Workplace stress is not a new phenomenon. The term “stress” (borrowed from physics) was first applied to humans in the 1920s, and the American Institute of Stress developed its Workplace Stress Scale in 1978. Post-pandemic, there are new aspects to workplace stress for employers to consider. For example, “hybrid workplace anxiety” (we think we just
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Governments and corporations issue green bonds to fund projects with positive environmental impacts, such as developing renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, controlling pollution, providing clean transportation, constructing or retrofitting green buildings, improving wastewater management, and supporting climate change adaption. According to the Climate Bonds Initiative, annual issuance of green bonds more than tripled in the
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The basic premise of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into an investment analysis is that an investment’s value can be affected (positively or negatively) by those factors. There are many reasons this makes sense, across all three pillars of E, S, and G, and volumes have been written on the topic. Just to
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When you first hear the term “modern slavery” it might sound like an exaggeration intentionally designed to arouse strong emotions and perhaps push an agenda. Or perhaps you think it is something from the plot of a dystopian novel. We wish that were true. Unfortunately, it was not taken from fiction or invented by some
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The body of research on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and stock returns is large and growing. A search on GoogleScholar using that phrase shows that since 2018 alone, roughly 11,700 academic articles have been published on what ESG scores reveal about stock returns, or whether ESG scores have any consistent relationship with stock
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Certain industries tend to grab most of the headlines when it comes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. The fossil fuel industry immediately comes to mind, as do the other extractives. Consumer-facing and manufacturing companies get a good deal of attention, too. Of course, every industry can improve its sustainability and help people and
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“Corporate governance” refers to the rules and oversight that dictate how a company operates, and how effectively those rules and regulations are implemented. One goal of good governance is to align the interests of various stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and customers. This involves meaningful internal controls, ranging from enforcing policies against harassment and discrimination in
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Improve the world and make money by doing so. Is this mostly public relations fluff and wishful thinking, or does it really work? In this article, we discuss what “doing well by doing good” and the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) mean and offer some examples that we find inspirational. Spoiler alert: this is not about
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In Pakistan, one-third of the land was submerged after devastating floods. Much of Nigeria is also flooded, and the gulf coast of the United States has been punished with hurricanes and torrential rains. In fact, extraordinary flooding has made headlines several times this year globally, and yet other regions do not have enough. Viral pictures
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One of our pet peeves is when someone states a derogatory opinion dressed up as a fact, and in doing so misleads others who are then likely to repeat the criticism to colleagues and friends, and then it snowballs. People who know the actual facts may try to dispute the opinion-stated-as-fact, but if the criticism
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In case we needed another reminder that ESG is not just about “E”-related things, and that there are real risks, costs, and opportunities associated with each pillar (E, S, and G), here is a prime example. It shows why the “G” in ESG – Governance – matters for companies that care about data security and cybersecurity.
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Consider the following scenario: two people are striving to win the title of “Best in Category X”. One of them (we’ll call her Joanna, for no reason at all), comes from an upper-middle class family, went to good schools, received training from experts, and never had to worry about things like food, shelter, or being
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We work with all types of investment firms, corporations and fintech platforms around the world. Find out how OWL can meet your need for ESG data and analytics today.
