Recent Research

August 28, 2009 Only 12% of Major Firms have Executive Team for Sustainability

Source:Environmental Leader

Many large corporations are merely paying lip service to their environmental policies, according to a new report from the Sustainable Enterprise Institute. Among companies in the Russell 1000 Index, only 125 have an executive...

August 27, 2009 Corporate governance as a source of competitiveness for Nordic firms

Source:Nordisk Innovations Center

This project addresses the causes and effects of board diversity among Nordic publicly traded firms. The study identifies underlying mechanisms for evolution of board diversity based on nine in-depth casestudies. Furthermore, the...

August 27, 2009 Corporate strategy and Inadequate Governance: The Pitfalls of CSR

Source:Susan Aaronson, World Bank

Corporate social responsibility programs can boost a company’s reputation, strengthen the license to operate and help create market advantages, but there are risks that CSR can undermine good governance in less developed...

August 25, 2009 GreenBiz Survey Shows Growth in Companies' Environmental Departments

Source:Greenbiz.com

There's some good news amid the economic carnage. Our recent survey of more than 600 companies found increasing headcount for environmental and sustainability positions along with greater spending by environmental, health and...

August 18, 2009 New Report Outlines Potential Impact of IFRS on Business Activities

Source:Institute of Internal Auditors

As listed companies in more than 100 countries are now making a switch to filing financial statements using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), business activities in organizations throughout the world are trying...[more]

August 18, 2009 Sustainable Procurement: Still a Priority for European Firms

Source:BusinessWire

Six years ago, Sustainable Development was an emerging discipline. Today, it is a key concern for procurement executives at many of Europe’s leading and largest companies. According to the fourth-annual HEC Paris – EcoVadis -...

August 13, 2009 The Conference Board Reveals Flaws in CEO Succession Planning by Corporate Boards; Urges Five-Step Roadmap

Source:The Conference Board

The Conference Board released today a report that reveals flaws in how many corporate boards execute their fiduciary responsibilities on CEO succession planning and leadership development. The Conference Board report includes a...[more]

August 13, 2009 US Purchases Of Imported Food Doubled In 10 Yrs

Source:istockanalyst

U.S. food consumers are increasingly demanding greater variety, quality, and convenience in the food they consume. As Americans become wealthier and more ethnically diverse, the American food basket reflects a growing share of...

August 13, 2009 'Many hurricanes' in modern times

Source:BBC

Hurricanes in the Atlantic are more frequent than at any time in the last 1,000 years, according to research just published in the journal Nature.

August 12, 2009 Largest Companies in FTSE All World Index Show Improvement in Addressing Climate Change, but Room for Further Improvement Remains

Source:Social Funds.com

Asking what investors should be doing about the unprecedented "projected impacts of climate change on the environment and society," a new report by EIRIS, a UK-based provider of research into the social, environmental and ethical...

August 12, 2009 Economists: Keep Bernanke, Recession Over

Source:CBS News

The majority of economists polled by the Wall Street Journal expressed support for Ben Bernanke, saying he Fed chairman should get another term. Most of the economists said the 20-month-old recession is now over and gave Bernanke...

August 12, 2009 Wall Street Compensation To Diverge In 2009 - Study

Source:Wall Street Journal

Bankers and traders should expect to see a growing disparity in bonuses across the financial services industry. While some investment and commercial banking firms will see year-over-year increases in compensation, bonuses for...

August 11, 2009 Will trade lead or lag the recovery?

Source:Reuters

As signs grow that the worst of the global slowdown is passing, fears are being voiced that world trade could hold back the recovery.

August 10, 2009 Responsible Investing: a Paradigm Shift From Niche to Mainstream

Source:Booz & Company

Based on a comprehensive study conducted jointly by Robeco Group and Booz & Company, this paper provides an overview of the current Responsible Investing (RI) market and its future potential. As part of the study, a wide range...

August 6, 2009 Companies warned not to forget CSR

Source:packaging News,co,uk

Corporate social responsibility is "more critical than ever", according to a report by sustainability communications experts OgilvyEarth. Of the 2,100 people interviewed for the study, 66% said businesses which scale back...

August 5, 2009 Changes In Executive Compensation Unrelated to Banks' Financial Performance

Source:PR WEB

CEO and CFO compensation at banks receiving Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) investments did not change in statistically meaningful ways despite the banks' poor financial performance, according to a new study by Presidio Pay...

August 5, 2009 CSR commitment ‘more critical than ever for business’

Source:UTalk Marketing

Companies that scale back on CSR during the economic downturn will regret the decision come the recovery, a survey of UK business leaders has found.

August 5, 2009 U.S. consumers spared big costs in climate bill

Source:Reuters

A new U.S. government study on Tuesday adds to a growing list of experts concluding that climate legislation moving through Congress would have only a modest impact on consumers, adding a bit more than $100 to household costs in...

August 4, 2009 Offshoring Evolving at a Rapid Pace, Report Duke University and The Conference Board

Source:The Conference Board

The number of U.S. companies with an offshoring strategy has more than doubled from 2005 to 2008 and very few plan to relocate activities back to the United States, according to Duke Offshoring Research Network’s fifth annual...[more]

August 4, 2009 How Much Do the Major Sovereign Wealth Funds Manage?

Source:RGE Monitor

A score of recent reports have put the total assets managed by sovereign wealth funds at around $3 trillion. That seems high to us – at least if the estimate is limited to sovereign wealth funds external assets.

August 4, 2009 French private equity firms integrate environmental criteria, research shows

Source:AltAssets

Novethic, a French research centre focused on socially responsible investment and corporate social responsibility, has found that many private equity firms in France now integrate environmental criteria, but extra financial tools...

August 3, 2009 Fact Sheet: Credit Rating Agency Reform Legislation Sent to Capitol Hill

Source:U.S. Treasury Department

Continuing its push to establish new rules of the road and make the financial system more fair across the board, the Administration today delivered proposed legislation to Capitol Hill to increase transparency, tighten oversight,...[more]

July 29, 2009 Post office cited by GAO as a troubled agency

Source:The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday added the Postal Service to its list of high-risk federal agencies in need of change. The post office has been struggling with a sharp decline in mail volume as people...

July 28, 2009 Executive Compensation Study on Tech100