The CSR Newsletters are a freely-available resource generated as a dynamic complement to the textbook, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation.

To sign-up to receive the CSR Newsletters regularly during the fall and spring academic semesters, e-mail author David Chandler at david.chandler@ucdenver.edu.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Strategic CSR - Satellites


This is the last CSR Newsletter of the Spring semester.
Have a great summer and I will see you in the Fall!
 

Here is a fascinating quote that I saw, last week, from the article in the url below:

"Decommissioned satellites, which vaporize when they plunge through the atmosphere, are threatening the Earth's protective ozone layer. Last year, about 1,000 of them reentered, or about three a day. By 2035, the daily rate is estimated to rise as high as 50."

Amazing – 1,000 satellites re-entering our atmosphere every year; projected to rise to 20,000 a year, in the next 10 years. The article appeared the day after the latest Starlink satellite launch by SpaceX. Such sentiments always remind me of an image from the Pixar movie, Wall-e (released in 2007, the same year as the first iPhone) – one of the most prescient movies about the future of humanity that I have seen:
 

Hope you all have a good summer.
David

David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/


Thousands of Falling Satellites Put the Atmosphere at Risk
By Eric Roston, Sana Pashankar, Hayley Warren, and Jin Wu
May 1, 2025
Bloomberg Green
 
Posted by David Chandler at 9:00 AM

Monday, May 5, 2025

Strategic CSR - ICEs

Here is an interesting quote from the article in the url below about internal combustion engines (ICEs):

"About three-quarters of the energy produced by a typical combustion engine is lost through heat and released through a car's exhaust system. But what if some of that heat could be captured and turned into electricity?"

I had no idea ICEs were so inefficient, which must mean three-quarters of the fuel that we put into our cars is essentially wasted. Capturing some of that excess, and reducing the waste, seems like a worthwhile project. Specifically:

"Converting even a fraction of the waste heat produced by such vehicles into electricity could reduce fuel consumption and battery usage … leading to lower carbon-dioxide emissions."

Fortunately, some smart people are looking into that possibility:

"In a recent study, researchers created a prototype of a device, called a thermoelectric generator. … When inserted into an exhaust pipe, the device can turn waste heat into a continuous source of electricity for vehicles such as cars, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, making them more efficient, the researchers say. … The study was partly funded by the U.S. Army with unmanned aerial vehicles in mind, but the researchers believe the device has the potential to be used much more broadly. That's because the thermoelectric generator can be installed into tailpipes of different vehicles without changing how they operate."

Take care
David

David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/


The Heat Coming Out of Your Car's Tailpipe? Some Can Be Turned Into Electricity
By Lisa Ward
April 21, 2025
The Wall Street Journal, Journal Report: Alternative Energy
Late Edition – Final
R2
 
Posted by David Chandler at 8:25 PM

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Strategic CSR - Amazon

Transport Topics is not part of my normal rotation of reading material, but the article in the url below caught my attention:

"Amazon.com Inc. equipped some delivery vans in Europe with defibrillators to see if drivers crisscrossing residential areas could speed up aid to heart attack victims."

Although Amazon creates a great deal of value throughout society (simply by virtue of what it does), I do not normally think of it experimenting outside of its lane, or doing something that does not deliver an immediate and obvious benefit to its bottom line. But it seems the company not only explored this, but took it seriously:

"The world's largest online retailer tested a program, called Project Pulse, as a pilot in Amsterdam in November 2023, and expanded it to London and Bologna, Italy, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. … Amazon confirmed that more than 100 contract drivers took part in the experiment, with several receiving alerts from citizen responder apps and arriving on site."

The reason why Amazon would do this makes a great deal of sense – "Amazon vans tend to be closer than a professional first responder," and speed of treatment can make all the difference:

"Nine out of 10 people live if they receive a jolt within a minute of a cardiac event, and chances of survival without CPR decrease by 10% every minute, according to the American Heart Association."

Amazon drivers offer broad coverage, given that they deliver in residential areas, where first responders are often not located and "more than 70% of cardiac arrests occur:"

"A study by Philips included in the Amazon documents estimated that a fleet of 50 AED-equipped delivery vans on the roads of a north Seattle neighborhood would be able to respond more than a minute faster, on average, than emergency medical services."

Moreover, Amazon sees clear benefits to the experiment:

"The company's drivers have been blamed for congestion, pollution and causing accidents. The program's backers also speculated that Project Pulse could improve driver retention. Amazon's legal team deemed the risk of drivers being sued low owing to European laws that typically shield bystanders who come to someone's aid."

And, for Amazon at least, it is all relatively cheap:

"One internal document estimated it would cost less than $17 million in the first year of the program to equip 15% of drivers at Amazon's 1,100-plus last-mile delivery depots around the world."

Currently, the "pilot program" has ended and Amazon is exploring the potential of rolling it out more comprehensively in a few European countries.

Take care
David

David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2023

Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/


Amazon Equips Some Drivers in Europe With Defibrillators
By Benoit Berthelot and Anna Edgerton
April 10, 2025
Transport Topics
 
Posted by David Chandler at 9:06 PM
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