Library | ESG issues
Corporate Culture
Corporate culture defines the shared values and behaviours that shape an organisation’s decision-making and operations. Aligning strategy, policies, and processes with a strong corporate culture fosters accountability, ethical conduct, and effective risk management. A positive corporate culture enhances employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention by improving the quality of work life. Strong leadership is essential for driving organisational integrity, regulatory compliance, and long-term resilience.
Refine
114 results
REFINE
SHOW: 16
Boeing: What investors can learn from a cautionary tale in corporate governance
This research briefing examines Boeing's systemic governance failures, tracing the transition from engineering excellence to short-term financialisation. It analyses how misaligned incentives, weak board oversight, and marginalised worker voices obscured operational risks. The report advocates for multi-stakeholder governance and institutionalising worker voice to manage long-term systemic risks.
High-growth firms: Good and poor practice
This report details findings from the FCA’s Early and High Growth Oversight pilot, which engaged 15 firms across the asset management, wealth management, and payments sectors. It identifies good and poor practices in governance, risk management, and financial resilience, providing guidance for firms to ensure sustainable and compliant growth.
Speaking up for super members: Australians reflect on active ownership
This report examines Australian superannuation fund members' support for active ownership. Research indicates that while baseline awareness is low, members strongly prefer funds to engage with companies on ESG risks rather than divesting. Evidence shows that managing these material risks enhances long-term financial performance and aligns with member expectations.
Gender equality in capital markets: Insights, evidence and opportunities for action
This research examines gender equality in international capital markets, identifying barriers in culture, visibility, and sponsorship. Drawing on qualitative survey data and industry statistics, it highlights progress and stalls in representation and pay while offering practical actions for organisational change and leadership accountability.
The people premium: Human capital as a driver of value creation in private markets
This research examines how private market investors leverage human capital as a strategic driver of value. Analysing firms representing nearly $4 trillion in assets, it details leadership underwriting, platform-scale talent programmes, measurement methodologies, and AI integration. It highlights the necessity of regional adaptation and systematic interventions to realise long-term returns.
The value of non-value-maximizing managers
This research argues that hiring managers biased towards poorly-measured goals, such as social impact, is often optimal. This selection allows organisations to implement high-powered financial incentives for well-measured tasks without neglecting non-financial objectives. The study highlights how managerial selection and incentive design function as complementary governance tools.
Greenwashing as aspirational signaling: From burden to benefit?
This research analyses the transition of sustainability disclosures from voluntary practices to mandatory legal frameworks in the US and EU. It examines the 'greenwashing enforcement gap' and argues that aspirational signalling, despite inaccuracies, can drive institutional change and attract a prosocial workforce to improve corporate conduct.
Power to the personnel? The impacts of managerial discretion vs. worker democracy in employee recognition
This research evaluates the impacts of worker agency versus managerial discretion in employee recognition via an RCT in India. While worker democracy increased attendance by 11%, managerial discretion improved productivity by 6%. However, managerial control reduced work-related interactions, and worker voting encouraged collusion through reward sharing in exchange for votes.
Five differentiators of outperforming family-owned businesses in India
McKinsey analysed about 300 publicly listed Indian family-owned businesses to identify five differentiators of top performers: core operational excellence, effective generational transition, portfolio diversification, talent and culture, and robust governance. FOBs contribute more than 75 percent of India's GDP and outperform non-family-owned businesses on revenue growth and shareholder returns.
Good practices for handling whistleblower disclosures
ASIC report outlines good practices for whistleblower programmes, based on a review of selected firms. It highlights governance, culture, training, monitoring, and use of disclosures to improve performance, alongside executive accountability and board oversight to ensure compliance with Corporations Act requirements.
The business case for “speaking up”: How internal reporting mechanisms strengthen private-sector organisations
Explains how internal whistleblowing systems help organisations detect misconduct early, reduce legal and financial risks, and strengthen compliance, culture and reputation. It outlines key features of effective mechanisms and demonstrates their role in improving risk management, preventing losses and supporting long-term value creation.
Private doubts, collective conformity: the Power and fragility of climate narratives
This article examines why current climate frameworks persist despite widespread professional skepticism, highlighting institutional incentives and “preference falsification” as key drivers. It calls for more open, cross-sector dialogue focused on diagnosing real problems and unlocking practical, system-level solutions.
Thriving workplaces: How employers can improve productivity and change lives
World Economic Forum report examining how employer investment in employee health and well-being improves productivity, retention and economic value. It analyses global workforce health data, identifies demographic disparities in burn-out and holistic health, and proposes measurement frameworks and organisational strategies to build healthier, more productive workplaces.
Can you be the change you’d like to see? Three US philosophers aim to offer hope
This review examines Somebody Should Do Something, a timely book arguing that individuals can spark meaningful social change by acting collectively rather than alone. It assesses the authors’ hopeful framework alongside contemporary political realities, questioning whether grassroots agency is sufficient amid concentrated power and rising authoritarianism.
Mapping the international presence of the world's largest arms companies
SIPRI maps the global footprint of the 15 largest arms companies, identifying 400 majority-owned foreign entities. International presence aligns with geopolitical ties and major arms markets. US and European firms dominate; Chinese and Russian companies show limited overseas reach.
Advancing women’s financial inclusion: Guidelines to adopt a gender perspective in financial institutions
The report outlines guidelines for financial institutions to integrate gender perspectives across governance, management, staffing, communications, and product design. It promotes data-driven policies, bias reduction, inclusive culture, tailored financial solutions for women, and strategic partnerships to enhance women’s financial inclusion and strengthen institutional performance.
