Study reveals CR importance growing in decision-making

After the accounting scandals, governments have introduced new legislation, new codes of conduct have been developed and corporate boards have been 're-balanced' to include more independent members.

The over-riding goal in every case has been to restore investor confidence. However, these changes have also brought with them the realisation that good governance is a key topic not only for shareholders but also for a much broader set of stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers and the wider community.

That in turn has made the term corporate responsibility (CR) much more familiar than ever before in boardrooms across the globe. The line is far from solid, but CR can be seen as the extension of governance beyond simple compliance to embrace broader social values.

A recent survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit, produced in cooperation with Oracle Corporation, reveals that more business executives and corporate investors are factoring corporate responsibility into their decision-making. Read on.