Welcome to the Council on Business & Society’s Global Voice magazine, autumn issue #23 – Back to the Future?! 108 pages of research-based features on responsible leadership and management practices, sustainability, marketing strategy, climate philanthropy and job markets. Made readable, made practical!

We’re particularly proud of the autumn issue of Global magazine that we offer you on download from the 8 leading international business schools that make up the Council on Business & Society (CoBS) – an alliance dedicated to offering its students, corporates and the wider world the latest in cutting-edge research and practical insights in the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and responsible business practices.

The cover, Editorial by Prof. Adrian Zicari, and our traditional wry look at society via our double-page cartoon focus on what many have described as a long, hard winter of energy crisis ahead triggered by the tragic events Ukraine. The energy crisis which, for the older, European readers among us, echoes the energy crisis of the early 70s when many governments exhorted their populations to reduce consumption and seek innovative ways to keep away the winter cold.

But although times may well turn out to be tougher, it is also an occasion to step back and learn, and perhaps for governments, business and citizens to accelerate the transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources that will, as it turns out, not only benefit the planet in its efforts to assuage the climate crisis, but will also provide a degree of independence and freedom from those wishing to make energy a weapon of pressure and bargaining.

22 feature articles are included in this download in two sections: Management & Leadership and Business, Society, Planet. For the most part research-based, these articles explain deep analysis of business and society issues in a readable, engaging and often practical tone-of-voice. We hope they will offer you knowledge, understanding, food for further thought. We also hope that they set the spark for positive change – whether for your studies, business ventures, leadership, or mindset on how you view the world.

Knowledge from the 8 CoBS schools with campuses in France, Singapore, Morocco, Brazil, China, Spain, Japan, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom is highlighted that gives a unique, multi-dimensional, global yet local perspective on major issues today. Guest articles also appear in this magazine from Kenya, Canada, Denmark and from the ESG-Sustainability consulting firm Ksapa.

In the Management & Leadership section, responsible leadership and responsible management education are topics, along with HR strategies, business ethics, foreign investment and job markets, corporate social responsibility and marketing strategy. Business, Society, Planet continues with spotlights on social entrepreneurship and crisis, gender-based violence, climate philanthropy, the importance of language learning, and how businesses can find opportunity and purpose in the UN decade of ecosystem restoration.

For those wishing to go further, this issue also features pre-order links to the first in the Routledge-CoBS Focus on Responsible Business series of books – Responsible Finance & Accounting – as well as the opportunity to discover and apply for the various MBA and EMBA programmes of the CoBS schools across 10 countries and 4 continents.

How can you use Global Voice? Well, principally, for quenching your thirst for knowledge and interest in how responsible business can benefit society!

But for those of you who are students, perhaps these research-based insights can offer you a widened, deeper view on topics that your assignments deal with and that you can use and quote in your essays and dissertations, or put into practice during internships.

For young managers to experienced CEOs, Global Voice can offer a fresh look on challenges in your industry sectors and ideas and triggers to help you make your career more meaningful, your company more sustainable.

And lastly, for instructors – teachers, trainers, coaches, lecturers and higher education faculty – Global Voice offers you a wealth of content to use for classroom debate, flipped learning, insightful lectures and critical analysis.

So please make use of our autumn issue #23 and why not send in your own insights and research for publication via CoBS Insights, the Council on Business & Society’s internationally recognised blog offering weekly cutting-edge research made readable, made understandable – and also open to external submissions on a business and society issue.

So, from the magazine’s Editorial team and representatives in each CoBS member school,

Enjoy your reading and keep your hope burning bright!