Welcome! A Message from the Editor
		Welcome to the third issue of BWZ, the online Better WorldSM magazine! For an introduction, please see the Introduction to Better World. In this issue The term "social responsibility" has been attached to everything from candy bars to investment boycotts in the last few decades, but the ethic is beginning to permeate all kinds of business. As the business culture moves toward a new era of accountability and transparency to the general public, the top minds in the field are examining exactly what "socially responsible" means. We hope this issue of BWZ helps you to gain a clearer understanding of it, and how to be more discerning in your own assessments of the companies and activities you implicity support as a consumer. (And we'd like to thank journalist Jon Entine for his assistance in researching this issue). I lead off this issue with a look at the emerging field of social assessment, and how that plays a part in the evolution of socially responsible business and investing overall. Susan Gaines examines some of the problems the industry is experiencing as it emerges into adolescence. Better World co-founder Tom Kee gives us his primer on socially responsible investing. And Dr. Digby Anderson of the UK think tank, Social Affairs Unit, questions the use of the term "ethics" in SRB/SRI. Barry Harrington weighs in with his selection of new media in the Better World spirit, and Rick Bass gives us a frontlines report from Montana, where the Wild West and the Republican Congress meet. The new Better World Links system We started these links as an internal reference system, until we realized that their value was so great that it was only right to share them with our readers. Web links, news, discussion groups, mailing lists...it's all here! We want our custom catalog of over 900 categorized Web resources to be your ultimate guide to BW kinds of information on the Web, so if your organization has a site that's appropriate, you can add yourself to the engine--free! The new look Finally, (whew!) Jason Williams has taken his virtual brush to the whole site once again, and spruced things up a bit. I think it's even gained us a little performance. Do ya like it? Get in touch! We hope you enjoy our new issue. If you do--and especially if you don't--please drop us a line about it. If you would like to join us by donating your information, time, or talent, please get in touch. Building a better world is a big tent; there's plenty of room for more. Chris Nelder Editor
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