All Briefs

This Q&A with Charles Elson discusses the job of the corporate director from his perspective as The University of Delaware Center for Corporate Governance's Chair. He touches on topics like the influence of Delaware law and management engagement on the role of corporate directors.

Director oversight is changing as new crises like data breaches and toxic workplace problems emerge. Shareholders are demanding focused risk management from their board of directors. As a result, boards are now looking for ways to improve meaningful oversight.

If global health is being reshaped by technologies such as wearables, artificial intelligence and blockchain, then data—and lots of it—is fueling this transformation. But patient fears about privacy and misuse of data, potentially influenced by the Facebook data breach, threatens to slow the development and uptake of digital health innovations.

The numbers are staggering: More than 65 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced. Only a small number of refugees—less than 1 percent of 17.5 million in 2016—will ever be resettled. In Syria alone, more than 5 million people have fled their war-torn country since 2011, 1 million of whom have settled in Lebanon. Nearly a quarter of those refugees are children not enrolled in school. Behind each of these numbers is a life that’s been put on pause.

There are many and varied definitions of the word innovation. The word often conjures up visions of scientists in white lab coats holding clipboards, but the most successful innovations that drive business results are often small and incremental cultural innovations rather than dramatic large-scale R&D endeavors.

Companies should now consider using engagement models dependent on investor preferences. An ESG-centric paradigm is being challenged by portfolio-management-centric engagement.

What if companies were able to communicate—in clear financial terms—the total value they create for society? While still very much in a nascent stage, such attempts at total impact valuation are being piloted by more than a dozen major companies across an array of sectors and geographies. A new report finds significant promise in these approaches, but a range of challenges remain to be tackled. Above all, standards for definitions and methodologies are needed to facilitate meaningful comparison.

Summer is upon us. Unfortunately, so is disaster season. Last year was unprecedented, with eight major disasters occurring within just a few short months of one another. Forecasters estimate hurricane activity to be higher than normal this year for the United States, and crises such as floods and volcanic eruptions have already devastated communities in Guatemala and Hawaii. Companies need to get strategic now to prepare for the next disaster.

Is a recession on the horizon in the UK? The short answer to this question is: yes. The probability of a recession in the near term has risen substantially. The UK business cycle is maturing and the lack of certainty around Brexit makes it difficult for consumers and businesses to make plans about the future. These are the ingredients that recessions are made of. The long answer requires an in-depth (and wonkish) analysis of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the UK.