Post-ESG: Corporations Discover They Possess Legs

After years of diligent box-ticking and the meticulous compilation of ESG reports—documents often more voluminous than the average Russian novel—corporations have reportedly made a stunning realization: they possess 'capabilities.' Yes, it seems the very entities designed to produce goods, services, and ever-increasing shareholder value might, in fact, be capable of *doing things*.

This groundbreaking insight, courtesy of the sagacious minds at McKinsey & Company, marks a pivotal shift from mere 'checklists' to an astonishing engagement with actual 'problem-solving.' The previous era of measuring everything from carbon emissions to the ethical sourcing of boardroom mineral water is apparently giving way to a brave new world where businesses leverage their *core functions* to tackle society’s thorniest challenges. Who knew that a global logistics giant, for example, could actually... transport aid, or that a tech titan might develop accessible software?

This sudden surge of corporate self-awareness, conveniently timed with escalating global crises like climate change and yawning social inequalities, suggests a remarkably acute sense of timing. One might almost believe these colossal entities are just now realizing they are not merely spreadsheet algorithms, but actual actors in the world.