Tag: Environmental Social Governance (ESG)

Although many retailers have successfully implemented omnichannel services like same-day shipping, in-store pickup or home delivery, research shows that only a third of retail executives said this was a regular service, while 62% said it was just for the 2021 holiday season.

Powerful international trends are changing the governance and remuneration landscape significantly. These trends are ushering in a profound shift in how we think about governance and remuneration, and smart boards and executive teams need to understand their implications.

The concept of investing in environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-centric products is not new. Institutional investors have long modelled their investment strategies around socially responsible themes such as clean air and water, diversity, human rights, and workplace fair practices.

Sustainability is one of the biggest buzzwords in business; but how many organisations and decision makers really know what it means and are striving for a sea change, rather than just paying lip service to the growing call to prioritise environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues?

The life insurance and annuity industry proved resilient in 2021, even in the face of the many challenges associated with COVID-19. It’s now a given that the pandemic forced insurers to adopt digital technologies and operate more in the digital space. This digital shift is the source of the industry’s resilience as more companies, and customers, enjoy the benefits of their digital transformations.

Markets continued their rally into the fourth quarter of 2021, with South African (SA) equities delivering its strongest calendar year return since 2012 (up 27.1%) and global equities since 2015 (up 28.8% in Rands).

As CFOs take on a more strategic role, other functions are increasingly looking to finance for near real-time and more accurate forecast reporting to make more informed business decisions. Although historical reporting remains relevant, organisations are looking to the finance role for instant guidance amid changing market dynamics.

Despite innovation and change in the finance function, many CFOs are taking on this critical leadership role only to continue running the finance function as is. The actual value-unlock is achieved by digitising your finance function to free up your teams to focus on improved capital allocation, identification of growth opportunities and innovation as well as the application of sustainability techniques to drive down operating costs and reduce your organisation's carbon footprint.

Greenwashing is the practice of giving the wrong impression, providing false information, or fabricating a story about how a company and its products, or an investment solution, are environmentally friendly or beneficial in an environmental, social or governance (ESG) context.

Modern Portfolio Theory, introduced by Harry Markowitz in 1952, has provided the lens for the way investments have been viewed for more than 60 years. In its most basic sense, it suggests the most efficient portfolio is one that maximises the return at a set risk level.