Executive Decision - March/April 2008 - (Page 38)

It is the largest massacre of marine mammals on the planet as many as 42% of the seals are skinned alive. Under this model, advocacy groups invite companies to join them in boycotting products from a third party until such time as that third party changes its policies. Rather than “penalize” a store for selling a given product in order to send an economic message to the third party, under this model shops are invited to join the consumers in sending the message directly to the party whose behavior the interest groups are seeking to change. Retailers who join promise to stop selling the product until the producers of those products change the behavior found to be objectionable. Once the third party changes its policies, the boycott comes to an end and companies resume the sale of products made by the third party. A prime example of such an embargo is the Canadian Seafood Boycott underway across the United States sponsored by the ProtectSeals Campaign of the Washington, D.C.based Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). and seafood suppliers have joined the boycott, shifting their seafood purchasing policies in protest to the seal hunt. The companies have pledged that they will not reverse these changes until Canada ends the hunt for good. (The organizers of the boycott take no issue with subsistence hunting.) Some of the many well-known companies that have joined include: $6 billion a year grocery giant Whole Foods Markets, WinCo Foods, Trader Joe’s, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Cafes, Ted Turner’s restaurant chain, Ted’s Montana Grill, and Legal Sea Foods. “We believed it was proper for us to stand with other grocers, restaurants and suppliers against this inhumane slaughter,” said Michael Read, vice president of public and legal affairs for WinCo Foods, the $3 billion Boise, Idaho-based company. “As a company we felt it was appropriate to take this position on behalf of our employees. Under present circumstances, this is the right thing to do.” What Makes the ProtectSeals Boycott Such a Dynamic Model? In a nutshell, it’s business-friendly. Instead of boycotting U.S. businesses, it’s calling on these companies to join the embargo of Canadian seafood. It is premised on the fact that baby harp seals are killed by Canadian fishermen who actually make the large majority of their income catching and selling fish and a very small portion killing and skinning seals. And here’s another interesting twist. Companies are joining and the results are dramatic: By March 2008, the number of signed pledges has skyrocketed to more than 545,000 up from 280,000 two years ago. In addition, 3,500 restaurants, grocery stores, casinos, resorts, hotels The Canadian government kill statistics show that over 50% of the seal pups bludgeoned to death each year are only 12 to 30 days old and well over 95% of the 320,000 slaughtered seals are less than three months old. Most have not even eaten their first solid meal. Observing veterinarians have estimated that as many as 42% of the seals are skinned alive; their flesh is left to rot on the ice floes. It is the largest massacre of marine mammals on the planet, according to Dr. David Lavigne, chief science advisor for IFAW and world expert on commercial seal hunts. Canada’s chief argument seems to be that what happens on the ice is no worse than what happens in slaughterhouses. The European Union recently issued a report strongly disagreeing 38 EXECUTIVE DECISION I execdecision.com © Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International http://execdecision.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Decision - March/April 2008

Executive Decision - March/April 2008 Contents Index of Advertisers Contributing Editors From the Editor's Desk Publisher's Note You Be the Judge - Unionization Thought Leader - Pitney Bowes Management - Flying High for Long-Term Results Strategies - Sovereign Wealth Funds Cover Story - In Whom Do We Trust? The Movement for Greater Accountability & Disclosure Finance/Legal - The New Boycott Model Green At Work - Transforming for Sustainability Technology - Embracing Risk Leadership - Executive Reputation Management The Global Village - China Moves to Curb Prices Economic Profile - California Gold Rush Transformations - I Can See Clearly Now, The Brain Is Gone Marketing - Effectively Using Market Research The Bottom Line - Brands: A Shrinking Advantage or Shifting Advantage? Pulse - Pandemic: Not If But When SPECIAL SECTION - Living On the Green: Luxury Golf Destinations

Executive Decision - March/April 2008

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