Environmental, Social & Governance Briefs

This Q&A with Sharad Jain discusses the job of the corporate director from his perspective as a partner with PwC’s Governance Insights Center. He touches upon topics like the external auditor’s direct reporting line to the audit committee and the challenge of a board’s oversight of a company’s tone at the top.

The charitable/social/independent sector is a formidable economic force that's reported to generate 10 percent of the country's gross national product, but the lack of any standard name for it could be diminishing its influence on public policy. Leaders will need to step up to agree on terminology that gives the sector collective clout.

The question for the SEC is how far it should go in addressing changes to proxy advisory firms. Do all proxy advisors need to be treated like investment advisers or do they need their own regime? What should they disclose? How will the way they do business change?

Findings from a global study of corporate sustainability reporting reveals that companies in Japan have the highest overall sustainability disclosure rate. The findings raise the fundamental question of why companies report and whether reporting regulations are incentivizing compliance over substance.

Leading businesses are turning to purpose to articulate their mission, power growth, unite and motivate the organization, and become future-ready in a world of non-stop change. Companies can and should use purpose intentionally to figure out how to run their businesses.

This Q&A with Daniel Sunderland discusses the job of the corporate director from his perspective as Chief Auditor at Deloitte. He touches on topics like the influence of the external auditor in the job of the corporate director and the definition of tone at the top.

Corporate volunteering is now a global practice that was boosted by President George H.W. Bush's founding of Points of Light and the National Council on Workplace Volunteering. As the country remembers the 41st President, reflecting on his work to encourage employees to use their expertise in service to their communities can help motivate companies and their employees to continue his legacy.

Total corporate giving has increased more than 15 percent over three years to a record $23.8 billion, as companies have become more generous. The growing economy and favorable tax cuts have left some companies with healthy cash reserves and many have promised to direct a portion to their communities.

For companies embarking on the practice of sustainability reporting it can be challenging to discern between the various reporting frameworks and guidelines. To ease this process, The Conference Board developed a table comparing some of the leading sustainability reporting frameworks.