The similarities that define the BRICS, including the growing economic strength and populations of the formerly underdeveloped nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, sometimes appear to disguise the significant differences across these diverse countries. A recent summit of leaders of these countries has brought those differences into relief though, in the form of their diverse positions on the question of whether to expand to include other countries. Some of these possible new members include Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Egypt, as well as Iran. In addressing these considerations and staking its preferred position, China has expressed a strong desire to invite new members, seemingly due to its preference to build the BRICS group into a counterpoint to the G7 forum of Western, more developed countries. But in contrast with China’s authoritarian government, India, the world’s largest democracy, hopes to maintain close, friendly ties with both its BRICS counterparts and powerful Western nations and markets. Russia is in a precarious positions, due to its warmongering, such that its prime minister was invited to the latest meeting only remotely, via video. In its determination to establish neutrality, South Africa recently sought to lead peace talks between Russia and Ukraine; its attitude toward the future of the BRICS similarly takes a neutral stance. Brazil appears focused more on the economic potential of the group, noting its ability to encourage other nations to grow and benefit their populations. It seems less interested in the BRICS as a geopolitical power. Although these questions might start to be addressed in coming months, and the group might expand, the bigger questions, involving how these disparate political, economic, and global markets choose to collaborate, remain pressing challenges for the future.

Sources: David Pierson, Lynsey Chutel, Jack Nicas, Alex Travelli, and Paul Sonne, “The BRICS Club of Emerging Nations Debates Letting Others In,” The New York Times, August 21, 2023

Are Companies Responsible for the Traffic Burdens They Create?

05 Tuesday Sep 2023

Posted by grewallevymarketingnews in Chapter 04: Conscious Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Ethics, Marketing Tidbits

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Amazon, corporate social responsibility, New York City, Traffic, Urban planning

For city planners and urban researchers, streets are critical topics. When a street lacks sidewalks and enables cars to speed through unimpeded, it undermines community structures, because pedestrians and neighbors cannot find spaces in which to interact and engage, nor can small retail shops and service providers count on walk-in traffic. In a sense then, crowded city streets are a positive feature; if parking is at a premium, more people likely walk, and narrow streets force drivers to move more slowly. But in recent years, the prevalence of Amazon (and other) delivery trucks has meant that such streets become, for notable stretches of time, completely impassable. Storefronts are blocked while drivers drops off packages, and such inconvenience could prompt potential customers to skip a visit. Furthermore, in using these roads—which represent extremely valuable resources for companies that rely on delivery offerings—Amazon and other companies essentially get a free pass. Building and maintaining roads generally gets paid for by taxes and fees obtained from parking or moving violation tickets. But corporate taxes usually do not go to local municipalities, so local customers and retailers essentially are subsidizing Amazon’s use of public resources, like roads. In addition, many cities allow big delivery companies, including Amazon but also FedEx and UPS, to pay a discounted rate for any parking tickets they accrue (if they even receive tickets). In New York City for example, these discounts amount to about $750 million—money that could fill a lot of potholes. So should companies be paying for their use of public resources, as well as for the societal damages they create for neighborhoods and communities? Or is that simply the cost of convenient delivery?

Sources: Christopher Caldwell, “Something Has Changed on City Streets, and Amazon Is to Blame,” The New York Times, August 17, 2023

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