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Letter to corporate heads urges adoption of standardized sustainability reporting measures for Year 2000. A group of 39 leading financial investors, managing combined assets in excess of $140 billion, sent a letter to CEO’s of the 500 largest U.S. companies urging them to begin using sustainability reporting guidelines this year. The letter was timed with the opening of the Global Reporting Initiative’s 2nd International Symposium, which was held from November 13-15 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. ... lees meer

For the first time ever, social investors have access to social and environmental profiles of more than 1,000 U.S. and foreign, publicly traded companies. ... lees meer

By CANDICE CHOI Ã??2000 DiversityInc.com Nov. 2, 2000 As emerging players in the consumer market, minorities have become open prey for tobacco and alcohol companies looking to expand into previously untapped markets. ... lees meer

Credit Suisse Group, Switzerland’s second-largest banking corporation, has taken a tumble from its top position in the banking sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index (DJSGI). Managers of the international index, which was launched in September 1999, said an in-depth monitoring procedure showed a “systematic weakness” in Credit Suisse’s dealings with money transfers in the mid-1990s from the entourage of Nigeria’s late dictator General Sani Abacha. The money transfers were disclosed last month in a report by Switzerland’s Federal Banking Commission. In light of this development, DJSGI has downgraded the 146-year-old company to second place among its banking industry components. Top spot has been taken by another Swiss giant, UBS, the world’s largest asset management company. ... lees meer

As a result of consumer activism and socially responsible investing, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a growing facet of public relations for businesses in the United States. A recent report based on a survey of key business opinion formers and decision makers in France, Germany, and the UK suggests that the level of CSR awareness in Europe is also developing rapidly. ... lees meer

Business Week’s September 11, 2000 cover story discusses how the American public is increasingly willing to challenge what it views as corporate misbehavior – from inflated CEO pay to political contributions to advertising in schools. Companies should take note, the article asserts, because it’s not just young people taking them to task: “Today, those Americans angry at corporations cut across generations, geography, and even income groups.” And with the Internet making it possible to share information more quickly and widely than ever before, discontented citizens have a powerful tool in their fight against corporate power. Lees verder op http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_37/b3698001.htm ... lees meer

Contrary to the belief that multinationals suffer from environmental regulation, large companies that adopt strict global environmental standards in developing countries are rewarded with higher stock market performance, according to a study published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMSÃ??). ... lees meer

Report Rates Environmental Record of Leading Oil Companies. With rising concerns over global warming, air pollution, and oil spills, few investors would classify any petroleum company as “green.” But a recent report from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a New York-based, specialized investment advisory firm, will help concerned investors discriminate between environmental leaders and laggards within the petroleum industry. ... lees meer