All Briefs

Do you have a firm grasp of the outcomes your societal investments are achieving, or are you still counting inputs and outputs? New research from The Conference Board, in collaboration with the Impact Genome Project and supported by Moody's, uses standardized metrics to measure social outcomes, enabling companies to more effectively report and benchmark the performance of their societal investments. Being able to compare social outcomes helps companies make smarter societal investments.

Shareholders and other stakeholders develop a sense for the chief executive's leadership style through the tone and content of the annual CEO letters. In the case of Warren Buffett, the tone and content is unique and effective.

The latest research from the Governance Center covers the independent auditor and regulator perspectives on the director’s job description, and a theory about outsourcing public company board functions to a board service provider. We also released two more installments in our "Director Notes" series.

Is your organization evaluating its internal communication in a way that makes business sense? Measures of internal communications often focus on intranet usage or employee satisfaction or engagement. Companies rarely measure employee attitude or behavior change, understanding of key messages, or internal communication’s impact on strategic and financial objectives. These and a range of other metrics will give more insight into the effectiveness of internal communication on business results.

How does one of India's largest conglomerates, operating around the world, take care of citizens in its immediate community? The Aditya Birla Group has developed a model village in the neighborhood surrounding its Ultra Tech Cement Works Plant in Kotputli, providing vital facilities and infrastructure to residents, including education for women and children, a medical clinic, a farming program, and clean, fresh water.

Over the past few years, many of the world’s top companies have reduced or eliminated the option to work from home. Bank of America, IBM and Aetna all made news over their decision to change course.

Whatever the explanations for the short-termism thesis, the conclusion to be drawn from its lack of evidentiary basis is that quarterly capitalism is not the pervasive culprit that the “true believers” would have you believe.