The mission of the World Inquiry is to discover and disseminate information about innovative or unusual actions that reveal the potential of business to function as an agent or catalyst for the betterment of society.
We define business as any practice that depends upon an exchange relationship between two or more parties. Beneficial, healthful business practices in which business acts as an “agent” of world benefit are distinctive because they provide opportunities to every party in the exchange. As individuals, all participants emerge from the relationship with some benefit: greater self-sufficiency, more empowerment, just or fair compensation, and/or improved health, etc, as well as a profit. Organizations are strengthened in their resiliency and capacity. Employees are transformed in their ability to exercise moral judgment. Communities and nations resolve societal issues, creating greater security and prosperity. The potential for these mutually enlarging effects are generated when business acts as an agent of world benefit.
At the World Inquiry, we strive to convey stories of such business uses in the authentic voice of real people who deal with real issues to the best of their knowledge, training, perspectives and abilities. We are not an activist organization, but we are interested in action. We review all stories based only on our assessment of the story's innovativeness or unusual demonstration of social impact.
The stories that flow into the World Inquiry often emerge from deeply held beliefs. The World Inquiry neither embraces nor criticizes any particular creed, political philosophy, or religious system. We recognize that many, often diverging world-views inspire actions that are meant to benefit society. However, our overriding purposes are to convene generative conversations and to archive provocative (exemplar) stories, regardless of how people define a healthy society, good business, or innovation.
As our site develops, we hope to see many respectful, emergent discussions about the stories profiled. If you have a strong reaction—pro or con—to any story, send us an email (bawb@worldinquiry.org ). Please include the name of the story in the subject line.
