Ethics
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INSIGHT: Corporate strategy, 21 November, 2019
Companies need to grow the pie, not worry about how to split it
We tend to see the relationship between business and society as a fight over the biggest slice of pie. We need a pie-growing mentality instead.
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Human rights, 15 November, 2019
Norges Bank excludes G4S from portfolio over human rights concerns
An investigation by the bank, which invests Norway's oil revenues, revealed G4S had "behaved in a manner which is at the limit of, or outside, accepted norms" with regard to its treatment of migrant workers in Qatar and UAE.
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Corporate strategy, 6 November, 2019
When fighting social injustice clashes with shareholder demands
Business leaders are often troubled by social injustice, but shareholders take priority. To resolve this, governments, investors and society must change.
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Diversity, 4 November, 2019
Mind the gap: enabling productive thinking to develop gender balance
Subtle mental shifts can increase people’s responsiveness to the gender gap, and their commitment to doing something about it.
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Legislation, 12 September, 2019
Campaigners call for German supply chain law to protect human rights
The German government is under pressure from groups including Oxfam and Friends of the Earth to introduce new legislation regarding global supply chains.
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Due diligence, 9 September, 2019
Strategic shifts are needed to ensure due diligence in global supply chains
Boards must set the tone for due diligence as consumers and regulators scrutinise how firms address environmental and human rights risks in supply chains.
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Governance, 28 August, 2019
Debate over ‘shareholder’ or ‘stakeholder’ primacy goes global
The US Business Roundtable's recent letter saw scores of chief executives sign up to a stakeholder model of governance. Around the world commentators have offered their analysis of the decision.
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Corporate culture, 6 August, 2019
If you want employees to speak up, show that you will listen
Effective speak-up procedures help boards to understand and improve their organisational culture. But employees won't come forward unless they feel supported.
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EU legislation, 17 July, 2019
Human rights due diligence push ‘could turn boards into legal departments’
The European Confederation of Directors Associations warns that forcing big companies to regulate the behaviour of their suppliers could be counterproductive.
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Regulation, 16 July, 2019
Financial watchdog moves to strengthen audit ethics
Changes include a shorter list of permitted extra services and a stronger role for an “ethics partner” inside audit firms.
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Corporate governance, 6 June, 2019
Ethics body issues warning to boards over AI accountability
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a critical governance issue and must be firmly grasped by the board—not left to the tech team, says a report from the Institute of Business Ethics.
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Ethics, 28 May, 2019
Social media: when personal beliefs clash with corporate values
Recent cases of controversial social media posts have focused attention on what happens when employees' beliefs or opinions contradict their employers' values. It's the responsibility of the board to lead an offline discussion with staff about the boundaries of their personal and professional personas.
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Trust in business, 30 April, 2019
Executives: the new social leaders
The public are losing faith in politicians to solve their problems and are increasingly looking to employers and business leaders to take a stand on societal issues, according to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer.
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Board expertise, 1 March, 2019
Ethical business in the age of AI
Artificial intelligence is causing a revolution in business, but how should boards respond to the implications of technologies they don’t understand? The answer is to take an ethical approach and ensure human accountability.
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Data security, 18 February, 2019
Cambridge Analytica and Facebook scandal ‘a failure of governance’
The data breach involving 87 million Facebook users and Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics firm, was a “profound failure of governance” within the social media business, according to a committee of UK MPs.
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Ethics, 4 February, 2019
Data security poses growing ethics risk
Research finds an increasing number of ethical lapses reported in the tech industry, while banking and finance continues to be the biggest area for wrongdoing.
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Davos and climate, 28 January, 2019
Battling climate change boosts stock performance
Davos became a story about climate change. One research group found that good climate change policies helps boost stock performance—good news for investors.
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Investors, 21 January, 2019
Culture and intangibles top list of engagement concerns
Letters from State Street and BlackRock's CEO Larry Fink indicate the emphasis investors now place on corporate culture and intangible assets.
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ESG, 3 January, 2019
Sustainability, creating value & the role of the board
Businesses everywhere are developing sustainability policies. Implementation is never easy, but the right guidance can show the way.
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Year in Review, 24 December, 2018
2018: A year in governance
This past year has been packed with governance events from the launch of new codes, executive pay debates, and leadership behaviour debacles to climate change, cybersecurity scandals and the Khashoggi murder.