Download or read book Sustainable written by Terrence Keeley and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2022-10-04 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should business and finance play larger roles in resolving the great social and environmental challenges of our time? Proponents of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing say yes. They argue that ESG financial strategies can help reverse runaway carbon emissions and fix income and gender inequalities, among other ills. ESG-integrated investments already encompass more than $120 trillion in financial assets. Are they working as promised? If not, how can they be improved? In Sustainable, a finance-industry veteran offers an insider’s look at the promises, prospects, and perils of ESG investing. Terrence Keeley argues that many ESG advocates have been overly optimistic about what it can accomplish. Divestment threats are ineffective tools for altering corporate behavior, and verifiably “good” companies do not systematically generate great returns. Most importantly, business and finance cannot cure social ills on their own: regulators, public policies, civil society, and individuals must all play specific, complementary roles to shape the future we want. Keeley provides comprehensive solutions that would promote more inclusive, sustainable growth. In particular, he recommends reallocating capital from some indexed products toward an emerging class of strategies with more verifiable social and environmental benefits. Keeley identifies dozens of alternative “impact investing” strategies that could generate true double bottom lines. He also highlights promising civic organizations with proven methodologies for achieving widely shared benefits at scale. Proposing practical, actionable, and in many cases profitable solutions to social and environmental problems, Sustainable offers an incisive vision of the roles business and finance can and should play in building a flourishing society.
Download or read book Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory written by Jon Lukomnik and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-04-29 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory: Investing That Matters tells the story of how Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) revolutionized the investing world and the real economy, but is now showing its age. MPT has no mechanism to understand its impacts on the environmental, social and financial systems, nor any tools for investors to mitigate the havoc that systemic risks can wreck on their portfolios. It’s time for MPT to evolve. The authors propose a new imperative to improve finance’s ability to fulfil its twin main purposes: providing adequate returns to individuals and directing capital to where it is needed in the economy. They show how some of the largest investors in the world focus not on picking stocks, but on mitigating systemic risks, such as climate change and a lack of gender diversity, so as to improve the risk/return of the market as a whole, despite current theory saying that should be impossible. "Moving beyond MPT" recognizes the complex relations between investing and the systems on which capital markets rely, "Investing that matters" embraces MPT’s focus on diversification and risk adjusted return, but understands them in the context of the real economy and the total return needs of investors. Whether an investor, an MBA student, a Finance Professor or a sustainability professional, Moving Beyond Modern Portfolio Theory: Investing That Matters is thought-provoking and relevant. Its bold critique shows how the real world already is moving beyond investing orthodoxy.
Download or read book Private Equity Accounting Investor Reporting and Beyond written by Mariya Stefanova and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2015 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Private Equity Accounting, Investor Reporting and Beyond takes the discussion around private equity accounting to the next level beyond the basic private equity accounting principles identifying areas of importance where things can go wrong and delving into the intimate details of the different sub-asset classes such as real estate funds, infrastructure funds, debt funds, mezzanine funds, fund-of-funds (FoF) and other Limited Partners (large institutional investors, pension funds, university endowments, etc). The book also adds a new perspective - the perspective of the Limited Partners (LPs) investing in private equity allowing the LPs to have a peek at the private equity kitchen and its processes where all the General Partner (GP) accounts, investor reports and capital statements are forged and provides them with essential tips on what to check in GP reports and what the pitfalls of LP accounting for PE investments are. Starting with the main changes in the private equity landscape, the impact of private equity structures on the accounting and reporting, the importance of allocations and allocation rules, the reasons of their existence and the impact on investor reports of getting them wrong, highlighting some neglected processes (e.g. rebalancing, partner transfers) and common mistakes to some essential guidance and best practice of carried interest modelling, The Advanced Guide reveals intimate secrets of these processes previously available only by learning from peers. The Advanced Guide also elaborates on various reporting frameworks (ILPA Quarterly Reporting Best Practice, IPEV Investor Reporting Guidelines) and additional layers of reporting (ESG Reporting) and their specifics. The chapter on private equity valuations provides some invaluable guidance on valuations for different types of instruments such us non-controlling interest, fund interests (for LPs), private loans, not-traded debt and other debt instruments and provides an update on some current discussions such as the unit of account and the use of mathematical models (e.g. Option Pricing Models, Probability-expected Weighted Return Models) in private equity. Performance measurement is also taken to a whole new level discussing not only traditional performance metrics such as IRR and multiples and revealing some major flaws in the IRR as a traditional metric used by private equity, but also suggesting some new advanced performance metrics used by the most sophisticated GPs and LPs. Drawing on extensive experience as a practitioner and instructor, Mariya Stefanova reviews all the details and processes that private equity firms and fund accountants should follow, identifying both current best practices and costly pitfalls to avoid. Replete with up-to-date, user-friendly examples from all main jurisdictions, this guide explains the precise workings and lifecycles of private equity funds; reviews commercial terms; compares structures and their current tax treatments; shows how to read Limited Partnership Agreements; and much more.
Download or read book Sustainability Beyond 2030 written by Marco Tavanti and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-09-23 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sustainability Beyond 2030: Trajectories and Priorities for Our Sustainable Future is an indispensable guide to understanding our planet's sustainability past, present, and future. It is a tool for enlightenment, engagement, and empowerment towards shaping a sustainable world as we approach the milestone year of 2030. Written by renowned sustainability experts, Marco Tavanti and Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, who was a pioneer in the field and participated in the first 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, this book offers an in-depth analysis of critical environmental issues, human development challenges, and the economic complexities of fostering equitable and sustainable growth. In addition to evaluating various pivotal policies and events, by extracting patterns and trajectories that have shaped our present commitments to the 2030 SDGs and the 2050 climate goals, Sustainability Beyond 2030 boldly projects into the future, identifying core priorities likely to guide the global agenda beyond our current commitments. This foresight is coupled with well-informed recommendations, essential for building resilience and fostering future opportunities. This book is a call to action for current and future generations of sustainability leaders. It encourages readers, whether policymakers, academics, or engaged citizens, to participate in the collective responsibility of crafting a sustainable world for future generations.
Download or read book Beyond Sustainability Reporting written by Gerald Trites and published by Business Expert Press. This book was released on 2020-10-05 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to Convert Sustainability Disclosure into Action New standards such as those of the International Sustainability Standards Board and new regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission are challenging companies to increase and improve their disclosure on what they are doing to support sustainability for their Environmental, Social and Governance activities. Companies are responding by changing their controls and procedures to include sustainability processes. But is this enough? For companies that truly want to help with sustainability issues, the answer is no. What is needed is the more action-oriented approach laid out in this book, which: Enables modifying the corporate strategic plans to include real sustainability actions. Makes use of the skills developed in providing sustainability disclosures, such as integrated thinking. Includes proper adoption of recognized standards for control procedures recognized by regulatory authorities. Adapts traditional management change tools, such as SWOT and the Porter Five Forces Model to include sustainability. Shows how to move the company from sustainability disclosure to integrated thinking to Corporate Social Responsibility. Beyond Sustainability Reporting: Integrated Thinking and Corporate Social Responsibility is a must-read for any company wanting to make a strong contribution to sustainability issues, for educators who wish to teach sustainability issues and how to manage them, and for anyone interested in knowing how companies can develop a strong and successful action-oriented program for sustainability.
Download or read book The Adventure of Sustainable Performance written by Stuart McLachlan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2023-04-14 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guidebook for leaders to create value from sustainability and organisational performance. The Adventure of Sustainable Performance seeks out bold pioneers or forgotten pioneers who need reinvigorating and to be inspired with renewed purpose. Leaders who want more than just modest incremental efficiency gains, who want to create value, to deliver positive impact and meaningful change, should welcome this book. In a time of disruption like never before, boundaries will need revisiting, systems need reimagining, and assets need repurposing through wise stewardship. The authors share their many years of experience serving clients and driving performance as the world transitions to a net zero carbon future. A future that uses resources sustainably and that seeks social justice. Through storytelling and interviews from many international leaders in business and sustainability, and by anchoring practical advice with evidence and truth, you will find: The avalanche of new regulations and changes to the compliance landscape The opportunity for value creation beyond compliance box ticking Inspirational stories on how ambitions can be reset A destination that supports ongoing prosperity for humanity from sustainable performance models How purpose driven brands generate superior value The role of 'Total Value Systems' as we move from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism models. The relationship between sustainability, talent and customer attraction How digital will play an increasingly important role as the world pivots in response to the climate crisis Be in no doubt, The Adventure of Sustainable Performance describes an adventurous journey, uncomfortable at times, where a new and cold reality is dawning. But, in a period when the world will continue to play at denial or talk more of ruins, this book helps leaders to instead see foundations. Foundations upon which the new era will be built, and new systems of value will be realised. Perfect for executives, managers, directors, and other business leaders, The Adventure of Sustainable Performance is an actionable guidebook for the implementation of value-add sustainability programmes.
Download or read book Transparency in ESG and the Circular Economy written by Cristina Dolan and published by Business Expert Press. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A holistic view of ESG goes beyond environmental issues, which are closely linked to social issues. Both come from the governance of an organization: the integrity with which decisions are made and implemented, ultimately defining corporate culture. ESG affects the daily lives of everyone in today’s connected world where organizations, companies, and individuals depend on each other at various levels. Lack of sustainability for any entity threatens its future existence, disrupting the entire ecosystem. The use of data to measure ESG outcomes is a young science that is increasingly critical to upholding our very lifestyle. Data clearly presents impact across the entire ESG spectrum, providing the necessary specificity for informed decision making, and ensuring the transparency and accountability, which uphold sustainability.
Download or read book Liability Driven Investment written by Dan Tammas-Hastings and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-02-22 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understand the investment template that dominates the pension industry Liability-Driven Investment is the practitioner’s guide to this increasingly popular investment template. Already the dominant framework for pension schemes in Europe and the UK, the LDI market is expected to grow significantly with the shift from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution, and then into Digital Asset Management — or Robo-Advice. With an aging population and significant under-saving globally, more and more finance professionals will need to know how to work within and around the LDI framework; this book provides clear explanations for the framework’s usefulness and growing popularity to help practitioners find their bearings in and around the LDI space. The ultimate goal of LDI is to move beyond simple asset value maximisation and ensure that investors have sufficient funds to pay liabilities. This informative guide digs into that basic premise to show the various mechanisms, guidelines and practices that make up the framework’s “working parts.” Discover the optimal investment strategies in multiple assets classes Understand the key characteristics of the instruments used, including bonds, interest rate derivatives, and inflation linked products Learn why pension companies and individual investors are moving toward LDI Explore the ways in which the explosive growth of Robo-Advice will change retail investment Finance professionals have long been accustomed to shifting landscapes — it is taken as a given that prevailing thought and attendant practices will change over time — but the rapid expansion of LDI has taken many by surprise. Having already been established as the dominant framework for pensions, it is clear that the emphasis on LDI will only continue to grow. Liability-Driven Investment tells you what you need to know in order to work effectively with LDI.
Download or read book Beyond Chinatown written by Steven P. Erie and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the history of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, from its obscure 1920s-era origins, through the Colorado River Aqueduct and State Water Projects, to today's daunting mission of drought management, water quality, environmental stewardship, and post-9/11 supply security. Simultaneous.
Download or read book Beyond ESG written by Marcel Boyer and published by . This book was released on 2021-11-08 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond ESG: Reforming Capitalism and Social Democracy analyzes various reform projects, discusses the concepts of ethics and equity and proposes projects for in-depth reforms of capitalism and social democracy.
Download or read book Beyond Play written by Dawn Pretorius and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2014-04 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a lot of information available on governance, risk and compliance as separate subjects but little on the interrelation between the three components known in the industry as enterprise-wide governance, risk and compliance (eGRC). This book brings eGRC to the reader in a way that starts with simple concepts and builds on them to provide insight and a practical guide for a holistic approach to eGRC. Companies have to manage risk in order to remain a sustainable force in the marketplace. Efforts to reduce risk can, unintentionally, be uncoordinated, disjointed or even neglected. Through not implementing a more cohesive and systematic approach to managing risk, opportunities to benefit the company can also be missed. Beyond Play offers a practical and simple approach. Compliance is a very specific form of risk: that of complying with the law, but the role of the compliance officer includes a lot more. Working with the law and regulators and applying a compliance methodology are explained to provide value to learners, compliance officers, managers, prescribed officers and directors. Many companies 'play' at corporate governance, probably because it is perceived as being 'too big' to grasp. This book will change your thinking and will help directors' pave the way for implementing a framework that can be worked with on a practical level within an enterprise wide risk management context. the systemic nature of risk means it can spread to customers, shareholders, communities and economies as the credit bubble of 2008 has proved. Equally, a company that applies a robust an intelligent approach to eGRC has a positive influence on the marketplace, the community and a nation. Do you believe that your business, whether for profit or not for profit and on the basis on which it currently operates, is sustainable in an increasingly dynamic world? This book uses examples from the financial services industry; it also makes reference to South African legislation and governance codes. These references do, however, focus on international best practices so the methodologies can be universally applied. Governance, risk and compliance is an integrated concept to be incorporated within an enterprise risk framework which helps an organisation, either private or public, for profit or non profit, to direct its strategies and operations with integrity and within the law; the reason being to achieve its goals in such a way that its stakeholders and the economy as a whole are never compromised or put at risk beyond that which has been carefully defined and deemed acceptable.
Download or read book Beyond Great written by Arindam Bhattacharya and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great is no longer good enough. Beyond Great delivers a powerful new playbook of 9 core strategies to thrive in a post-COVID world where all the rules of the game are being re-written. Beyond Great answers to two fundamental questions which face business leaders today in a world shaped by daunting and disruptive technological, economic, and social change. First, what is outstanding performance in this new volatile era? Second, how do we build competitive advantage in a world with new and often uncertain rules? Supported by years of research and hands-on consulting practice, this book presents a comprehensive framework for building a high performing, resilient, adaptive, and socially responsible global company. The book begins by taking an incisive look at these disruptive forces transforming globalization, including economic nationalism; the boom in data flows and digital commerce; the rise of China; heightened public concerns about capitalism and the environment; and the emergence of borderless communities of digitally connected consumers. Distilled from the study of hundreds of companies and interviews with dozens of business leaders, the authors have distilled nine core strategies – the new winning playbook of the 21st century. Beyond Great argues that business leaders today must lead with a new kind of openness, flexibility and light-footedness, constantly layering in new strategies and operational norms atop existing ones to allow for "always-on" transformation. Leaders must master a whole new set of rules about what it takes to be "global," becoming shapeshifters adept at handling contradiction, multiplicity, and nuance. This book will show them how.
Download or read book ESG and Responsible Institutional Investing Around the World A Critical Review written by Pedro Matos and published by CFA Institute Research Foundation. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This survey examines the vibrant academic literature on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. While there is no consensus on the exact list of ESG issues, responsible investors increasingly assess stocks in their portfolios based on nonfinancial data on environmental impact (e.g., carbon emissions), social impact (e.g., employee satisfaction), and governance attributes (e.g., board structure). The objective is to reduce exposure to investments that pose greater ESG risks or to influence companies to become more sustainable. One active area of research at present involves assessing portfolio risk exposure to climate change. This literature review focuses on institutional investors, which have grown in importance such that they have now become the largest holders of shares in public companies globally. Historically, institutional investors tended to concentrate their ESG efforts mostly on corporate governance (the “G” in ESG). These efforts included seeking to eliminate provisions that restrict shareholder rights and enhance managerial power, such as staggered boards, supermajority rules, golden parachutes, and poison pills. Highlights from this section: · There is no consensus on the exact list of ESG issues and their materiality. · The ESG issue that gets the most attention from institutional investors is climate change, in particular their portfolio companies’ exposure to carbon risk and “stranded assets.” · Investors should be positioning themselves for increased regulation, with the regulatory agenda being more ambitious in the European Union than in the United States. Readers might come away from this survey skeptical about the potential for ESG investing to affect positive change. I prefer to characterize the current state of the literature as having a “healthy dose of skepticism,” with much more remaining to be explored. Here, I hope the reader comes away with a call to action. For the industry practitioner, I believe that the investment industry should strive to achieve positive societal goals. CFA Institute provides an exemplary case in its Future of Finance series (www.cfainstitute.org/research/future-finance). For the academic community, I suggest we ramp up research aimed at tackling some of the open questions around the pressing societal goals of ESG investing. I am optimistic that practitioners and academics will identify meaningful ways to better harness the power of global financial markets for addressing the pressing ESG issues facing our society.
Download or read book Beyond Shareholder Primacy written by Stuart Hart and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2024-04-09 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Capitalism at the Crossroads, a call to consciousness—and action—for individuals, organizations, communities, and nations. Our current Milton Friedman–style "shareholder primacy capitalism," as taught in business schools and embraced around the world, has become dangerous for society, the climate, and the planet. Moreover, Stuart L. Hart argues, it's economically unnecessary. But there are surprising reasons for hope—from the history of capitalism itself. Beyond Shareholder Primacy argues that capitalism has reformed itself twice before and is poised for a third major reformation. Retelling the origin story of capitalism from the fifteenth century to the present, Hart argues that a radically sustainable, just capitalism is possible, and even likely, in our lifetime. Hart describes what it will take to move beyond capitalism's present worship of "shareholder primacy," including reforms to all major economic institutions. A key requirement is eliminating the "externalities" (or collateral damage) of our current shareholder capitalism. Sustainable capitalism will explicitly incorporate the needs of society and the planet, include a financial system that allows leaders to prioritize the planet, reorganize business schools around sustainable management thinking, and enable corporations not just to stop ignoring the damage they cause, but actually begin to create positive impact.
Download or read book Investing Amid Low Expected Returns written by Antti Ilmanen and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elevate your game in the face of challenging market conditions with this eye-opening guide to portfolio management Investing Amid Low Expected Returns: Making the Most When Markets Offer the Least provides an evidence-based blueprint for successful investing when decades of market tailwinds are turning into headwinds. For a generation, falling yields and soaring asset prices have boosted realized returns. However, this past windfall leaves retirement savers and investors now facing the prospect of record-low future expected returns. Emphasizing this pressing challenge, the book highlights the role that timeless investment practices – discipline, humility, and patience – will play in enabling investment success. It then assesses current investor practices and the body of empirical evidence to illuminate the building blocks for improving long-run returns in today’s environment and beyond. It concludes by reviewing how to put them together through effective portfolio construction, risk management, and cost control practices. In this book, readers will also find: The common investor responses so far to the low expected return challenge Extensive empirical evidence on the critical ingredients of an effective portfolio: major asset class premia, illiquidity premia, style premia, and alpha Discussions of the pros and cons of illiquid investments, factor investing, ESG investing, risk mitigation strategies, and market timing Coverage of the whole top-down investment process – throughout the book endorsing humility in tactical forecasting and boldness in diversification Ideal for institutional and active individual investors, Investing Amid Low Expected Returns is a timeless resource that enables investing with serenity even in harsher financial conditions.
Download or read book Measuring Good Business written by Richard Hardyment and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-04-10 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What's a good company? Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is transforming the world of business and finance. Investors are using data on issues like climate and diversity to enhance returns and make an impact. But with scepticism creeping in, how far can we trust the numbers? Is all this data making a difference to people and planet, and have we actually lost sight of what we are measuring and why? Measuring Good Business explains what we can measure – and calls for honesty about what we can't. This is the first book to look at the numbers behind the ESG revolution. It sets out a bold blueprint to revolutionise the data based on bottom-up, inclusive metrics, customised data to meet investor needs and impact measures that put sustainability in context. It is essential reading for anyone creating, using or studying ESG and sustainability data. After unpacking what’s going on today, the book focuses on solutions, providing a how-to guide to improve measurement and make sustainable business more impactful. It shows why measurement matters in a highly accessible way through stories and insights based on practical experience. The book is relevant to a broad readership of data creators (e.g. those working in companies), users (e.g. capital market participants) as well as the large ecosystem of raters, rankers and standard setters across the private, public and non-profit worlds.
Download or read book ESG Beyond Investing written by Tina Bardot and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
