Monthly Archives: September 2010

Sustainability and Good Governance: A Work In Progress

The TakeAway: Two new reports advance convergence of governance and sustainability, but gaps  between formal responsibility and actual performance still need crossing. The rising popularity of the term ESG (environmental, social, and governance) suggests common ground between sustainability and corporate … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Investor Governance | 1 Comment

Power to the People: Mutual Funds and Corporate Reform

The TakeAway: Mutual funds continue to gain power and influence on corporate governance and accountability, which has yet to be fully tapped. Mutual funds are quietly emerging as a key tool for corporate reform, as they bridge populist power and … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Proxy Voting, Public Policy | 4 Comments

Corporate Obligation, Sustainable Development, and Human Rights

The TakeAway: A variety of efforts on policy and regulation work to assure a world economy that is more stable, inclusive, and sustainable, despite occasional setbacks. Last week’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit provided a glimpse into how far we’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Human Rights, Public Policy, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Governance Galore

The TakeAway: New York Stock Exchange proposes ten corporate governance principles for management, boards, and shareholders—and suggests the need for regulating proxy advisory services. What comprises good corporate governance and investor stewardship?  These questions continue to pop up as regulators, … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Interactive Technology | 2 Comments

… Something Borrowed, Something Green

Part Three of Three Parts The TakeAway: A growing number of foundations achieve sustainability and social justice goals through program-related and mission-related investing. In 2007, the Los Angeles Times ran a series of stories about the Bill & Melinda Gates … Continue reading

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Something Old, Something New…

Part Two of Three Parts The TakeAway: Organized philanthropy wakes up to new opportunities for connecting their grantmaking ideals to their investments, thereby addressing problems more comprehensively Earlier this week, a group of foundation presidents, treasurers, and trustees – representing … Continue reading

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A Movement Takes Hold

Part One of Three Parts The TakeAway: Yesterday’s More for Mission national conference represents a giant step toward unification of portfolio investing across asset classes in pursuit of social and financial prosperity. On Tuesday almost 150 foundation officials, investment advisors … Continue reading

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The New Fiduciary: Stewardship and Sensibility

The TakeAway: Changes in financial regulations place new responsibilities on institutional investors, requiring new forms of engagement, education, and behavior. These days, financial and corporate governance reform advocates have concentrated a lot of attention on corporate boards, and for good … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Sustainability, Investor Governance, Proxy Voting, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Investing, Web 2.0 | 4 Comments

A Tale of 3 Cities: Key Events on the Sustainable Prosperity Agenda

The TakeAway: An overview of this week’s events on climate change, corporate governance, and fiduciary duty. It’s a busy week for sustainable prosperity, as people journey to New York City, San Diego, and Cambridge to share insights and forge solutions … Continue reading

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Drawing Swords: The Battle Over Proxy Access

The TakeAway: As the Federal Register publishes proxy access rules, we survey arguments against shareholder rights. Earlier today, the Federal Register published new rules governing proxy access that will take effect November 15th.  The proxy access rule, approved by the … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Proxy Voting, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement | 7 Comments

State Law, Supply Chains, and the End of Slavery

The TakeAway: Pending California law seeks to end slavery and trafficking in business supply chains, part of a renewed broader trend of state-level action to address global sustainability and social justice issues. When thinking about corporate reform toward sustainability and … Continue reading

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Electoral Politics: We Get What They Pay For

The TakeAway: Three proposals to preserve the integrity of democracy from unlimited corporate political contributions. As angry voters flock to primaries in the first major vote since January’s Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the question of how corporate political contributions … Continue reading

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Climate Skeptics’ Arguments Crushed By Global Bank

The TakeAway: Deutsche Bank powerfully rebuts arguments used by climate deniers, and snubs US for lagging on climate policy and clean energy investments. Climate deniers faced another massive debunking of their flimsy claims in last Tuesday’s release of a white … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change, Corporate Sustainability, Sustainable Investing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Finance Offers Meeting Point for Discussion With Islam

The TakeAway: The CSR and SRI communities can discover shared values with Islamic finance over goals of sustainability, prosperity, and justice. The frenzy surrounding a Southern preacher’s threat to burn the Koran – on the eve of the ninth anniversary … Continue reading

Posted in Sustainable Investing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Turbo-Charged: How Web 2.0 Fuels the Power of Stakeholder Engagement

The TakeAway: CSR stakeholders want companies to use interactive tools for more real-time reporting, responsiveness, and relationship building. We live in a turbo-charged world of instant communication continually bombarding us, but we have yet to grasp the social and psychological … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Reporting, Interactive Technology, Stakeholder Engagement, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Back to School, Back to the Land

The TakeAway: School-based farming is blooming, a fresh alternative to Big Agra and mounting public health risks that is rooted in our Land Grant tradition of education. This summer’s recall of more than half billion eggs, on top of last … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to School: Workforce Education for The Clean Energy Economy

The TakeAway: Clean energy economy will be built not just with bricks, but brains. It’s back-to-school time, this day after Labor Day, when education and jobs intersect on the calendar.  On the jobs front, President Obama yesterday announced a $50 … Continue reading

Posted in Climate Change | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

NOTABLE PEOPLE: Bob Monks and the Battle to Change Corporate America

The TakeAway: Bob Monks believes new corporate governance reforms fall short, but digital tools can help advance accountability goals. Robert A.G. Monks has a long history of pioneering work on corporate accountability.  From his tenure as first Department of Labor … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Corporate Sustainability, Interactive Technology, Investor Governance, Notable People, Proxy Voting, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Sustainable Investing, Web 2.0 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Fat Cats & Pink Slips: The Link Between CEO Pay and Layoffs

The TakeAway: CEO pay rises highest at firms that lead in layoffs, says a new report – a bitter pill to swallow in hard times. During this recession, there’s nothing like excessive CEO pay to get the blood boiling – … Continue reading

Posted in Corporate Governance, Proxy Voting, Wage Gap | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments