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All Briefs
2019
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Sustainability Reporting Across Asia: Trends and Challenges
February 01 | Anke Schrader, Former Research Director, Asia, The Conference Board | Comments (0)The Conference Board recently released its annual study on the state of corporate sustainability disclosure around the world. The research assesses environmental and social disclosure practices of the 250 largest publicly traded companies domiciled in each of the 10 largest economies (by GDP at purchasing power parity) in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. As we look to Asia, what are key trends in reporting practices across the region? Where do we see the biggest challenges ahead?
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Update: SEC up and running … for now
January 30 | ESG Center | Comments (0)The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, which handles no-action letters regarding shareholder proposals, is back in business for now as the federal government shutdown ended Jan. 25.
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C-Suite Challenge 2019: Labor Markets Implications
January 25 | Gad Levanon, PhD, Former Vice President, Labor Markets, The Conference Board | Comments (0)C-suite executives are taking notice of global talent shortages. Attraction and retention of top talent was the top ranked internal hot button issue by CEOs in every region of the world. At the same time, wage increases are ranked among the bottom of the hot-button issues across regions. This is in line with current wage data for most regions, but with the wage acceleration in recent quarters in many parts of the world, we do expect this to change in 2019.
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Federal Government Shutdown Throws Wrinkle into Proxy Season
January 25 | Gary Larkin, Former Research Associate, Corporate Leadership, The Conference Board | Comments (0)A consensus of law firms believe the partial federal government shutdown could significantly slow down the Rule 14a-8 no-action letter process if it isn’t resolved soon.
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Report: Board Diversity Progress Made but More Needed
January 23 | ESG Center | Comments (0)Fortune 500 board representation of women and minorities saw an all-time high of 34 percent, compared to 30.8 percent in 2016, according to the "Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards," a multiyear study published by the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD), in collaboration with Deloitte.
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Large U.S. companies are among the most active in sustainability reporting
January 23 | Thomas Singer, Former Principal Researcher, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Research on corporate sustainability reporting finds that large U.S. companies, even in the absence of domestic nonfinancial reporting requirements, are more transparent than their peers in much of the world. Sustainability disclosure by U.S. companies is largely driven by pressure from stakeholders.
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ESG reporting practices in Europe – Now and In the Future
January 18 | Anuj Saush, ESG Center Leader, Europe, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Key trends related to the corporate disclosure of environmental and social practices in Europe
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Central and Eastern Europe has one of the tightest labor markets in the world
January 17 | Frank Steemers, Former Senior Economist, The Conference Board | Comments (0)Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is the region with perhaps the most severe shortage of labor in the world. Many companies with operations in this region are running into hiring difficulties and labor costs are rapidly rising. While a problem for companies, workers are benefiting and taking home large real wage gains.
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Eight Years Later, What Did We Learn from Watson Winning Jeopardy?
January 16 | Mike Moran, Chief Product Officer, SoloSegment | Comments (0)Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen by some as a magic solution to every business problem, by others as ineffective. IBM’s computer Watson may have won “Jeopardy!” (magic!) but Watson made some ridiculous errors (ineffective!). The IBM computer didn’t understand puns or irony. Humans do. AI is neither magic nor ineffective; it’s a technology that can augment human judgment not replace it. Understanding the strengths and limits of AI helps companies to implement it wisely.
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Employees Provide Insights for Companies Seeking to Establish Board Programs
January 16 | Alice Korngold, Author, A Better World, Inc.: How Companies Profit by Solving Global Problems...While Governments Cannot | Comments (0)Seventy-four percent of employees who do not serve on nonprofit boards are interested in doing so. This is a great opportunity for talent development of millennials and employees from diverse backgrounds, two groups underrepresented on boards. Companies can make board work happen for their employees by helping them find suitable matches in the nonprofit sector, by training them in the legal and oversight responsibilities they will need, and by supporting and recognizing them for their work.