Governance
NEWS: Supply chains, 8 September, 2020
Corporate support builds for mandatory human rights due diligence
Companies including Adidas, Nestlé and Ericsson have pledged their backing for “new binding standards which benefit all”.
NEWS: Regulation, 7 September, 2020
US rule change sets up clash with proxy advisers
The US Department of Labor has proposed new rules that could undermine the ability of proxy advisers to vote on non-financial issues such as ESG.
NEWS: Strategy, 4 September, 2020
Companies ‘need new mechanism’ to integrate stakeholder interests
Academics suggest a South African-style “social and ethics committee” could help to embed stakeholder interests into board decision-making.
INSIGHT: Organisational behaviour, 1 September, 2020
Power, politics and crisis response on the board
A recent study suggests it’s not individual directors but the competing coalitions they form that determine what boards will do.
INSIGHT: Crisis management, 28 August, 2020
Corporate disclosures and investor relations ‘impaired by Covid-19’
A recent event hosted by Mazars brought together audit committee chairs and investors to explore their experience of coping with the impact of Covid-19.
INSIGHT: Sustainability, 28 August, 2020
Going green benefits businesses—and should be central to their recovery
With consumers, employees and investors increasingly focused on sustainability, green initiatives should be key to any post-Covid strategy.
INSIGHT: Board composition, 24 August, 2020
Why is there a progress gap between FTSE gender and ethnicity targets?
We need a renewed focus on the representation of both gender and ethnicity on boards, ensuring targets are comparable and given equal profile.
NEWS: Business issues, 21 August, 2020
Governance week: stakeholderism, US election, IoD departure, ESG blow
Is the shift to stakeholder primacy real—or a PR exercise? Plus change at the top for the Institute of Directors; confirmation of the Biden–Harris ticket; and bad news for ESG.
NEWS: Remuneration, 21 August, 2020
Average US CEO pay increases to $21.3m
Bosses in the top 350 US companies have seen their remuneration rise by 14%, with the ratio of CEO pay to average US worker income now 320:1.
NEWS: Research, 20 August, 2020
ESG ‘not a factor’ in share price resilience during Covid-19 crisis
Researchers found that firms’ ESG ratings were also “significantly negatively associated with returns” in the Q2 recovery period.