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International section >
Latest News Notes and related content Detailed map of International section Sitemap
Macro level: CSR and competitiveness (of communities, nations, countries, regions)
· WBCSD World Business Council for Sustainable Development > e.g.
o Focus Areas >
§ Energy & Climate > e.g.
· Overview > e.g.
§ Development > e.g.
· Overview > e.g.
· Measuring Impact >
o Why measure? (March 2008)
§ Business Role > e.g.
· Overview > e.g.
o Implementing SD > also
§ Chronos »From Personal Values to Corporate Action«
· The objective of Chronos is to communicate the business case for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as widely as possible, and the sustainability e-learning course is therefore offered at very low cost.
· Also in: Español, Português, Português - Brasil
o Sustainable Value Chain > e.g.
§ Publications >
· Eco-Efficiency: Creating more value with less impact (October 2000)
· Publications > e.g.
o Sustainable Consumption Fact & Trends From a Business Perspective (December 2008; .pdf has 40 pp.) >
§ The business case for sustainable consumption (pp. 23-33)
o The Business of Health - The Health of Business: Building the case for health, safety and wellness (March 2006)
o From Challenge to Opportunity: The role of business in tomorrow's society (February 2006)
o Business for Development - Business solutions in support of the Millennium Development Goals (September 2005)
o Beyond Reporting: Creating business value and accountability (June 2005)
o Raising the Bar: Creating Value with the UN Global Compact (June 2004)
o Doing business with the poor - a field guide (March 2004)
o Walking the Talk: The Business Case for Sustainable Development (August 2002)
o The Business Case for Sustainable Development: Making a difference toward the Johannesburg Summit 2002 and beyond (September 2001)
o Sustainability through the Market: Seven keys to success (April 2001)
o Corporate Social Responsibility: Making good business sense (January 2000)
§ Ecosystems >
o Projects > e.g.
§ Water > e.g.
· Overview > e.g.
§ Forest Products >
· Overview >
§ Electricity Utilities >
· Overview >
§ Mobility >
· Overview >
o >
§ News > e.g.
· … The value of sharing these experiences lies in their ability to further the business case for sustainable development by supporting the design of effective processes to continually improve practices.
· >
o The WBCSD case study collection: The STAR+ Approach (.pdf, 1 page) >
§ The business case
· Each case study should provide a brief summary of the business case behind the company’s actions. What motivated the company to take on this particular initiative and what, in brief, are the results? The stronger the business case, the better the example and the more inspiring it will be to others.
· SustainAbility > e.g.
o Research & Advocacy > e.g.
· By Theme > e.g.
§ Business Strategy & Innovation > e.g.
o Developing Value: The Business Case for Sustainability in Emerging Markets (2002, 64 pp.; With IFC and Ethos Institute)
o Buried Treasure: Uncovering the Business Case for Corporate Sustainability (2001, 62 pp.; »The Sustainable Business Value Matrix«)
· Corporate Reporting > e.g.
o Tomorrow's Value: The Global Reporters 2006 Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting (November 2006; .pdf has 36 pp.)
o The Global Reporters 2004 Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Risk & Opportunity: Best Practice in Non-Financial Reporting (October 2004, 56 pp.; By: SustainAbility, UNEP & Standard and Poor's)
o Tags:
· BITC Business in the Community (UK) > e.g.
o Issues >
§ Community
§ Environment
§ Marketplace
§ Workplace
o Programmes >
§ Prince's Programmes
§ Community
§ Environment
§ Marketplace
§ Workplace
§ Recognition and Management
o Resources > e.g.
§ Publications > e.g.
· The value of corporate governance: The positive return of responsible business (October 2008; .pdf has 8 pp.)
o New research by Business in the Community (BITC) reveals a statistically significant link between effective management and governance of environmental and social issues and financial performance.
o This report examines the relationship between total shareholder return and the management of environmental and social impacts in 33 FTSE companies that have measured and managed their corporate responsibility through Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index (CR Index) in each of its six years.
o See also related news: New research confirms link between corporate responsibility and improved financial performance (30 October 2008)
· Looking Back, Moving Forward: Building the business case for environmental improvement (June 2006, no .pdf version, only paper ??)
o Produced by BITC and Bureau Veritas
o The document uses ten years of Environment Index data and case studies from leading companies to build the business case for improving environmental impacts.
· Rewarding Virtue: effective board action on corporate responsibility (December 2005)
· The Business Case for Corporate Responsibility (December 2003; .pdf has 12 pp.) - A simple guide to understanding how the business benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be realised.
· Indicators That Count (July 2003)
· The Emerging Relationship between Financial & Environmental Performance (February 2002)
o »In summary, there appears to be a link between environmental performance and financial performance.«
· Winning With Integrity (November 2000)
§ >
· Media Centre > e.g.
o Responsible businesses recover quicker from financial crisis (7 June 2010) - According to research conducted by Ipsos MORI, the companies participating in BITC’s Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI) each year between 2002 and 2009 outperform their FTSE350 peers on total shareholder return (TSR) by an average of 10 percentage points in seven out of the eight years. ...
§ >??>
· Corporate Responsibility in recession (2009) - As the recession bites, it's important to ensure that the short-term pressures on business decisions are balanced against longer-term business value.
§ >??>
· Business Case for Responsible Business:
o Reputation management
o Employee satisfaction, retention and recruitment
o Innovation and learning
o Risk, change and total management
o Cost of capital
o Financial performance
o Global responsibility
· BSR Business for Social Responsibility (Based in San Francisco, USA) > e.g.
o Research > e.g.
§ Research & Innovation:
· Reports > e.g.
o Environment > e.g.
§ Beyond Neutrality: Moving Your Company Toward Climate Leadership (.pdf, October 2007, 42 pp.)
§ Publications:
· Leading Perspectives > e.g.
o Fall 2008 >>
§ Measuring What Matters: Evaluating CSR’s Return on Investment (.pdf, 3 pp.; By Kellie A. McElhaney, Haas School of Business)
o Spring 2006: Measuring CSR Performance (.pdf, 24 pp.)
o Conference > e.g.
§ 2010 (2-5 November 2010; New York)
§ 2009 (20-23 October 2009; San Francisco)
§ 2008 (4-7 November 2008; New York)
· Sustainability: Leadership Required
§ 2007 (23-26 October; San Francisco, CA)
· Designing a Sustainable Future
§ 2006 (7-10 November 2006; New York, NY):
· »Innovative Strategies - Measurable Impacts«
o »How do you know CSR is working for your company?«
§ 2005 (1-4 November; Washington, DC):
· »Questioning Assumptions - Changing Frameworks«
§ 2004 (9-12 November; New York, NY):
· »Integrating CSR: New Risks, New Rewards«
§ 2003 (11-14 November; Los Angeles, California):
· »Building and Sustaining Solutions«
· Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (USA) > e.g.
o Membership >
§ Member Tools (available only to Center members)
· Toolkit for a Tough Economy >
o Why Corporate Citizenship is Essential to the Bottom Line
o Reputation Builds Revenue
o New Urgency for Internal Collaboration
o Volunteerism on a Budget
o Preparing for New Regulations
o Philanthropy on a Budget
· Corporate Citizenship Briefs
o Part of each brief is also the section »Importance to business and the community«
o News & Events >
· Center Blogs >
o Center News & Features > e.g.
§ Fellow citizens make a case for corporate citizenship (29 June 2010) - Relating to the NCOC (National Conference on Citizenship) Featured Discussion The Case for Corporate Citizenship
§ 2010 Conference: UPS’ Kurt Kuehn offers five reasons CFOs should care about sustainability (12 April 2010; By Tim Wilson)
· See also related blog post at GreenBiz: Five Ways to Convince Your CFO that Sustainability Pays (13 April 2010; By Kurt Kuehn)
§ Conference Exclusive: The link between corporate citizenship and value creation (2 April 2009) >
· Publication (for members only): How Virtue Creates Value for Business and Society: Investigating the value of environmental, social and governance activities (26 March 2009)
§ Making the case for investing in corporate citizenship (2 December 2008; Relating to Center’s 2008 Profile of the Practice survey of more than 400 corporate practitioners)
o Director's Blog > e.g.
§ Moon Shots for Corporate Citizenship (2 March 2009) - ...Maybe that is why I was quite taken by an article in a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review by Gary Hamel...
· E-Newsletter:
o May 2008 >
§ Financial Performance and Corporate Citizenship: The Chicken or the Egg? (By Vesela Veleva, Sc.D., Research Manager, Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship)
o March 2008>
§ Corporate Responsibility: Going Beyond the Business Case (By Chad Tragakis)
§ Past Conferences (International Corporate Citizenship Conference) > e.g.
· 2010 - Corporate Citizenship: Winning a Seat at the Table
o 11-13 April, Boston
· 2009 - Corporate Citizenship: Leading Change, Finding Opportunity
o March 29-31; San Francisco, CA
· 2008 - Corporate Citizenship: Real + Relevant + Responsive
o April 6-8; Boston, MA
· 2007 - Corporate Citizenship: How it Really Works
o March 25-27, San Francisco
§ »At The Center, we've witnessed an exciting shift in the questions we receive, with professionals being less concerned about building the case for corporate citizenship and more concerned with making it work. This shift is a strong indicator of the progress businesses are making in building corporate citizenship into core strategies and operations.«
· 2006 - If Corporate Citizenship is the Answer, What is the Question
o March 26-28; Orlando
· 2005 - Mapping the Future of Corporate Citizenship: Redefining the Markers for Business Success
o April 3-5; Boston
· 2004 - Margins to Mainstream: Integrating Corporate Citizenship into the Business Core
o March 28-30; San Francisco
o Research > e.g.
§ Search Center Resources >
· Search Center documents and publications
o Search by:
§ Topic > e.g.
· Business case
· GLN Global Leadership Network
o »is a partnership among 10 leading global companies committed to achieving world-class performance excellence in corporate citizenship, along with research partners The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and AccountAbility (UK).«
o > e.g.
§ Library >
· Making the Business Case for Corporate Citizenship (for members only)
· See also:
§ News & Events >
· Archive > Event Archive > Leaders Summit 2007 (5-6 July 2007, Geneva) >
o News items on the 2007 Leaders Summit >
§ Official Launch of the GLN Global Compact Implementation Tool >
o A tool to promote the integration of responsible business practices into core business strategy (= interactive strategic planning tool and other learning resources to promote corporate citizenship as a key driver of business success.)
· SB NOW Sustainable Business Network of Washington >
o What is CR / P3 / Corporate citizenship? >
§ The Business Case = Does Corporate Responsibility and a Focus on Sustainability Pay? (links to external resources)
· Harvard University >>
o John F. Kennedy School of Government >
§ Research >
· Programs >
o Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government (Cambridge, USA) >
§ Programs >
· Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative (Director: Jane Nelson; Faculty Chair: John G. Ruggie) > e.g.
o News & Events > Calendar > 2007-2008 > November 28, 2007 >
§ Does It Pay to Be Good? Looking Back (and Ahead) at Research on Corporate Social and Financial Performance (.pdf, November 2007, 57 pp.; By: Joshua Margolis, Harvard Business School and Hillary Anger Elfenbein, Haas School of Business)
· HBR Harvard Business Review > e.g.
o Search:
o >>
§ Why Sustainability Is Now the Key Driver of Innovation (September 2009; By Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami)
· See also related articles at:
o Environmental Leader: The Five Stages of Adopting Corporate Sustainability (2 September 2009)
o The New York Times (Green Inc.): The Bottom Line on Corporate Sustainability (2 September 2009)
§ Climate Business | Business Climate (October 2007)
§ Competitive Advantage on a Warming Planet (March 2007)
§ The December 2006 Harvard Business Review contains several articles in the CSR realm, including a new take on the link between competitive advantage and CSR by Michael Porter and Mark R. Kramer.
· See also related news at:
o SocialFunds: Porter and Kramer Framework Melding CSR with Business Strategy Wins Harvard Award (10 April 2007)
§ The Harvard Business Review grants the 2006 McKinsey Award to an article arguing companies create competitive advantage by integrating social and environmental issues into core strategy.
o CSRwire: Harvard Business Review Announces 2006 McKinsey Award Winners (4 April 2007)
o ASrIA: Mckinsey Ranks Harvard Business Review Article on CSR "Best for 2006" (29 January 2007)
§ »Professor Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, co-founders of FSG Social Impact Advisors, have developed a new approach to corporate social responsibility based on the interrelatedness of business and society and its implications for competitive strategy.«
§ >
· article: Strategy & Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility
§ The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy (December 2002; By Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer)
o >>
§ Harvard Business Review on Green Business Strategy (1 November 2007; To order)
o >>
§ HBRGreen.org > e.g.
· The Hard Economics of Going Green (4 March 2008; By Sir Stuart Rose, Chief executive of Marks & Spencer)
· Winners and Losers in a Carbon-Constrained World (19 February 2008; By Andrew J. Hoffman and John Woody)
o >>
§ Blogs > e.g.
· Conversation Starter > e.g.
o Why Investors Should Consider Sustainability Risk Management (26 October 2009; By Daniel Goleman)
· Leading Green blog (updated ??) >> e.g.
o How to Cure Our Short-Term Thinking (14 October 2008; By Mindy S. Lubber)
o Short-Term Strategies Don't Work for Wall Street or the Planet (24 September 2008; By Mindy S. Lubber)
· HBS Harvard Business School >>
o Working Knowledge > Browse by Topic > Social Enterprise & Nonprofit >
§ Corporate Social Responsibility > e.g.
· Corporate Social Responsibility in a Downturn (3 August 2009; Q&A with: V. Kasturi Rangan)
· Industry Self-Regulation: What's Working (and What's Not)? (April 2007)
· Do Corporate Social Responsibility Ratings Predict Corporate Social Performance? (February 2007)
· Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do? (October 2005)
· WEF World Economic Forum >
o Initiatives >
§ GCCI Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative
· »The manner in which a company manages its economic, social and environmental relationships, and the way it engages with its stakeholders (such as shareholders, employees, customers, business partners, governments and communities), has an impact on the company's long-term success.«
· > e.g.
o The Business Case for Corporate Citizenship
· Academy of Management (USA) > e.g.
o People and Communities >
§ Divisions and Interest Groups >
o Meetings >
§ 2007 Annual Meeting: Doing Well By Doing Good (3-8 August 2007, Philadelphia)
· This year's theme demonstrates how firms can be financially successful while at the same time trying to accomplish some positive social goals and make life better for their employees and the communities where they operate.
· SRI World Group >
o SocialFunds.com > e.g.
§ News > e.g.
· News Center >> e.g.
o Attention to Corporate Governance Can Improve Investment Returns (10 June 2010; Relating to a report, entitled »Finding Value in Corporate Governance«) - A new study by The Corporate Library constructs a hypothetical portfolio based on its corporate governance rankings, which significantly outperforms a Russell 1000 benchmark.
o Book Review: Solutions for Impact Investors: From Strategy to Implementation (12 February 2010) - Authors Steven Godeke and Raul Pomares seek to provide an investment strategy that can combine social impact with financial returns.
o Most Socially Responsible Mutual Funds Outperformed Benchmarks in 2009 (25 January 2010) - ... The Social Investment Forum (SIF) reviewed the performance of 160 socially responsible mutual funds from 22 of its members ...
o Studies Find Positive Link Between ESG Integration and Investment Performance (18 November 2009) - Mercer's second review of academic research into ESG factors again finds that most studies report a positive correlation with financial performance.
§ The new report, entitled Shedding light on responsible investment: Approaches, returns and impacts, assesses 16 academic studies, and in ten cases finds a positive correlation between consideration of ESG factors and financial performance. Only two studies found a neutral-negative impact, while the remaining four found the impact of such considerations to be neutral.
o Stanford Professor Receives 2009 Moskowitz Prize (28 October 2009) - The annual prize for outstanding quantitative research in socially responsible investing is awarded to David P. Baron, Professor of Political Economy and Strategy at Stanford.
o Many SRI Funds Are Outperforming Benchmarks in 2009 (21 August 2009)
o Book Review: Investing for Change: Profit from Responsible Investment (18 December 2008) - Authors Augustin Landier and Vinay B. Nair trace the history of SRI and suggest modifications to traditional screening methods in order to increase profitability.
o Book Review: Sustainable Investing: The Art of Long Term Performance (12 December 2008) - Editors Cary Krosinsky and Nick Robins new book compiles eighteen new essays that argue sustainable investing is the key to positive long-term performance and the health of the planet.
o SRI Funds Post Losses, But Hold Their Own in Relative Performance (17 November 2008) - While not immune from the battering endured by investors of all stripes, many SRI funds have outperformed mainstream funds on a relative basis this year.
o Screening for Satisfaction (26 December 2007) - The 2007 Moskowitz Prize for Socially Responsible Investing was awarded to a study that shows higher employee satisfaction has historically correlated to higher stock prices.
o "Living" Companies Perform Better (12 October 2007) - Corporations that care about people more than things are more sustainable and profitable, puts forth author and financial counselor Jay Bragdon.
o OneReport »The Sustainability Reporting Network« >
§ News & Resources >
· Sustainability Reporting News Alerts >
o Winter 2009 >
· University of California (USA, Berkeley) >
§ Center for Responsible Business > e.g.
· Center is hosting Moskowitz Prize for the best quantitative research on socially responsible investing
o The winning study is announced each autumn at the annual SRI in the Rockies conference.
· Research >> e.g.
o Working Paper Series > e.g.
§ Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance (March 2004, 21 pp.; by Margarita Tsoutsoura)
· BSR Business for Social Responsibility (Based in San Francisco) > e.g.
o Research > e.g.
§ Reports > e.g.
· Global CSR Trends & News > e.g.
o ESG in the Mainstream: The Role for Companies and Investors in Environmental, Social, and Governance Integration (.pdf, September 2009, 35 pp.; By Laura Gitman, Director, BSR; Blythe Chorn, Associate, BSR; and Betsy Fargo, Associate, BSR)
§ With the growth in corporate responsibility efforts over the last two decades has come an increasing number of questions about the extent to which mainstream investors value these activities and whether they impact a company’s financial performance…
§ See also
· related press release at CSRwire: BSR Report Reveals Rise of ESG Integration in Mainstream Investing (6 October 2009)
o Environment, Social and Governance: Moving to Mainstream Investing? (.pdf, August 2008, 27 pp.)
§ Historically ESG criteria have been synonymous with Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) ... However, the rationale behind incorporating ESG criteria into the mainstream investment process as discussed in this report focuses solely on maximizing financial performance as per the fiduciary responsibility of mainstream financial institutions.
§ See also
· related article at SocialFunds: ESG Criteria Creeping Slowly into Mainstream Investing (28 August 2008)
· Harvard University >>
o John F. Kennedy School of Government >>
§ The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations >> e.g.
· Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) - (formerly the Institute for Responsible Investment at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship) >>
o From Transparency to Performance: Industry-Based Sustainability Reporting on Key Issues (.pdf, June 2010, 101 pp.; Industry-specific KPIs)
§ Co-authored by: Steve Lydenberg, a senior research fellow of the Hauser Center and chief investment officer of Domini Social Investments LLC, Jean Rogers, a principal at Arup, and David Wood, director of the IRI.
§ … Our goal is to encourage the uptake of sustainability reporting in the United States.
§ ... We would also like to acknowledge the review of report drafts and invaluable feedback from Mike Wallace (GRI), Allen White (Corporation 20/20), Adam Kanzer (Domini Social Investments), Mike Krzus (GrantThornton), and Jane Nelson (Kennedy School of Government).
§ Subsectors: Airlines, Automobiles, Banks, Conventional Electricity, Paper, Diversified REITs
§ See also
· related news: Report Calls for Mandatory Reporting of CSR Key Performance Indicators (7 July 2010)
· US SIF Social Investment Forum > e.g.
o News & Media >
§ Press Releases >
· More than 50 Investor Groups, Social Investment Forum Urge SEC to Require Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Disclosure (21 July 2009) >
o full text of the SIF letter (.pdf, 24 pp.) >
§ The financial materiality of ESG data (pages 10-12)
o Research & Tools >
§ Research >
· Moskowitz Prize Competition (Winning Papers)
· US EPA = United States Environmental Protection Agency > e.g.
o A-Z index >
§ Policy, Economics, and Innovation, Office of >>
· Office of Cross-Media Programs >>
§ This website provides information on EPA’s Financial Markets Workgroup and its work examining the link between corporate environmental and financial performance. The workgroup forms partnerships with representatives of the financial sector to explore whether strong environmental performance can lead to higher long-term corporate returns.
· Finance Professionals' Post (Published by the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA)) > e.g.
o Sustainable Investing >> e.g.
§ Are All Components of ESG Scores Equally Important? (14 July 2010) - The Impact of ESG on Stock Returns and Profitability
· Generation Investment Management LLP
o Generation is dedicated to long term investing, integrated sustainability research and client alignment.
o The firm was co-founded in 2004 by Al Gore and David Blood.
o > e.g.
§ Sustainability >
· Advocacy (Editorials, Speeches)
· Investing for the Soul (Founder: Ron Robins; Ontario) > e.g.
o Ethical Investing Studies/Research (the accumulating masses of investment reports and studies suggest that outperformance of portfolio returns is frequently possible by employing such values-based investment strategies.)
o Corporate Social Responsibility - Research/Studies
· Mercer > e.g.
o Solutions > Investment consulting > Learn more about: Responsible Investment >
§ dedicated RI site > e.g.
· Free publications
· NBS Network for Business Sustainability (The Network office is located at Richard Ivey School of Business, London, Ontario, Canada) > e.g.
o Knowledge >
· For years, companies have integrated social and environmental concerns into business strategies. Yet, little is understood on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance. Recent research suggests the connection is positive but complex.
· The challenge is finding the right metrics to account for the many ways sustainability impacts the bottom line. Without a better understanding of how to measure it, managers may not invest for fear it will undermine financial performance or over-invest to find they have destroyed shareholder value.
· See also
o related news: Measuring Sustainability Performance (November 2008)
§ A review of the research shows that there is a small, positive relationship between a firm's sustainability performance and its financial performance, and no financial downside to sustainability investments. Unfortunately, the research provides little guidance on how managers can measure that relationship…
§ The review of 159 research and practitioner publications identified 39 unique sustainability metrics used by firms. No consistent set of metrics was found across companies. In general, research studies paid little attention to metrics.
· The sdEffect™ (Ottawa, Canada)
o »is an initiative aimed at advancing integration of considerations of sustainable development (SD) in investment decision-making.«
o It is focused on further isolating the effect of corporate SD practices on share price performance/company valuations and expressing this effect in financial language.
o In so doing, it helps demonstrate that SD, a business aspect traditionally viewed as “soft” by the financial community, can have a “hard”, material and calculable impact on share price and company value.
o > e.g.
§ Translating Sustainable Development into Financial Valuation Measures - A Pilot Analytical Framework report (.pdf, February 2006, 36 pp.)
· This report was produced by Yachnin & Associates, Sustainable Investment Group Ltd., and Corporate Knights Inc.
· The primary audience for the report is the "Financial Community", namely the "creators of value" — corporations and the executives within these organizations that deal with investment decisions and the capital markets, and the "measurers of value" — commercial and investment bankers and retail and institutional investors.
· The project demonstrates that it is possible to translate the impact of corporate SD practices into financial valuation measures using traditional techniques widely adopted in the financial community. In so doing, it goes beyond simply supporting the business case for SD and takes the next logical step of translating specialized operating information into usable financial data.
· Using five mining companies and the data reported in their sustainability reports as a basis for analysis, the Framework highlights strengths and weaknesses in available corporate SD metric data.
· NRTEE National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (Canada) > e.g.
o Issues > Governance > Capital Markets & Sustainability (2005-2007)
§ Addressing two questions:
· »Is there a financial return to business in pursuing the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors?«
· »Is the pursuit of such policies rewarded through the investment allocation decisions of fund managers in the capital markets?«
· Government of Canada >> Environment Canada >
o CEI Corporate Environmental Innovation >
§ CEI Project Areas >
· Linking Sustainability to Business Value >
o Engaging the Financial Sector in Sustainability
§ Resources & Links >
· Linking Sustainable Development to Business Value
· EXCEL Partnership (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
o »Founded in 1995, EXCEL stands for Excellence in Corporate Environmental Leadership. We're a group of major Canadian corporations, committed to environmental and sustainable development, and its continuous improvement.«
o > e.g.
§ Newsroom >> e.g.
· A Sustainability Lens for Capital Decisions: A Corporate Sustainability Approach to Reduce Business Risks (.pdf, January 2006, 53 pp.; Produced for the EXCEL Partnership by the Delphi Group; Lead Author: Ted Ferguson)
o This report profiles the rationale for using a sustainability lens for improving due diligence and corporate profitability. It outlines how sustainability is inextricably linked to business risk and capital decisions, while providing tools and analysis which are intended to assist companies with the integration of sustainability considerations to better manage the emergence of 'mega environmental risks' and increased expectations around transparency.
· SAM – Sustainability Investing (Zurich, Switzerland) > e.g.
o Publications > e.g.
§ SAM Sustainability Yearbook (With PwC) > e.g.
· SAM Sustainability Yearbook 2009 (January 2009; .pdf has 98 pp.) >
o 1. SAM White Paper – Alpha from Sustainability (pp. 7-15) - Can financial performance be enhanced by investing in sustainable companies? (See also here (.pdf, 12 pp.))
§ SAM’s Sustainability Criteria Enable a Firm’s Intangible Assets to be valued
§ SAM’s Sustainability Scores Lay the Foundation for Alpha Generation
§ The Results Clearly Indicate a Positive Relationship between Sustainability and Financial Performance
§ Linking Sustainability to Financial Performance – a Review of the Academic Literature
o >>
§ SAM demonstrates alpha potential of its proprietary sustainability research (13 July 2009)
· See also
o related article at Framework:CR: No excuses (12 October 2009; By Kathee Rebernak)
§ ...How it is that, in this day and age, and despite ample evidence, so many companies still don’t get that sound ESG performance can drive financial performance?...
· ICGN International Corporate Governance Network >
o Advocacy >
§ Non-financial business reporting committee (NFBR; Chairman: Frank Curtiss) >
· ICGN Statement and Guidance on Non-financial Business Reporting (.pdf, December 2008, 16 pp.)
o See also
§ related article at Ethical Corporation: Non-financial reporting – Tell a strategic story (12 February 2009; By John Russell) - Listed companies are under pressure to explain how managing non-financial issues increases shareholder value
· …Companies wanting to make the business case for managing non-financial issues should pick those social and environmental indicators that are most relevant to their business, and that best fit within six core non-financial performance areas, the working group suggests. These areas are human capital, customer relations, partnerships, the environment, innovation and corporate governance.
· IFAC International Federation of Accountants >
o Commitees:
§ International Center for Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) > also
· Sustainability Framework (Updated 2010, February 2009) >
· IR Integrated Reporting
o This Web site and the integrated reporting movement is rooted in a spirit of collaboration that arose during a meeting of investors, standard setters, companies, accounting bodies, UN representatives and civil society at St. James’s Palace in London on September 11, 2009. This meeting was jointly convened by the Global Reporting Initiative and The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Initiative.
o > e.g.
§ Blog >
· Who will lead the charge? (11 April 2010; By Mike Krzus)
o Who other than the CFO has the experience needed to streamline nonfinancial closing processes and establish efficient and effective controls over nonfinancial reporting to ensure that timely and high quality nonfinancial information is provided?
· Are CFOs ready for integrated reporting? (6 March 2010; By John Elkington)
§ Resources
o See also
§ LinkedIn >>
· Integrated Reporting Group
§ Wikipedia >>
§ Article at WFE - The World Federation of Exchanges: Integrated Reports Voluntary Filing (10 June 2010; By Robert G. Eccles and Mervyn King)
§ Blog post at Harvard Business Review: The Annual Report as Sustainability's Secret Weapon (19 April 2010; By Robert G. Eccles)
§ Commentary at CSRwire: "One Report" - Is there a Transparency Panacea? (13 April 2010; By Elaine Cohen)
§ Related e-mail interview at HBS Working Knowledge: One Report: Better Strategy through Integrated Reporting (12 April 2010)
§ Related article by Robert Eccles at RI Responsible Investor: The quest for the ‘Holy Grail’ of integrated financial and CSR reporting (30 March 2010)
§ Related article at Ethical Corporation: Opinion: The future of corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting: Integration (15 March 2010) - Integrated sustainability and financial reporting is an ethical obligation, argue Robert G. Eccles and Michael P. Krzus
· EABIS European Academy of Business in Society > e.g.
o Resources >
§ Library:
· Themes: Finance
§ Links >
· General:
o EABIS-EFMD Business in Society Gateway >
§ Resources >
· Search Resources:
o Discipline:
§ Finance
· EFFAS European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (Head Office in Frankfurt am Main, Germany) > e.g.
o Commissions > e.g.
§ CESG - Environmental, Social and Governance Issues > e.g.
· CESG Brochure = Integrating ESG into Traditional Corporate Valuation (.pdf, 7 pp.)
· KPI Brochure = Key Performance Indicators for Environmental, Social & Governance Issues – Version 1.2 (.pdf, April 2009, 70 pp.) = KPIs for ESG - A Guideline for the Integration of ESG into Financial Analysis and Corporate Valuation
§ CIC - Commission on Intellectual Capital
o Press Center > e.g.
§ Commission documents > e.g.
· European Combined Reporting Alliance for ESG Position Paper (1 March 2010; .pdf has 6 pp.)
· EFFAS Submission in preparation for final ESG Disclosure Workshop (1 March 2010)
· KPI Brochure
· CESG Brochure
o >>
§ EFFAS/DVFA launch Exposure Draft KPIs for ESG 3.0 (12 May 2010)
· See also
o Related article at RI Responsible Investor: European analysts call for ESG reporting link to IFRS (14 May 2010; By Daniel Brooksbank) - New ‘Key Performance Narratives’ format also mooted
· CSR Europe »The European business network for CSR« > e.g.
o Activities > CSR Europe's Toolbox > Communication & Transparency >
§ Market Valuation of Non-Financial Performance >
· Consultation report - Valuing Non-Financial Performance: A European framework for company and investor dialogue (.pdf, November 2008, 12 pp.)
o Transparency and communication is one of the priority areas of the European Alliance for CSR. This laboratory, focused on developing a framework for improved company and investor dialogue on non-financial performance, is contributing to that priority area.
o > e.g.
§ Framework >
· Central proposition
· Market value
· Financial drivers
· Core non-financial drivers
· Key metrics
· ESG factors
§ Research > Valuing Business
· The Valuing Business research programme is co-ordinated by the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility at the Cranfield School of Management. It involves academics from other leading European business schools including SDA Bocconi School of Management and Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium; as well as CSR and investment community experts.
· > e.g.
o Final research report and associated papers = Sustainable Value: Corporate Responsibility, Market Valuation and Measuring the Financial and Non-Financial Performance of the Firm (.pdf, September 2009, 34 pp.; EABIS Research Project)
§ See also related article at CSR Europe: Report urges new approach to valuing businesses (22 September 2009)
§ See also related article at Justmeans: The Business Case for CSR (11 October 2009; By David Connor)
o Non-financial performance metrics for corporate responsibility reporting revisited (.pdf, 35 pp.; By Malcolm F Arnold)
o The challenges of mainstreaming environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in investment decisions
o Dialogues with the European investment community on the challenges of mainstreaming ESG issues in investment decisions
o The integration of ESG information into investment processes: towards an emerging collective belief?
o Going beyond a long-lasting debate:what is behind the relationship between corporate social and financial performance? (.pdf, 38 pp.; By Francesco Perrini, Angeloantonio Russo, Antonio Tencati & Clodia Vurro)
· Cranfield University >> Cranfield School of Management >
o Research > Research Centres & Groups >
§ Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility >
· Publications >
o Our Publications > e.g.
§ Measuring Business Value and Performance: enhancing business value from the selection, measurement and analysis of corporate sustainability performance characteristics (.pdf, May 2009, 60 pp.; By David L Ferguson)
§ Corporate Responsibility, Market Valuation and Measuring the Financial and Non-financial Performance of the Firm
§ Working papers:
· The research project is running in support of the Laboratory on Corporate Social Responsibility and The Market Valuation of Non-Financial Performance is a cross-sectoral business-stakeholder cooperation project under the umbrella of the European Alliance for CSR. The Laboratory is co-led by Lloyds Banking Group and Telecom Italia and facilitated by CSR Europe and the European Academy for Business in Society (EABIS).
· > e.g.
o Non-financial performance metrics for corporate responsibility reporting revisited - Malcolm Arnold (2008; .pdf has 37 pp.)
o Going beyond a long-lasting debate: What is behind the relationship between corporate social and financial performance? Francesco Perrini, Angeloantonio Russo, Antonio Tencati, Clodia Vurro (2009; .pdf has 38 pp.)
· ECCE European Centre for Corporate Engagement (Website launched in January 2007)
o ECCE is a joint initiative of Professor Kees Koedijk, affiliated with the RSM Erasmus University, Professor Rob Bauer of the University of Maastricht, and assistant professor Jeroen Derwall. In 2002 and 2005, their team received the U.S. Social Investment Forum’s prestigious Moskowitz Prize.
o The key idea behind our research is that ESG issues can enter into the mainstream when their 'X-factor' potential is understood, e.g., their ability to help mainstream investors and company managers achieve traditional financial objectives and outperform competitors.
· RI Responsible Investor
o Responsible Investor provides institutional investors with a comprehensive online magazine and information resource which recognises the growing requirement to achieve investment returns within an environmental, social and corporate governance framework.
· EIRIS Ethical Investment Research Services (Head Office: London, UK)
o EIRIS is a leading global provider of independent research into the environmental, social, governance (ESG) and ethical performance of companies.
o > e.g.
· TBLI Group (Triple Bottom Line Investing; Amsterdam, The Netherlands) > e.g.
· UKSIF UK Sustainable Investment and Finance >
o Pension Funds >
§ Sustainable Pensions Library >
· Financial Arguments for Responsible Investing
· Acclimatise (UK Head Office – Nottinghamshire) is a specialist risk management company providing world-class expertise in dealing with climate risks. > e.g.
o Resources >
§ Investors > e.g.
· Managing the Unavoidable: investment implications of a changing climate (2009) >
o Oil and Gas Report
o UK Commercial Property Report
o UK Energy Generation Report
o UK Water Sector Report
o See also
§ Related article at RI Responsible Investor: Investors failing to see incremental climate change costs because of ‘extreme’ event focus (23 November 2009)
· Other reports you may be interested in (external downloads)
· The London Accord (»Towards better policies through shared investment research«) presents a compendium of reports, written by a range of financial services firms, providing insight into issues ranging from renewable energy to the price of carbon. >> e.g.
o Sustainability And Share Performance – A Long-Running Debate Revisited - (November 2008; .pdf has 29 pp.; Dr. Eckhard Plinke, Bank Sarasin)
· BusinessGreen (Based in London) > e.g.
o News > Categories >
§ Investment > e.g.
· Study finds greener companies outperform rivals (19 October 2007) - New report uncovers "strong, positive, and growing correlation" between environmental and financial performance
o Relating to Innovest's study: Carbon Beta and Equity Performance (.pdf has 38 pp.; Innovest is now part of RiskMetrics) - Moving from Disclosure to Performance
§ See also:
· related article at SocialFunds: Connecting the Dots Between Climate Change, Companies, and Financial Performance (30 October 2007)
· related press release at CSRwire: Innovest Releases New Carbon Beta Report (18 October 2007)
· FT.com Financial Times > e.g.
o FT Conferences > e.g.
§ 2nd annual FT Investing in a Sustainable Future (24 March 2010; New York City)
§ FT Sustainable Business and Responsible Investing Conference (2 March 2009; Altman Building, New York)
o >>
§ 'SRI funds not outperforming' (15 December 2008; By Sophia Grene)
· The research is an extension of previous work and the latest shot in a battle between Edhec and investment consultancy Altedia, which earlier this year published a study showing significant outperformance by SRI funds over the year to April 2008.
· UN Global Compact > e.g.
o About Us >
§ Tools and Resources >
o Issues >
o News & Events > e.g.
§ Archive >
· News Archive > e.g.
o Notable Reporters Outperform Key Stock Index (17 June 2009)
o New Publication: Clean Business is Good Business - The Business Case Against Corruption (17 July 2008) >
§ Clean Business Is Good Business: The Business Case against Corruption (.pdf, 4 pp.) - A joint publication by the International Chamber of Commerce, Transparency International, the United Nations Global Compact and the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI).
· For more about corruption see also Compact Quarterly, July 2008: Spotlight on Anti-Corruption
· Event Archive >> Leaders Summit 2007 (5-6 July 2007, Geneva) >
o News items on the 2007 Leaders Summit >
· Goldman Sachs research: Introducing GS Sustain (.pdf, 179 pp.)
o The report shows that among six sectors covered – energy, mining, steel, food, beverages, and media – companies that are considered leaders in implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies to create sustained competitive advantage have outperformed the general stock market by 25 per cent since August 2005. In addition, 72 per cent of these companies have outperformed their peers over the same period.
o Goldman Sachs analyzed the companies with respect to three areas: ESG performance; how well they are positioned vis-à-vis long-term industry trends; and the strength of their underlying financial returns.
o See also, e.g.:
§ CRO >> Green Is Gold, According to Goldman Sachs Study (By Margo Alderton)
§ FT.com Financial Times >> Ethical groups outperform peers (By Frances Williamsin)
· UNEP FI (Finance Initiative) »innovative financing for sustainability« >
o Work Streams >
§ Investment > e.g.
· Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) > e.g.
o PRI Academic Network > e.g.
§ RI Digest
o >> e.g.
§ Business Case (videos) - Institutional investors talk about the financial value of incorporating environmental, social and corporate governance factors into their investment decisions
o The UNEP FI Materiality Series is delivering and analysing financial research on how ESG issues impact company share price.
· Publications from the Investment Work Programme > e.g.
o Translating ESG into sustainable business value — Key insights for companies and investors (March 2010; .pdf has 33 pp.; Prepared with WBCSD)
o The materiality of climate change - How finance copes with the ticking clock (2009)
o Demystifying Responsible Investment Performance (October 2007; .pdf has 82 pp.; Prepared together with Mercer) - A review of key academic and broker research on ESG factors
§ See also related article at Responsible Investor: Majority of academic and broker research supports ESG performance link (25 october 2007; By Hugh Wheelan) - Review of current research concludes that performance will not be affected and could be enhanced.
o The Working Capital Report (July 2007; .pdf has 56 pp.)
o Show Me The Money: Linking Environmental, Social and Governance Issues to Company Value
§ July 2006; .pdf has 56 pages
§ See also:
· Related article at SocialFunds.com:
o UN Advances Business Case for Materiality of SRI, Leaving Skeptics Little Wiggle Room (18 July 2006; By: Bill Baue)
o Generation lost: young financial analysts and environmental, social and governance issues
§ 2005; .pdf has 6 pages; Together with WBCSD's »Young Managers Team«
o The Materiality of Social, Environmental, and Corporate Governance Issues to Equity Pricing (2004)
o Tools >
§ Show us the Money, Show Us the Green Money ... And be rewarded for contributing to the Environmental & Social Responsibility Observatory (ESRO).
· Through an online database of real world case studies, UNEP FI, in collaboration with the Ecobanking Project, will soon start showcasing how its Signatories and other financial institutions are successfully managing to align financial and sustainability performance by channeling funds into activities that have a net positive impact – on environment, society and their own bottom line. The observatory will also showcase environmental and social risk management stories.
· IBLF International Business Leaders Forum > e.g.
o Resources >
§ Publications >> e.g.
· Values and Value: Communicating the Strategic Importance of Corporate Citizenship to Investors (1 January 2004; .pdf has 36 pp.)
o The findings of a 2003 CEO Survey of the World Economic Forum Global Corporate Citizenship Initiative in partnership with the International Business Leaders Forum.
· WBCSD World Business Council for Sustainable Development >
o Focus Areas >
§ Business Role >
· Overview >
§ Markets & Valuation
· In 2009, this workstream follows two tracks of activity. One focuses on items that provide immediate value for company managers. The second focuses on longer term thought leadership, and leverages the Vision 2050 Project:
o Track 1- Field Guide: Investor-relevant sustainability value
· Publications > e.g.
o Translating Environmental, Social and Governance Factors into Sustainable Business Value - Key insights for companies and investors (26 April 2010; .pdf has 35 pp.)
§ This document outlines the findings and key insights of a series of global workshops between business, investors and stakeholders about the environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability aspects of company performance evaluation.
§ These workshops build on the learnings of the WBCSD, UNEP FI and key stakeholders from their work on ESG and sustainability reporting and disclosure, and responsible investment through the years.
· VfU »Verein für Umweltmanagement in Banken, Sparkassen und Versicherungen e.V.« (Augsburg, Germany) > e.g.
o UNEP FI / VfU Roundtable 2005 (22 & 23 November 2005) >
§ Weiterfuhrende Informationen >
· GRI-Report = The relation between sustainability performance and financial performance of firms (.pdf, 19 pp.; = GOE Report No. 5-2005; In English)
o By: Dr. Olaf Weber, Dr. Thomas Koellner (GOE m.b.H.) and Dominique Habegger, Henrik Steffensen and Peter Ohnemus (ASSET4)
· Schlange & Co. GmbH »Consultants for Corporate Responsibility« (Hamburg, Germany) >
o Referenzen > Studien >
§ The Influence of Corporate Responsibility on the Cost of Capital - An Empirical Analysis 2006 (.pdf, November 2006, 50 pp.)
· Projectmanagement:
o Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, Hanns-Michael Hölz, Joachim Schlange
· The results of the study: Even though a direct correlation between CR performance and financial performance can not be proven, it was shown that there is a strong correlation when it comes to risk. This means that reducing CR risks leads to a lower cost of capital, and that CR is not only a means of reducing CR risk, but that it can also bring added value.
· Prepared together with Deutsche Bank
· Germanwatch > Themen >
o Unternehmensverantwortung, Finanzsektor & Nachhaltigkeit >
§ Finanzsektor & Nachhaltigkeit > e.g.
· Studie: Corporate Governance und Sustainability (Dez. 2006) - Steigerung des nachhaltigen Unternehmenswertes
· Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung = The German Council for Sustainable Development (English version of website) > e.g.
o News Nachhaltigkeit >
§ Studie: Nachhaltige Kapitalanlagen langfristig sicherer und rentabler (1 March 2010; Relating to studies by Allianz Global Investors and risklab; In English)
· SD-M Sustainable Development Management (dr. Axel Hesse; Münster; Germany)
o SD-M consults institutional investors, companies and politics regarding performance-enhancing management of global core challenges for Sustainable Development (SD). The services of SD-M are performed from the perspective of international capital markets.«
o > e.g.
§ English > e.g.
· SD-KPIs (Sustainable Development Key Performance Indicators) - SD-KPIs offer institutional investors the opportunity to generate portfolios with a high outperformance in the long term.
· Publications > e.g.
o Long-term and sustainable pension investments
§ a study of leading European pension funds, on behalf of ASSET4 (ed.) and the German Federal Environment Ministry, Zug 2008
· Institute 4 Sustainability (Berlin; The founder: Thomas Loew) > e.g.
o Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung > e.g.
§ Publikationen > e.g.
· Lagebericht zur Lageberichterstattung - Eine Analyse der Verwendung nicht-finanzieller Indikatoren (December 2006; .pdf hat 80 pp.; In German; At UBA website) >
o Kapitel 2: Business case of sustainable development
· CRR Conference (CRRC)
o The conference is organised by Sustainability Research Institute / University of Leeds (UK)
o > e.g.
§ CRRC 2006 (4-5 September 2006, at the Trinity College in Dublin/Ireland) > e.g.
· Papers sorted by panel sessions, e.g.:
o Accounting > e.g.
§ Sustainability performance and value relevance: an analysis of listed European companies
§ Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Selected Commercial Banks in Uganda
o Evaluation > e.g.
§ Ethical Stock Indexes: Does Sustainability Pay Off?
o Organisational Behaviour > e.g.
§ Corporate Social Responsibility and Reputation Risk Analysis
· The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World
o The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World is an annual project initiated by Corporate Knights, the magazine for clean capitalism.
o The first annual Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World was launched during the World Economic Forum in Davos, on January 28, 2005.
o We believe that a company’s ability to manage its extra-financial aspects, such as those related to environmental, labour, and human rights, is a powerful proxy and a leading indicator for its overall management quality. Management quality, in turn, is the single greatest determinant of companies’ financial performance. The aim of this initiative is thus to promote better managed and better performing corporations regarding sustainability issues.
· WSJ The Wall Street Journal >> e.g.
o Sustainable Success (22 June 2009) - For companies operating in developing countries, it pays to commit to improving social and environmental conditions
o Does Being Ethical Pay? (12 May 2008; By Remi Trudel and June Cotte) - Companies spend huge amounts of money to be 'socially responsible.' Do consumers reward them for it? And how much?
o For Money Managers, A Smarter Approach To Social Responsibility (5 November 2007; By Carolyn Cui)
o Finding the Best Measure Of 'Corporate Citizenship' (2 July 2007; By Phred Dvorak) - Governance Trackers Use Various Rating Criteria, Leaving Users Confused
· BW BusinessWeek >> e.g.
o Why Be an Ethical Company? They're Stronger and Last Longer (17 August 2009; By Vivek Wadhwa, senior research associate at the Labor & Worklife Program at Harvard Law School and executive in residence at Duke University) - A focus on short-term profits to the exclusion of all else led to the current financial crisis. And guess what? Companies with the steadiest moral compasses have sailed through it
· MIT Sloan Management Review > e.g.
o The Magazine >> e.g.
§ Fall 2009 Issue: Sustainability as Competitive Advantage
· In the fall issue, read the special report and learn how sustainability is changing management, how five companies transformed themselves, what made Ray Anderson the leading sustainability CEO, and the hard truths executives still don't get about sustainability. And don't miss the findings from our first annual Business of Sustainability Global Survey.
o Sustainability > e.g.
§ The Four-Point Supply Chain Checklist: How Sustainability Creates Opportunity (20 April 2010; An interview with Edgar Blanco)
§ Does It Pay To Be Good? (8 January 2009; By Remi Trudel and June Cotte) - In surveys, customers have long claimed that they'd pay more for ethically produced goods. But is that what happens when they actually buy things? New experiments offer answers.
§ > also
· Special Reports:
o The Business of Sustainability - Findings From the First Annual Survey and Interview Project (September 2009)
§ This report presents findings from a global survey of more than 1,500 corporate leaders and in-depth interviews with more than 50 thought leaders on how sustainability is affecting business.
§ The Business of Sustainability is produced by MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group (= The Business of Sustainability: Imperatives, Advantages, and Actions).
§ See also
· Related article at SocialFunds: Companies That Aggressively Pursue Sustainability Are Reaping Benefits (17 March 2010) - SocialFunds.com spoke with Maurice Berns, a partner at BCG, and an author of the report, about the Sustainability Initiative and the findings of its survey.
· Related article at Natural Logic: Perspective: Making the Sustainability Business Case (February 2010; Also at CSRwire Talkback Blog)
· related articles at Environmental Leader:
o Seizing the Reins on Sustainability (30 November 2009; By: Maurice Berns, Boston Consulting Group and Michael Hopkins, MIT Sloan Management Review)
o Only 30% of Firms Have a Business Case for Sustainability (18 September 2009)
· related summary at CSR International: Business Case For Sustainability Report
o Capturing the Green Advantage - What green consumers want and how to deliver it
o The MIT Sustainability Interview Series (2009)
o Blogs: Improvisations
§ >??>
· Beyond Green (Blog about sustainability, till September 2009)
o >>
§ Business Ethics and Public Policy >> e.g.
· Sustainability and Performance (15 January 2003; By Karina Funk)
· Law.com >> In-House Counsel >>
o The Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (13 August 2008; By Michael A. Levine, from New York Law Journal)
§ See also:
· Epstein Becker & Green > Professionals >>
o Michael A. Levine (Chair of the firm's Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability ("CSR") group in the New York office.)
· Marc Gunther (Blog) >> e.g.
o Paul Hawken’s winning investment strategy (12 February 2010)
· Ethical Corporation »Magazine, Conferences, Reports« >> e.g.
o Special Reports: Ethics and financial performance: The big question – Is there really a business case? (2 May 2008; By Mallen Baker)
· MallenBaker.net > e.g.
o »Business Respect« (newsletter and resources) > e.g.
§ No. 146 (3 February 2009):
· What's the real value of a good business?
· Corporate Responsibility Magazine = CR Magazine (SharedXpertise, LLC; Edison, NJ) >
o Topics:
§ Social Responsibility >
· Business Case Debate: Looking Beyond Share Price, Sales (29 February 2008; By Neil Smith) - Takeaway from progressive practices initially small, but can be material over long haul
o Companies rarely act on new initiatives without first knowing the so-called “business case.” Corporate responsibility must similarly factor in...
§ Socially Responsible Investing > e.g.
· Sustainability and the Stock Market (16 October 2008; By Jeff Zelkowitz) - A game changer for company value?
· CSRwire »The Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire« >> e.g.
o CSRwire Talkback: Responsible Investing Delivers the Good(s) (17 February 2010; By Lisa Cohen, Momentum Partners) - Do SRI strategies produce results?
o Portfolio 21’s Top 10 ‘Green’ Companies for 2010 (21 January 2010) - Mutual fund says 10-year financial performance tied to corporate environmental performance
o IBM Global Survey Shows Information Gap in 'Green,' Sustainability Strategies (1 June 2009; Relating to second annual global corporate social responsibility survey of senior business executives)
§ See also related article at CIO UK: Corporate social responsibility enters the strategic realm (24 November 2009; By Jon Bentley, Energy & Environment Partner, IBM Global Business Services) - What part the CIO must play
o Green Business Innovations Help the Environment-and the Bottom Line (20 March 2008)
§ ...This Green Business Innovations section is part of Business and the Environment 2008, a series of special ad sections in BusinessWeek on major environmental issues. In a unique partnership, Environmental Defense Fund is providing the content for the series...
o Doing Well by Doing Good: IBM Study Says Businesses Seeking Growth Through Social Responsibility (12 February 2008)
§ See also related article at Environmental Leader: Businesses Focus On Generating Revenue Through CSR Activities (12 February 2008)
o First-of-Kind Nationwide Survey Finds: Individual Investors See Major Opportunity (22 January 2008) - Investors view the environment as a major long-term investing opportunity, according to the results of a groundbreaking survey of investors released here today by Allianz Global Investors, a leading global investment firm.
§ See also related article at SocialFunds: Growing Interest In Green Investing (31 January 2008) - New research shows that individual investors think the environment is hot, with solar energy an important investment opportunity.
o Executives Say Corporate Responsibility Can Be Profitable (10 September 2007) - National survey finds companies plan increased investment despite drop in business confidence
§ See also related article at SocialFunds: Big Bosses Embrace Corporate Responsibility (21 September 2007)
o Portfolio 21 Announces Top 10 'Green' Companies of 2006 (26 January 2007) - Mutual fund says financial performance tied to corporate environmental performance
· EL Environmental Leader »Energy & Environmental News for Business« (Fort Collins, CO, USA) > e.g.
o All Topics >
§ Financial > e.g.
· Study Links Carbon Management, CSR with Shareholder Value (15 September 2008; Relating to a study by Verizon Business and IR magazine)
· Should CFOs Take A Seat At The Sustainability Table? (29 March 2008; Relating to a survey conducted by CFO Research for Jones Lang LaSalle.)
· Avoiding Pitfalls on the Sustainability Path to Shareholder Value (10 April 2009; By Peter Capozucca, Principal, Deloitte Consulting)
· ClimateChangeCorp.com > e.g.
o Markets > e.g.
§ Financial services – Banking on climate change’s consequences (18 June 2007)
· Financial services providers are now addressing what climate change means for their businesses and providing risk assessment advice for their clients
· CSR News (Based in Hückeswagen, Germany) >
o News = csr-news.net >> e.g.
§ The Concept and Business Case of Sustainability (31 July 2009; By Charlotte Heine, Ernst & Young, and Victor Scheurecker, ESB Reutlingen)
· Hill & Knowlton's Corporate Reputation Watch > e.g.
o Downloads >
§ Return on Reputation surveys
· examine the various ways investment analysts assess company performance and shareholder value and identifies the key factors driving investment decisions.
· The McKinsey Quarterly > e.g.
o Functions >
§ Corporate Finance >
· Valuation > e.g.
o Valuing social responsibility programs (July 2009) - Most companies see corporate social responsibility programs as a way to fulfill the contract between business and society. But do they create financial value?
o Valuing corporate social responsibility: McKinsey Global Survey Results (February 2009) - Environmental, social, and governance programs create shareholder value, most executives believe, but neither CFOs nor professional investors fully include that when evaluating business projects or companies.
o Investing in sustainability: An interview with Al Gore and David Blood (May 2007) - The former vice president and his partner in an investment-management firm argue that sustainability investing is essential to creating long-term shareholder value.
§ Strategy > e.g.
· Strategy in Practice > e.g.
o Tackling sociopolitical issues in hard times: McKinsey Global Survey results (November 2009; Relating to the fourth annual McKinsey survey on the role of business in society)
§ For the fourth consecutive year, executives answered questions on which social and political issues will gain public prominence and which will have the greatest impact on shareholder value. This year, the survey also explored the impact of the financial crisis on companies’ sociopolitical agendas and the financial benefits companies have gained from addressing a variety of social and political issues.
o Assessing the impact of societal issues: A McKinsey Global Survey (November 2007) > e.g.
§ How social issues affect companies
o >>
§ The McKinsey Quarterly Chart Focus Newsletter: December 2006: The business of social responsibility
· The Economist > e.g.
o Special Reports > e.g.
§ Corporate social responsibility - Just good business (17 January 2008)
o >>
§ EIU Economist Intelligence Unit > e.g.
· Press releases > e.g.
o The link between sustainability and profits remains unclear to businesses in short term, according to new research (8 February 2010; Relating to the »Managing for Sustainability« report)
§ See also related article at Environmental Leader: 34% of Execs Cite Economy As Impediment to Adopting Sustainability (9 February 2010)
o Sustainability initiatives can help drive corporate growth, according to Economist Intelligence Unit survey (9 November 2009; Relating to the report "Management magnified: Sustainability and corporate growth", sponsored by SAS)
o Executives say corporate citizenship can boost profits over time, according to new Economist Intelligence Unit report (18 November 2008) >
§ Corporate citizenship: profiting from a sustainable business (November 2008; .pdf has 34 pp.)
· See also related article at GreenBiz: CSR, Environmental Programs Good for the Bottom Line, Report Finds (19 November 2008)
· >>
o Doing good: Business and the sustainability challenge (February 2008; .pdf has 55 pp.; Or here)
§ The report, which is sponsored by A.T. Kearney, Bank of America, ExxonMobil, Jones Lang LaSalle, Orange, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SAP and SunGard, illustrates the growing importance of corporate sustainability in enabling companies to compete and to attract customers.
§ The research is based on a global survey of 1,254 senior business executives, including more than 300 CEOs.
§ See also
· related article at Environmental Leader: Better Performing Companies Do Better On CSR (15 February 2008)