the course

Fairphone

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T11:54:23Z

Fairphone in its own words

Fairphone is a social enterprise with the goal of creating a fairer economy. We open up supply chains to understand how things are made and build stronger connections between people and their products.

We developed the Fairphone to help us tell a much bigger story. Our phone serves to uncover production systems, address challenging problems and stimulate discussions about what is truly fair. We're leading by example to expand the market for ethical products and giving a voice to consumers that care about social values. Together with our community, we are changing the way products are made.

Fairphone started in 2010 as a project of Waag Society, Action Aid and Schrijf-Schrijf to raise awareness about conflict minerals in consumer electronics and the wars that the mining of these minerals is fueling in the DR Congo. The campaign and related research ran for three years. In 2013, Fairphone was officially established as a social enterprise to help us expand the reach of our goals. By creating a smartphone, we are using commercial strategies to maximize our social impact at every stage of the value chain, from sourcing
and production to distribution and recycling.

Our starting point was more ethical products in general. We decided to
focus on phones simply because they are ubiquitous – nearly everyone owns or frequently uses one. The Fairphone is a storytelling device that provides a useful metaphor for complex, interconnected supply chains. This symbolic product guides our journey as we open up the processes behind production, one step at a time, and work to put social values first. We want to change the relationship that people have with their products and contribute to an
economy based on different values. Our phone is just one result of that.

Here is an easy piece I wrote about Fairphone: Much more than a fair phone.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about Fairphone?

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La Fageda

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T11:48:33Z

La Fageda in its own words

La Fageda és una cooperativa catalana d'iniciativa social sense ànim de lucre creada a Olot el 1982. Té com a finalitat la integració laboral de les persones de la comarca de la Garrotxa (Girona) que pateixen discapacitat intellectual o trastorns mentals severs. Treballem un total de 270 persones, incloses usuaris i professionals.

Mas Els Casals, la seu social, es troba a la Fageda d'en Jordà, una de les principals reserves del Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa. En aquesta finca de 15 hectàrees, portem a terme la majoria d'activitats, tant assistencials com productives.

Les activitats productives de la cooperativa són eminentment agrícoles i es desenvolupen dins el marc administratiu d'un Centre Especial de Treball: una granja de vaques per a la producció de llet, la planta d'elaboració de productes làctics, una secció de jardineria, la planta d'elaboració de gelats el taller de manualitats i la nova activitat d'horticultura i conserves.

Les activitats assistencials: un Servei de Teràpia Ocupacional, pisos assistits per als treballadors i activitats de lleure, persegueixen millorar al màxim la qualitat de vida dels seus usuaris.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about La Fageda?

Back to the course

GSK and the Chinese Bribery Case

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T11:41:46Z

GSK in its own words

GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a mission: we want to help people to do more, feel better, live longer.

The vaccines, medicines and consumer healthcare products that we research and develop can improve people's health and well-being, ultimately helping them to live life to its fullest and contribute to the prosperity of their communities.

We ask each of our 99,000 employees across the 115 countries to share our mission and consider how what they do can help all those people who rely on the products we make. It is why every day our scientists search for new ways to improve the treatment of diseases and illnesses. And it is why we have been pioneering new solutions that allow us to make our products available to those who need them, wherever in the world they live and whatever their ability to pay.

We are a business, so we need to do this in a sustainable way. But in doing this well, we deliver a profitable and sustainable performance. This in turn allows us to generate value and returns for our shareholders, while maintaining the substantial investment we make into the research and discovery, manufacturing, supply and distribution of our products that ultimately delivers value to patients and society.

The Chinese bribery case by GSK in its own words:

On September 19, 2014, GSK announced that the Changsha Intermediate People's Court in Hunan Province, China ruled that GSK China Investment Co. Ltd (GSKCI) has, according to Chinese law, offered money or property to non-government personnel in order to obtain improper commercial gains, and been found guilty of bribing non-government personnel. The verdict follows investigations initiated by China's Ministry of Public Security in June 2013.

As a result of the Court's verdict, GSKCI will pay a fine of £297 million (3 billion RMB at a currency exchage rate of 10.0980) to the Chinese government. This will be funded through existing cash resources. Associated costs and charges related to restructuring will be included in GSK's third quarter update.

The illegal activities of GSKCI are a clear breach of GSK's governance and compliance procedures; and are wholly contrary to the values and standards expected from GSK employees. GSK has published a statement of apology to the Chinese government and its people on its website (www.gsk-china.com).

GSK has co-operated fully with the authorities and has taken steps to comprehensively rectify the issues identified at the operations of GSKCI. This includes fundamentally changing the incentive program for its salesforces (decoupling sales targets from compensation); significantly reducing and changing engagement activities with healthcare professionals; and expanding processes for review and monitoring of invoicing and payments.

GSK Chief Executive Officer, Sir Andrew Witty said: "Reaching a conclusion in the investigation of our Chinese business is important, but this has been a deeply disappointing matter for GSK. We have and will continue to learn from this. GSK has been in China for close to a hundred years and we remain fully committed to the country and its people. We will continue to expand access to innovative medicines and vaccines to improve their health and well-being. We will also continue to invest directly in the country to support the government's health care reform agenda and long-term plans for economic growth."

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about the Chinese bribery case of GSK?

Back to the course

BNP Paribas and 2014 US sanctions

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T11:23:09Z

BNP Paribas in its own words

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in the eurozone and a major global bank.

The Group is active in 75 countries with nearly 185,000 employee, more than 140,000 of whom are in Europe. BNP Paribas has key positions in its three main areas of activity:

RETAIL

BANKING INVESTMENT SOLUTIONS

CORPORATE & INVESTMENT BANKING

In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets —Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg—and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer finance. BNP Paribas is also developing its integrated retail banking model in countries around the Mediterranean basin, in Turkey and in Eastern Europe, and has a large network in the Western United States. Its Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking businesses are among the leaders in Europe and boast a solid foothold in the Americas, as well as a robust and rapidly-growing presence in Asia-Pacific.

Settlement of US Sanctions in BNP Paribas own words

On Jun 30, 2014, BNP Paribas announced a comprehensive settlement of the pending investigation relating to US dollar transactions involving parties subject to US sanctions [...].

The settlement includes guilty pleas entered into by BNP Paribas SA in relation to violations of certain US laws and regulations regarding economic sanctions against certain countries and related recordkeeping. BNP Paribas also agrees to pay a total of USD 8.97 billion (Euros 6.6 billion) [...].

In advance of the settlement, the bank designed new robust compliance and control procedures. Many of these are already in force and are working effectively, and involve important changes to the Group's procedures. Specifically:

• a new department called Group Financial Security US, part of the Group Compliance function, will be headquartered in New York and will ensure that BNP Paribas complies globally with US regulation related to international sanctions and embargoes.

• all USD flows for the entire BNP Paribas Group will be ultimately processed and controlled via the branch in New York.

As a result of BNP Paribas' internal review, a number of managers and employees from relevant business areas have been sanctioned, a number of whom have left the Group.

Jean-Laurent Bonnafe, CEO of BNP Paribas, said: “We deeply regret the past misconduct that led to this settlement. The failures that have come to light in the course of this investigation run contrary to the principles on which BNP Paribas has always sought to operate. We have announced today a comprehensive plan to strengthen our internal controls and processes, in ongoing close coordination with the US authorities and our home regulator to ensure that we do not fall below the high standards of responsible conduct we expect from everyone associated with BNP Paribas”.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about BNP Paris and the settlement of US sanctions?

Back to the course

Lenovo buying IBM's PC Division

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T10:04:54Z

Lenovo in its own words

Lenovo is one of the world's leading personal technology companies, producing innovative PCs and mobile internet devices. A global Fortune 500 company, Lenovo is the world's largest PC vendor and fourth largest smartphone company.

While the Lenovo brand came into existence only in 2004, the company has a much longer history. In 1984, Legend Holdings was formed with 200,000 RMB (US$25,000) in a guard house in China. The company was incorporated in Hong Kong in 1988 and would grow to be the largest PC company in China. Legend Holdings changed its name to Lenovo in 2004 and, in 2005, acquired the former Personal Computer Division of IBM, the company that invented the PC industry in 1981.

Today, Lenovo is a US$39 billion personal technology company with more than 54,000 employees (including joint ventures) in more than 60 countries serving customers in more than 160 countries. Lenovo is a global company that is incorporated and headquartered in Hong Kong, with operational centers located strategically around the world , with the largest in Beijing and Morrisville, NC. These operational centers drive Lenovo's global and local business approach.

Lenovo has grown faster than the market for more than four years because our exceptionally engineered products are meant for those who do. Our customers use innovation to bring progress to the world, and we design and build our products with this in mind, taking inspiration from the drive and imagination of the people who make things happen. Our technology helps those who do, do better.

Lenovo completes the acquisition of IBM's Personal Computing Division, making it a new international IT competitor and the third-largest personal computer company in the world.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about lenovo buying IBM's PC Division?

Back to the course

HP Buying Autonomy

Marc Le Menestrel — 2014-11-26T09:03:40Z

HP in its own words

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world.

The acquisition of Autonomy Corporation plc by HP in its own words:

On August 18, 2011, HP and Autonomy Corporation plc announced the terms of a recommended transaction under which HP (through an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, HP SPV) will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Autonomy for £25.50 ($42.11) per share in cash (the “Offer”). The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both HP and Autonomy. The Autonomy board of directors also has unanimously recommended its shareholders accept the Offer. [...]

Founded in 1996, Autonomy is a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise with a customer base of more than 25,000 global companies, law firms and public sector agencies, and approximately 2,700 employees worldwide.[...]

“Autonomy presents an opportunity to accelerate our strategic vision to decisively and profitably lead a large and growing space,” said Léo Apotheker, HP president and chief executive officer. “Autonomy brings to HP higher value business solutions that will help customers manage the explosion of information. Together with Autonomy, we plan to reinvent how both unstructured and structured data is processed, analyzed, optimized, automated and protected. Autonomy has an attractive business model, including a strong cloud based solution set, which is aligned with HP's efforts to improve our portfolio mix. We believe this bold action will squarely position HP in software and information to create the next-generation Information Platform, and thereby, create significant value for our shareholders.”

In November 2012, HP announced to investors that it was writing down almost $9 billion of its $11.1 billion acquisition of the British software company, Autonomy Corp.

Question for preparation:

What would you like to learn about HP buying Autonomy?

Back to the course