Theme
Corporate Engagement

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"Quando as empresas pensam em fazer boas compras, consideram planejamento, gestão de estoques, equilíbrio de tempos e momentos, condições de pagamento, evitar desperdícios, organizar a documentação e, o mais importante, a escolha de fornecedores, que envolve um dos canais de abertura da empresa a relações com outras empresas, outros empreendimentos. É a oportunidade de fazer com que boas compras sejam também boas relações e, assim, sejam boas desde uma perspectiva mais ampla: para as empresas sim, mas também para os fornecedores, para a sociedade e para o meio ambiente."

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"This Guide was developed for impact and mission-driven investors (“Investors”) operating in emerging markets to provide concrete, practical pathways for investing with a gender lens. The adoption of Gender Lens Investing strategies amongst investors in emerging markets in turn increases the amount of capital deployed towards women-led and gender inclusive businesses. Specifically, this Guide offers pathways for investment professionals, limited partners (LPs) and general partners (GPs) at impact and mission-driven Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) firms that are investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Other actors that may also find the Guide useful are limited partners (LPs), asset managers, foundations, family offices and development finance institutions (DFI) that are providing capital to SMEs in emerging markets (Please see Figure 1: Who is this Guide for?). While the investor examples and data presented in the Guide originate from Investing in Women partners and countries of focus, the lessons learned apply broadly to investors operating in emerging markets.

There is no singular or linear path to investing with a gender lens, and there is no single ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to meet the needs and theses of all investors. With that in mind, the Guide outlines various options for investing with a gender lens. We know that gender lens investing is not an “all-or-nothing” scenario. There are multiple ways to integrate progressive practices, including ways that are not resource-intensive. This Guide outlines entry points for investors at any point in their gender lens investing journey and provides various options for decisive actions that can be taken at any stage of the investment process.

There is no single prescribed starting point. Investors can customize their approach to getting started and/or to deepen their involvement. The Guide builds on – and contributes to – a rapidly growing body of knowledge shared within the fields of gender lens investing and development, and is intended to spur action and learning. Recognizing that new resources are continually emerging, this Guide delves into the “how” of gender lens investing and is designed to complement the work of our partners and colleagues cited throughout this paper."

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"This case explores the evolution of the cross-sector relationship between Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2000-2015. It focuses on partnerships that sought to build the capacity of smallholder farmers in the developing world. The case explores the ways in which this collaboration came about, how it was supported by the partners, and the level of success achieved as measured by the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Walmart Foundation, and USAID.

After reading and discussing the material, students should: understand the opportunities and challenges inherent in bridging public and private goals in the context of a partnership between a multinational company and a large development agency; understand different types of partnerships and how they can deliver different types of value to the partners; and understand how internal structure, cross-organizational interaction and resource flow, and shifting strategic objectives can influence partnership development and success."

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"All corporations seek to differentiate themselves and look for new ways to create value. But, how does an organization change the way it does business? This guide addresses three key questions: 1) What is the business benefit and why should my business consider alternative options in its innovation and investment strategy? 2) What steps can I take to begin the process of designing our corporate innovation and investment strategy so that it creates positive outcomes? 3) Who can I work with to make this happen and what forms of collaboration exist in the market that I can learn from?"

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"This new resource by CSR Asia provides guidance and toolkits to help companies improve their gender diversity performance and design strategic community investment programmes aimed at empowering women economically. It intends to help companies see the value in investing in the economic empowerment of women in their workplaces and communities."

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"This guide shows how large companies can collaborate with other actors to build business ecosystems that enable small and medium sized companies (SMEs) to thrive. Based on concrete examples, it establishes elements of “Market Building Collaboration” and points out an agenda for action for large companies, the public sector and SME support institutions."

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"This report provides a framework, examples, and reflections on lessons learned from Acumen's various partnerships and collaboration efforts. It aims to catalyse discussion and collaborative action that accelerates growth with impact."

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"This report presents lessons learned from various models that public and private sector programs use to stimulate growth of agro-processing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through linkages to larger firms in developing countries. The study considers the unique barriers that SMEs face and the market-driven approaches spurring SME growth by facilitating linkages to lead firms in challenging development contexts which might serve as a reference for policymakers, development practitioners, and private sector actors. The report presents approaches to successful, sustainable program design for public and private sector-led initiatives, in an effort to enrich the knowledge available to expand the opportunities for agro-processing, and to attract lead firms to partner with smaller ones."

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"Our main motivation in writing this guide has been our hope of unlocking IB partnerships' immense potential for helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more effectively. To this end, our guide aims to give NGOs and companies guidance in conducting more productive IB partnerships as equal partners.

This guide is primarily aimed at internationally operating NGOs (INGOs). Our secondary audience includes companies of all sizes."

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"The express objective of Beyond Dialogue was to help corporations and social enterprises learn more about the ways they could partner with each other to achieve shared goals for sustainable and inclusive business, and to spark new collaborations...This report seeks to answer this desire of event participants by recording and reinforcing the most salient points and stories raised during Beyond Dialogue. It aims to distil useful insights and lessons mainly through a selection of case studies shared by event participants that will allow readers and practitioners to derive what is most relevant and suited to their context and sector. It will then analyse the key findings and lessons from the case studies before concluding on future opportunities for learning and collaboration. This report will hopefully lead to more proactive efforts to develop and expand partnerships that aim to improve the lives of people living in poverty, and to demonstrate how these partnerships can be designed to support both business and social impact goals."

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