Matt Evans

A Model of Personal
Responsibility?
 Matt Evans

Or Unmitigated Social and

Environmental Disaster?
 Constructing a Social Impact Indicator

• To answer this question, we’ll need an indicator

of my social impact

• It is very difficult to quantify my personal social

impact in each year since I was born

• Creation of a holistic social impact indicator

necessary

• Indicator will be on a 4 point scale

 The Search for a Social Impact Indicator

Possibilities:
• The Wal-Mart
Good behavior includes supply-chain greening, store
energy conservation
•Sued by states for
Problems: paying wages so low,
states must cover health
care
•Closes stores that
unionize in quasi-legal
move that depresses
wages so Sam Walton’s
granddaughter has more
$ to pay people to write
her papers for her at USC
 Social Impact: A Comprehensive Look

Possibilities:
• The McElhaney
Pushes forward CSR nationwide, Cajoles companies to
behave, Cares about students and teaching
Problems:
Rumored to have encouraged MBA drinking at a “Night
out with Kellie and Priya” event sold for charity at C4C
Rumored to have compensated TA Colleen Kearns solely
with Center for Responsible Business pens and access
to her rolodex for future job searches
 Social Impact: A Comprehensive Look

Possibilities:
• The Marty McFly
Protagonist who always sticks up for the little guy
Modified DeLorean burns alternative fuel (Banana Peels)
Now fights for a cure for Parkinson’s, one of Time’s 100
most influential people, morally unassailable (as Rush
Limbaugh learned)
Problems:
Spin City
 Matt Evans’ McFly Social Impact Indicator:
Professional Analysis

Professional Social Rating:

Responsibility:
+ Focus on International
Development
+ Focus on Improving 4/4 McFlys
Nonprofit Sector Very responsible
+ Serve on Nonprofit
Board
- Haasweek glorifies
alcoholism
 Matt Evans’ McFly Social Impact Indicator:
Personal Analysis

Personal Social
Responsibility:
+ No Major Convictions,
only a speeding ticket
- OK, 8 speeding tickets
+ Give to charity
+ Only major stealing: Jolly
Ranchers in 1988, free Rating:
skiing as a ski bum
+Generally try not to be a
jerk
3/4 McFlys
Responsible
 Environmental Impact: A Comprehensive
Look

McFly Outlook is good:

• Use CarbonFund.org to offset carbon emissions
• Give to environmental charities
• Sierra Club branded credit card
• Lots of photo evidence of me enjoying the
outdoors:
 But, More Comprehensive Measures Exist

A real environmental indicator reveals I am an

ecological disaster:

• www.myfootprint.org (Redefining Progress)

• My personal consumption requires 15 acres of
land (each year)
• If everyone lived like I do, we would need 3.4
earths
 What Will Make Me Change?

• If I am constantly congratulated for being

socially responsible, and my
environmental sins aren’t called out, I’m
likely to become complacent
• I can be socially responsible in some ways
and reap the benefits, but be irresponsible
in others and the “halo” causes the
irresponsibility to be ignored
 My editorial: How Does This Relate
to Corporate Social Responsibility?
• CSR is commendable and crucial, all companies
should have a program
• But, if companies are constantly congratulated
for responsibility in some areas, but have other
notable sins that aren’t called out, they likely to
become complacent
• Strong and vocal watchdog groups, an
investigative media, and a government with the
power to protect its people are also crucial
The Final Equation

+ +

US Dept. of
= Labor