Leading and Lagging Countries in Contributing to a Sustainable Society

Robert G. Eccles; George  Serafeim

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Article | Harvard Business School Working Knowledge | May 23, 2011

Leading and Lagging Countries in Contributing to a Sustainable Society

by Robert G. Eccles and George Serafeim

Abstract

To determine the extent to which corporate and investor behavior is changing to contribute to a more sustainable society, researchers Robert Eccles and George Serafeim analyzed data involving over 2,000 companies in 23 countries. One result: a ranking of countries based on the degree to which their companies integrate environmental and social discussions and metrics in their financial disclosures.

Keywords: Change; Society; Corporate Disclosure; Natural Environment; Rank and Position; Social Issues; Financial Statements; Behavior;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Eccles, Robert G., and George Serafeim. "Leading and Lagging Countries in Contributing to a Sustainable Society." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (May 23, 2011).

About the Author

George Serafeim

Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration

Accounting and Management

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Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

Corporate Purpose and Firm Ownership

Claudine Gartenberg and George Serafeim

Analyzing data from approximately 1.5 million employees across 1,100 established public and private US companies, we find that the strength of employee beliefs about their firm’s purpose is lower in public companies. This difference is most pronounced within the salaried middle and hourly ranks, rather than senior executives. Among public companies, purpose becomes progressively lower with more concentrated shareholders, especially among firms with high hedge fund ownership. These patterns can be partly explained by differences in CEO backgrounds and compensation: public firms, particularly those with strong shareholders, choose outsider CEOs at higher rates and pay them more relative to their employees. Our analyses suggest that these results are not driven solely by sorting effects, but appear attributable in part to the impact that firm owners have on their employees. In summary, shareholders appear to influence the strength of corporate purpose deep within organizations via the leadership and corporate practices they enable at the top.

Keywords: purpose; corporate purpose; culture; corporate culture; ownership; public and private organizations; hedge fund; executive pay; leadership; Executive Compensation;

Citation:
Gartenberg, Claudine, and George Serafeim. "Corporate Purpose and Firm Ownership." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-024, August 2019. View Details

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Case | HBS Case Collection | April 2019 (Revised July 2019)

Aperture Investors

Krishna G. Palepu, George Serafeim and David Lane

Aperture Investors is a startup investment firm that seeks to disrupt the asset management industry through competitive differentiation by charging investors primarily when its portfolio managers outperform the marketplace. Headed by Wall Street veteran Peter Kraus and backed with substantial and patient seed capital, Aperture seeks to attract both star portfolio managers and assets from mutual funds and hedge funds. Kraus believes that his innovative business model addresses the current dysfunctional fee and incentive structures in the industry, which have led to long-term market underperformance, and that Aperture will address the reasons that are motivating investors to shift to cheaper, passively-managed index and exchange-traded funds.

Keywords: Business Model; Talent and Talent Management; Investment; Investment Funds; Asset Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Marketing Channels; Emerging Markets; Partners and Partnerships; Motivation and Incentives; Financial Services Industry;

Citation:
Palepu, Krishna G., George Serafeim, and David Lane. "Aperture Investors." Harvard Business School Case 119-053, April 2019. (Revised July 2019.) View Details

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Article | Harvard Business Review | July–August 2019

How to Scandal-Proof Your Company

Paul M. Healy and George Serafeim

Despite efforts to crack down on illegal activity, crimes like fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering are rampant in corporations. What steps can leaders take to fix this growing problem?

Keywords: Organizations; Crime and Corruption; Organizational Culture; Leadership; Ethics;

Citation:
Healy, Paul M., and George Serafeim. "How to Scandal-Proof Your Company." Harvard Business Review 97, no. 4 (July–August 2019): 42–50. View Details

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Leading and Lagging Countries in Contributing to a Sustainable Society

Abstract

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