The key to branding, especially for smaller firms, is to focus on a limited number of issue areas and develop superb expertise in those areas.

Every company that manufactures something is causing some damage either to the soil or water or air. Most companies treat these as externalities. But the growing movement of sustainability calls for companies to internalize these costs. Once companies do this, they will have a strong incentive to reduce their carbon footprint.

Whenever someone wonders how I could have written 57 books, I remind them that Isaac Asimov wrote 500 books.

I admire companies that have a purpose, passion, and performance. I am a fan of Unilever under its CEO Paul Polman, not only for the company's insights into women and men when they buy beauty products or skin products (the DOVE woman, the AXE man), but also as a company seeking to achieve both growth and practicing social responsibility.

It is more important to do what is strategically right than what is immediately profitable.

Good companies will meet needs; great companies will create markets.

The key solution is to invest in innovation and entrepreneurship within the company. Reducing waste - although probably not eliminating it - and do so at all levels of government would probably generate the capital needed. Alas, that will probably not happen because it makes too much sense.