The Magazine of Corporate Responsibility

Tag Archive for ‘Reputation’

Social and Environmental Shareholder Proposals Gain Traction

Shareholder proposals on social and environmental issues constitute about half of all resolutions in the 2011 proxy season and have become a serious strategic consideration for corporate boards and their members, according to a new report from the consulting firm Ernst & Young. “The degree of support for these types of resolutions is growing among mutual funds and other important investors,” the report finds.

Goldman’s Self-Help: Eat, Pay, Trade

Reporter Jesse Eisinger suggests that Goldman Sachs’ announcement last week of a plan to increase transparency and disclosure does not resolve some big questions about the investment banks’ role in financial markets. “Could there be an argument that Goldman should break up into three smaller, more focused companies?” he asks. “It would be better for the financial system, and just might lead to the self-improvement that Goldman is searching for.”

Goldman Sachs Unveils Plan to Increase Disclosure

The investment banking giant, seeking to repair damage to its reputation suffered in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, said its management and board had adopted and begun implementing 39 new policies and practices that represent a “fundamental re-commitment” by the firm to “reputational excellence” and increased transparency and disclosure.

Sustainability: Business Strategy Trumps Reputation

Sustainability may be a massive and vitally important global movement, says columnist Gael O’Brien, but it often suffers from its own ambiguity. “It isn’t surprising that when you ask people what their company is doing in sustainability,” she reports, “the question back is almost always ‘how are you defining it?’”

Opinion: Choosing Business Leaders with Integrity

A business executive who happens to also be a former Catholic monk has his own unique litmus test for gauging executive credibility and trust. “How can I tell if an executive is trustworthy?” he asks. “What are the signs to look for in promoting leaders in this new era of doubt and suspicion?”

Survey: Companies Worry More About Reputational Risk

Perhaps not surprisingly, heightened concern over risk to corporate reputation is “noticeably” affecting how senior management and boards are doing business, according to a new survey of corporate executives. The survey found the timeliness and quality of information shared with boards is improving while more time is being spent on risk management by directors and executives.

Adding Value and Values to the MBA

When students return to campus in coming weeks, so will debate about the purpose of management education and the role of ethics. Columnist Gael O’Brien wonders whether current business leaders will support training new leaders in skills and competencies that support new models of business – or will it be simply business as usual?

The Ethical Risk of Business as Usual

Columnist Gael O’Brien wonders what it will take to convince corporate leaders to build into their risk management strategies the capacity to ask crucial questions about ethical liability, as is done with legal liability. Such a step, she says, would be hardly radical and would have the objective of putting ethical conduct on the table as a deliberate outcome.

Conscious Capitalism: New Models for 21st Century Business

Columnist Gael O’Brien takes a look at a new organization and a group of business leaders who believe that a company can be profitable while also safeguarding trust, reputation, and credibility with stakeholders. One CEO poses the question: “Is it possible to create an enterprise where everybody wins?”

Survey: U.S. Consumers Willing to Pay for Corporate Responsibility

Despite the economic recession, 59 percent of those responding said they plan to spend the same or more on products from socially responsible companies.