She corrected me, saying, 'Dad, it's not just about avoiding the negative; I want my investments to contribute positively.' The rise of impact investing is undeniable. This generation seeks a hands-on approach to their wealth deployment. They're astute enough to demand both positive societal impact and good returns.
— Ken Costa“Incumbents are not doomed, and disruptors are not ordained. When we started our research, we thought that all these new Silicon Valley businesses were going to come in and destroy the incumbents. What we actually found was that a number of incumbents were doing things that really allowed them to respond and be ready for change.”— Robert E. Siegel
The quote archive
Economics
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
One major overhead entrepreneurial business often grapple with is the exorbitant rent in cities. Moving to a smaller town offers a significant reduction in these costs and promotes regional economic balance.
— Sridhar VembuFounder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company
If I was selling research, why not genuinely sell something in the business world? I realized that entrepreneurship might be the key to growth and economic solutions.
— Sridhar VembuFounder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company
$1.8 trillion a year is spent subsidizing industries that harm us, predominantly fossil fuels. Redirecting a significant portion of these funds could dramatically accelerate our transition.
— Mary RobinsonFirst Female President of Ireland & UN Human Rights Commissioner
A significant hurdle is the underestimation of our collective power. The fossil fuel sector and its substantial influence through lobbying and misinformation, spending $4 billion annually to challenge scientific consensus.
— Mary RobinsonFirst Female President of Ireland & UN Human Rights Commissioner
Corporations find themselves in a bind, torn between clinging to the notion of solely enhancing shareholder value and making vague promises to cater to all stakeholders, which can be perilously misleading.
— Alison TaylorHaving a fiduciary duty implies an undivided loyalty to corporate interests, arguing that it's impossible to hold a fiduciary duty towards stakeholders since they are considered natural adversaries. Thus, according to the law, stakeholders are viewed as opponents.
— Alison TaylorWhat we commonly refer to as business ethics bears little resemblance to ethics in its conventional sense. Instead, it functions more as a defensive strategy designed to shield corporate value from the scrutiny of regulations and public perception.
— Alison TaylorHowever, the landscape is shifting with the advent of digital transactions. The digitisation of money movement, transitioning from cash to digital, allows for traceability. This traceability generates data, which can be analysed to inform decisions.
— Naré VardanyanHowever, imagine living in a place where such financial avenues are virtually non-existent. Where hard work and ambition offer no promise of progress or escape from economic stagnation. This reality is stark for many.
— Naré VardanyanThe reality is, not every business model is designed for scalability. Some businesses don't necessarily need to scale to be successful. The key lies in intellectual property. Once you've developed a piece of IP, the cost of distributing it to one person versus a million is remarkably similar.
— Theo PaphitisBritish Businessman, Dragons' Den Investor & Retail Entrepreneur
There's this sense that our institutions have failed us. The very rich generally pay lower effective tax rates than middle-class and lower-income individuals. There's a sense that the system is broken, the rules of the game are rigged.
— Karthik RamannaThere are three devils that inhibit economic growth. The first is that the government takes up too much of the economy. The second is that taxes take too much out of the economy. And the third is that there's too much regulation.
— Baron Jon MoynihanAround the world you've got somewhere between 1 and 2 billion people who are living in abject poverty. Economic growth offers the opportunity to reduce that 1 or 2 billion to 100,000–200,000 in the next phase.
— Baron Jon MoynihanHowever much we would like to pursue a 'be kind' policy, we have to recognize that there are others in the world who are going to eat our lunch if we don't do our best.
— Baron Jon MoynihanWe've been bamboozled into believing that love is found on the outside. Deep down, we're really trying to achieve peace, happiness, and love. It's not about the wealth itself; it's about what we perceive the wealth will bring into our lives.
— Danny Morel