Goldman Sachs to Allow Shareowner Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (12/14)
In the wake of an uproar over its plans to award $23 billion in bonuses, TARP recipient also announces that Management Committee will receive equity Shares at Risk instead of cash.

Getting on Board with Corporate Social Responsibility (08/25)
Corporate boards can and should influence their companies' social and environmental performances finds a new report.

Social Platform for Socially Responsible Investors (08/14)
The SRI community has a new way to share information about what companies are or aren't doing on social, environmental, and governance issues.

Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant: Shareholder Activists Promote Corporate Transparency (07/23)
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Sanford Lewis of the Investor Environmental Health Network on his shareholder activism promoting corporate disclosure

Green Fast Food: Really Here or a Green Dream? (07/11)
The fast food industry is seeing a growing demand for environmental sustainability. How can investors, consumers, and other stakeholders know which restaurants are truly embracing sustainable development and which are only greenwashing their practices?

Bob Monks: ExxonMobil Exemplifies Corpocracy (06/30)
SocialFunds writers Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon interview corporate governance advocate Bob Monks about his shareholder activism at ExxonMobil and his new book, Corpocracy.

Shelley Alpern on How Tar Sands Perpetuate Petro-Addiction (06/26)
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Shelley Alpern of Trillium Asset Management about its shareholder activism on oil company exploitation of tar sands.

Executive Pay Weighs Heavy with Shareholders (06/04)
With more than 90 "say on pay" resolutions this year, shareholders continue to push for advisory votes on executive compensation.

Michael Conroy on Activist Campaigns and the Certification Revolution (06/02)
SocialFunds writer Bill Baue speaks with Michael Conroy about his new book, Branded! How the “Certification Revolution” is Transforming Global Companies

Large UK Companies Put Their Best Foot Forward (05/28)
New study of the FTSE 100 finds most companies, but not all, are improving their performance on environmental, social and governance issues.

Executive Compensation Consultants: The Next Battlefield for Say on Pay (05/23)
Investors ask the SEC to mandate disclosure of a company's use of executive compensation consultants and if the consultants are used in other areas of the business as well.

Proxy Voting Made Painless (05/07)
A new website helps individual investors better understand proxy voting.

Do Your Proxy Votes Really Count? (04/03)
A new report examines how boards of directors respond to shareholder concerns by adopting or ignoring non-binding shareholder proposals.

SRI Assets Surge Ahead (03/06)
New socially responsible investing study reports one dollar out of every nine dollars under professional management is invested responsibly.

Institutional Investors Plan Long-term for Climate Change (02/20)
Summit at the UN unveils an action plan for addressing climate change risks and opportunities.

New York City Fights Workplace Discrimination (02/13)
NYC Comptroller Thompson and the NYC Pension Funds plan to push workplace protection for LGBT employees this proxy season.

Supreme Court Rules on Naming Secondary Actors in Fraud Cases (01/22)
In a ruling last week, the Supreme Court laid out what businesses can be held liable under current securities fraud laws.

SEC Sacrifices Shareholder Rights to Achieve Temporary Certainty (12/11)
Instead of reaffirming shareholder rights to file resolutions to nominate directors, the SEC cites uncertainty as a rationale for stripping these rights.

Corporate Operations in Burma Fuel Human Rights Abuses, Say Shareowner Activists (10/26)
Shareowner letters to Chevron and Total criticize the piping of revenues to the Burmese regime, while the Norwegian Pension Fund defends its decision not to divest from Total.

Big Bosses Embrace Corporate Responsibility (09/21)
A new survey of executives finds many companies are increasing their spending on environmental, social, and governance issues, in spite of a decline in business confidence.

Where in the World is Corporate Responsibility? (09/15)
EIRIS' new report "The State of Responsible Business" details growing corporate responsibility in businesses worldwide.

Excessive CEO Compensation Hurting US Companies and Society (09/14)
A new report claims that excessive executive compensation in the US is taking a staggering economic and social toll on American society, threatening leadership in the business, government, and nonprofit sectors and creating instability in the economy.

The Subprime Meltdown and SRI: Engage, Avoid, Predict (09/12)
Shareowner activists engaged banks on predatory lending long before the subprime crisis climaxed, and SRI research predicted the meltdown in time to avoid some impacts.

Shareholder Activists Turn Up Heat on the SEC (09/06)
The Social Investment Forum and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility launch a website as part of a campaign to garner support against SEC's proposals limiting shareholder rights.

SEC Chair Cox Votes For Two Opposing Proxy Access Proposals--Both May Curtail Shareowner Rights (08/01)
Republican commissioners support a proposal barring shareowners from nominating directors; Democrats support one allowing it, though it introduced other reductions in shareowner power.

Executives and the Environment: Looking Back at Proxy Season 2007 (07/27)
With the 2007 proxy season over, shareholders saw a jump in the number of socially responsible proposals, with support growing for climate change proposals and accountability for executive pay.

Sustainability Picks Up Where Supply and Demand Meet (07/16)
Both investors and companies are working on sustainability issues as new reports by UN PRI and Goldman Sachs show ESG issues are gaining momentum.

Shareholders Push Social and Environmental Issues to the Forefront (06/13)
Proxy season 2007 sees a huge number of social and environmental resolutions at US companies with the growing support of voters.

Fidelity Divests Large Chunk of Sudan-Related Holdings (05/22)
Despite similar pressure from Sudan divestment activists, Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway retain holdings in PetroChina, which is linked to genocide in Darfur.

Opening Up Pandora's Box: SEC Proxy Roundtable Questions Role of Non-Binding Resolutions (05/15)
SEC officers and panelists discuss the possibility of removing non-binding resolutions from the proxy and replacing them with online communications between shareowners and companies.

Going In and Out the Windows: Weaving a Web of Political Accountability (05/09)
The Center for Political Accountability's new report "Open Windows" calls on companies for greater transparency and accountability in political giving and outlines a model of political accountability.

Shareholders One Step Closer to Having a "Say on Pay" (05/03)
The US House of Representatives votes to give shareholders an advisory non-binding vote on executive compensation.

Yes and No: Newmont Recommends Voting For One Resolution, Petitions SEC to Omit Another (05/02)
The actions span the gamut of corporate responses to shareowner resolutions on environmental, social, and governance issues, from wholehearted support to forceful opposition.

Surveillance, Schmurveillance? (04/20)
Wal-Mart's apparent research and surveillance activities geared toward shareholders raises troubling, but perhaps fleeting questions about trust.

If You Tag It, It Will Be Used: Sustainability Reporting in XBRL (04/16)
Weeks after the latest SEC roundtable on interactive data, the Global Reporting Initiative releases a draft taxonomy of XBRL tags mapped to G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.

Porter and Kramer Framework Melding CSR with Business Strategy Wins Harvard Award (04/10)
The Harvard Business Review grants the 2006 McKinsey Award to an article arguing companies create competitive advantage by integrating social and environmental issues into core strategy.

TIAA-CREF Ups the Ante With New Stance on ESG Issues (03/20)
TIAA-CREF’s new policy statement and proxy voting guidelines address social, environmental and governance issues, moving SRI arguments into the mainstream.

Mutual Funds Inch Toward More Conscientious Proxy Voting on Social and Environmental Resolutions (03/14)
Corporate social responsibility resolutions addressing climate change reveal the increasing complexity of assessing proxy voting records.

Chocolate Giant Commits to Responsible Supplier Code (03/08)
The Hershey Company is working to create a supplier code of conduct that goes above and beyond just cocoa suppliers.

Aflac Shareholders Get Say on Executive Pay (02/20)
Aflac becomes the first major US company to offer shareholders a non-binding vote on executive compensation packages.

Shareholders Ask Companies for Transparency on Corporate Political Giving (02/15)
With 43 companies facing shareholder resolutions on political accountability this proxy season, a handful of companies have already reached agreements with filers on this issue.

The Gates Foundation and Mission Related Investing: Room for Alignment? (02/13)
An investigative report into the investment practices of the Gates Foundation has reinvigorated the debate over the obligation of foundations to align their missions with their investments.

S&P 500 Lags on Climate Disclosure, Electric Utilities Burning Economic Value Into Carbon (02/05)
Two recent reports use findings of the 2006 Carbon Disclosure Project to assess limits of transparency on climate risks and opportunities and drag on value creation at electric utilities.

"Say on Pay" Highlighted in the Upcoming 2007 Proxy Season (01/30)
Institutional investors band together, asking for the right to weigh in on top executive compensation packages.

Inaugural Report Card Grades College Sustainability on Endowment and Campus Efforts (01/29)
The Sustainable Endowments Institute study finds endowment sustainability lagging campus sustainability policies and initiatives.

From Competition to Cooperation: Companies Collaborate on Social and Environmental Issues (01/19)
Collaborative initiatives bring together companies, investors, and activists to address issues such as online freedom of expression, climate change, and labor rights in the global supply chain.

Study Links Options Backdating to Corporate Governance Weaknesses (01/12)
Harvard Professor Lucian Bebchuk and colleagues use a new method of identifying CEO and outside director manipulation of stock option timing and assert correlations to governance problems.

Top Five Socially Responsible Investing News Stories of 2006 (01/05)
Green investing booms, microfinance pioneer wins Nobel Peace Prize, shareowner democracy increases, resolutions receive record votes, and UN launches Principles of Responsible Investment

Rainforest Action Network Seeks to Stem Flow of Financing to TXU Coal Project (12/20)
Part two of this two-part articles addresses how RAN sent a letter to 54 banks urging them to withhold funding from a TXU plan to build 11 pulverized coal-burning power plants in Texas.

TXU Shareowners File Three Resolutions Questioning Wisdom of Pulverized Coal Plants (12/19)
Part one of this two-part article examines how shareowners are raising environmental and regulatory concerns over the TXU coal expansion plan, as well as environmentally preferable alternatives to coal such as energy efficiency.

Retailers Improve on Keeping Violent Video Games Out of the Hands of Children (12/13)
An Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility report also identifies several areas where the seven companies examined stand to improve performance--predominantly on disclosure.

Marriott Combats Child Sexual Exploitation (12/11)
Shareowner engagement by Boston Common Asset Management and the First Swedish National Pension Fund prompts Marriott to explicitly address child sex tourism in its human rights policy.

How to Do Sustainble Banking (12/06)
BankTrack, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations promoting social and environmental responsibility in the finance sector, issues a guide to best practices in sustainable banking.

New Exchange Traded Fund Tracks Domini 400 Social Index (11/22)
Barclays Global Investors launches the iShares KLD 400 Social Index ETF.

Dear Sir or Madam: Stakeholder Letters Push Corporate Sustainability Improvements (11/16)
Letters remains an important mode for addressing environmental, social, and governance issues, encompassing a broader swath than simply communication between shareowners and companies.

As Climate Debate Matures, Companies Strategize Solutions and Investors Push for Disclosure (11/03)
Companies are taking tangible actions to minimize risks and seize opportunities related to climate change, while investors promote more robust climate-related disclosure.

Glass Lewis Adds KLD Proxy Voting Guidelines to Proxy Voting Platform (10/31)
The move increases the availability of socially responsible investing proxy voting guidelines, but it remains to be seen if it inspires Glass Lewis to support more SRI resolutions in its own guidelines.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Get Cs on Report Card for Ten Percent Recycled Content in Bottles (10/24)
The report, conducted by the As You Sow (AYS) Foundation and the Container Recycling Institute, graded the ten other beverage companies D- and F on recycling.

Votes for Social and Environmental Resolutions Rising, But Proxy Firm Support Still Lagging (10/23)
Over a quarter of social and environmental resolutions topped 15 percent support this proxy season, but proxy advisory firm recommendations supporting such proposals remain low.

Blue Funds to Invest in Companies that Support Democrats (10/13)
The two new funds seek to capitalize on research that finds that Democrat-supporting companies significantly outperform Republican-supporting companies.

FTSE4Good Deletes Nine Companies on Environmental and Supply Chain Labor Standards (10/04)
FTSE4Good criteria promote incremental progress in corporate social responsibility performance, and climate change is the latest topic covered in newly proposed standards.

Emerging Markets Emerging as Socially Responsible Investing Opportunities (09/26)
A report by the Ethical Investment Research Services examines 50 emerging market companies using various SRI screens, and finds a number of possible plays.

Canadian Social Investment Organization Recommends Mandating Global Reporting Initiative (09/20)
In a submission to the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility, SIO advocates for amending the Canada Business Corporations Act to mandate annual GRI reporting.

Academic Joins Shareowners in Advocating Corporate Lobbying Reform (09/18)
Yale University Professor Bob Repetto issues paper calling for companies to rapidly adopt best practice on corporate lobbying, including oversight and approval by independent directors.

Court Affirms Shareowner Right to File Resolutions on Proxy Access for Nominating Directors (09/14)
The decision, which simply upholds existing rules that SEC practice had departed from, fills the void left when the SEC proposed then abandoned a rule on proxy access for nominating directors.

Barclays Files for Permission to Launch iShares ETF Tracking the Domini Social Index (09/07)
The exchange-traded fund will likely have a low expense ratio, but will not conduct shareowner engagement like the other fund tracking the DSI, the Green Century Equity Fund, does.

ICCR Benchmarks Pharma Responses to AIDS and Diseases of Poverty in Emerging Markets (08/18)
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility report assesses 15 pharmaceutical companies, and finds all of them falling short of best practice in most areas on AIDS and neglected diseases.

Shareowners Push TimeWarner on Movies Depicting Smoking, Recycled Paper, and Pay Disparity (08/09)
Part two of this two-part article documents steps forward made by TimeWarner, as well as areas where shareowner activists continue to press for progress.

Shareowner Activists See Progress at TimeWarner, and Room for Improvement (08/08)
In part one of this two-part article, activists applaud the company on its first corporate social responsibility report while continuing to push on environmental, social, and governance issues.

The Pages of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (07/28)
Books addressing climate change dominate the fourth annual SocialFunds.com Summer Reading List recommended by socially responsible investing and corporate social responsibility leaders.

Executives and the Environment: Looking Back at Proxy Season 2007 (07/27)
With the 2007 proxy season over, shareholders saw a jump in the number of socially responsible proposals, with support growing for climate change proposals and accountability for executive pay.

Trillium Takes the Reins from Winslow in Managing the Green Century Balanced Fund (07/24)
The transition in portfolio managers has shifted the fund back to its roots as a core portfolio holding by reducing risk and diversifying holdings across the multi-cap space.

Filing Resolutions at Mutual Funds: The Next Frontier for Shareowner Activism? (07/21)
Eight years after the Northwest Corporate Accountability Project first filed an environmental shareowner resolution, it will finally go to vote at the Merrill Lynch Global Allocation Fund.

Survey Reveals TIAA-CREF Investor Desire to Up Commitment to SRI (07/17)
TIAA-CREF promises to respond to participants, of whom over three-quarters prioritize social and environmental considerations in investing choices.

Book Review--Shareholder Participation and the Corporation: A Fresh Inter-disciplinary Approach in Happiness (06/27)
Australian Law Professor James McConvill applies empirical research on happiness to corporations, specifically focusing on the case it makes for shareowner empowerment.

Semantics and Semitics: Presbyterian Church Investment to Focus on Israeli-Palestinian Peace (06/26)
A recommendation approved by the church General Assembly apologizes to Jews and refines language while reaffirming commitment to corporate engagement with divestment as last resort.

Stratfor Analysis Says Rise in Support for Shareowner Activism is Hitting a Plateau (06/22)
The analysis suggests that corporate executives are building up a tolerance to higher resolution votes; mutual fund proxy voting transparency represents the next frontier for shareowner activists to boost votes.

Correlating Proxy Advisory Firm Recommendations with Voting Results (06/20)
A look at the link between recommendations by Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis, and PROXYGovernance and voting results at Citigroup, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Wal-Mart.

Norwegian Government Pension Fund Dumps Wal-Mart and Freeport on Ethical Exclusions (06/16)
The $230 billion global fund--one of the largest pension funds in the world--cited Wal-Mart for systematic human rights violations and Freeport for serious environmental damage.

Corporate Shenanigans: Companies Dis Shareowners at Annual Meetings (06/09)
Home Depot exemplifies a phenomenon of companies manipulating annual meeting protocols to disempower shareowners, following in the footsteps of Weyerhaeuser, Whole Foods, and others.

Amgen Recommends Support for Political Donations Resolution, Bolstering Broader Campaign (05/16)
The Center for Political Accountability, which coordinates the political contributions campaign, released a report on trade association contributions that previews its 2007 proxy season strategy.

Digging for More than Gold: SRI Letter Asks Newmont to Address Western Shoshone Concerns (05/11)
The letter cites a recent decision by the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to support Western Shoshone claims.

Confirming the CalPERS Effect: Academic Study Links Shareowner Activism to Financial Gain (05/09)
Examining companies targeted for governance reform by the CalPERS Focus List, the study presents data correlating activism to increasing shareowner value as well as cautionary notes.

Proxy Season Report Geared to Foundations Helps Others Navigate Proxy Landscape (05/08)
As You Sow Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors report allows for stepping back by providing a useful overview as well as an in-depth look at behind-the-scenes dialogue.

Shareholders One Step Closer to Having a “Say on Pay” (05/03)
The US House of Representatives votes to give shareholders an advisory non-binding vote on executive compensation.

United Nations Endorses SRI Strategies in Launching Principles for Responsible Investment (05/02)
Some 50 institutional investors globally representing $4 trillion in assets have signed on to the Principles, which promote the consideration of environmental, social and governance factors.

Conflict of Interests Policies and Practices Vary Widely at Proxy Advisory Firms (04/19)
Part two of this two-part article examines how Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis, and PROXY Governance handle potential conflicts of interest.

Voting Recommendations on Shareowner Resolutions Vary Widely at Proxy Advisory Firms (04/18)
Part one of this two-part article compares Institutional Shareholder Services, Glass Lewis, and PROXY Governance vote recommendations on resolutions at Citigroup and Chevron.

Wal-Mart Discloses Equal Employment Opportunity Data (04/14)
The company joined six others in the S&P 100 that publicly disclose their EEO-1 report, but Wal-Mart still faces shareowner action on union-busting and selling gems mined in Burma.

Shareowner Resolutions Overcome Obstacles to Promote Sustainability Reporting (03/29)
A campaign advocating for sustainability reporting refines its strategies, shifting from requiring adherence to recommending Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.

Corporate Action on Climate Change Improves Over Past Three Years, But Still Insufficient (03/28)
A report from Ceres benchmarks corporate governance on climate change, finding steady gains by leaders while some laggards leapfrog toward the top and other laggards stagnate at the bottom.

Book Review--Responsible Investment (03/23)
An impressive and wide-ranging list of contributing writers advance a balance between elucidating the strengths of socially responsible investing while also exposing its weaknesses.

Facing Campaign on Farm Working Conditions, McDonald's to Heed Independent Study Results (03/22)
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers urges McDonald's to improve farm working conditions, which the company is addressing through a study by the Center for Reflection, Education, and Action.

Thirty Years and Counting: Cofounder Wayne Silby Recounts the Birth of Calvert (03/18)
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Calvert, SocialFunds.com speaks with co-founder Wayne Silby about its genesis, development, and future.

A Serendipitous Match: Davis Advisors Takes Over MMA Praxis Core Stock Fund (03/16)
The portfolio holding of Wal-Mart exemplifies (oddly enough) how both Davis Advisors and MMA Praxis emphasize the importance of stewardship and shareowner empowerment.

Whole Foods Market Gags Shareowners at Annual Meeting (03/10)
A leader on corporate social responsibility, Whole Foods lags on corporate governance by stymieing shareowner democracy.

SEC Forces Chevron, Dow, and CVS to Include Shareowner Resolutions on Their Proxies (03/07)
Part two of this two-part article examines no-action activity thus far in the 2006 proxy season, focusing on attempts to apply the personal grievance rule and expand a new risk assessment rule.

Resolution Withdrawals Signal Success in Shareowner Advocacy Early in 2006 Proxy Season (03/06)
Part one of this two-part article examines withdrawal of resolutions on climate change, sexual orientation nondiscrimination, political contributions, and HIV/AIDS policies.

IT Company Collusion with Chinese Authorities to Repress Free Expression Shorts Shareowner Value (02/17)
Boston Common Asset Management submits testimony to congressional hearings asserting that protecting shareholder value and respecting human rights are not mutually exclusive mandates.

Book Review: Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality & Insecurity (02/16)
The revised and updated edition of this text (originally published in 2000) examines how excessive executive compensation contributes to the widening gulf between rich and poor.

Shareowner Action on Product Toxicity Shifts from Isolated Resolutions to Become a Campaign (02/09)
Fueling this development is the increasing visibility of product toxicity in the news, with the Environmental Protection Agency issuing record fines.

Using Mutual Fund Proxy Voting Data to Promote More Conscientious Voting (02/03)
The final installment of this multi-part series steps back to consider the implications of the findings and how to harness them to push mutual funds to support corporate social responsibility.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Surveys Track Growth of Interest in SRI and CSR (01/31)
Part one of this two-part article focuses on a survey by Mercer Investment Consulting on increasing interest from institutional investors in socially responsible investing.

Social Investment Forum Trends Report Tracks Rises and Falls of Socially Responsible Investing (01/26)
The 2005 report documents increases since 2003 in assets overall in SRI, in SRI mutual funds, and in shareholder advocacy, but decreases in overall screened assets and in screened separate accounts.

Eroding Support for Shareowner Resolutions on Climate Change Revealed by Unpublished Data (01/25)
In part three of this multi-part article, SocialFunds.com examines unpublished data associated with a recent report on mutual fund proxy voting from The Corporate Library, and finds decreasing support for climate change resolutions.

Unpublished Data Clarifies SRI Proxy Voting on CSR Resolutions (01/18)
In part two in this multi-part series, SocialFunds.com examines unpublished data associated with a recent report from The Corporate Library, and finds that statistics are not always what they seem at first glance.

The Corporate Library Report on Mutual Fund Proxy Voting Finds Stagnation and Even Retreat (01/17)
Part one of this multi-part series discusses the report findings on decreasing mainstream fund support for CSR resolutions; subsequent articles examine unpublished data from the research.

GE Comes Clean, Disclosing Costs Related to PCB Cleanup on the Hudson (01/12)
The move prompts the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, which characterized some of these expenditures as delay tactics, to withdraw its shareowner resolution requesting this information.

Majority-Vote Director Election Shareowner Resolutions To Top 100, Dominate Proxy Season (01/10)
A memo from corporate law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz opines that majority-vote elections will become universal, but shareowners still seek proxy access to nominate directors.

Wal-Mart Faces Host of Shareowner Resolutions, From Union-Busting to Sustainability Reporting (01/06)
The broad range of resolutions suggests that the sustainability commitments announced by Wal-Mart last year did not convince shareowners that the company has solved all its challenges.

Book Review--Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism (12/22)
The newest in the Megatrends series advances a framework for conscious capitalism that highlights socially responsible investing.

PROXY Governance Diversifies Proxy Advisory Choice (12/02)
The new proxy advisory firm expands options for fiduciaries.

First Steps: Corporate Engagement on HIV/AIDS Improves Since Last World AIDS Day (12/01)
Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS Best Practice AIDS Standard represents an important step forward, and companies such as Intel are responding to shareowner dialogue with ICCR.

Shareowner Empowerment Is Alive and Well: a Preview of the 2006 Proxy Season (11/16)
Part two of this two-part article examines the developing trends in shareowner activism as resolutions are filed for the upcoming proxy season.

Forging Ahead from the Crossroads: Reviewing the 2005 Proxy Season (11/14)
Part one of this two-part article looks back at this year's proxy season, which was highlighted by majority vote director election proposals while part two previews the upcoming proxy season.

Tearing Down the Great Firewall (11/08)
Social investors issue a statement holding information technology companies accountable for collusion with repressive regimes such as China that stifle dissent expressed on the Internet.

Book Review--The Challenge to Power: Money, Investing, and Democracy (11/07)
John Harrington compiles voluminous evidence to diagnose what ails modern corporatocracy, and prescribes a comprehensive cure with socially responsible investing playing a key role.

Transforming the Myth of Democratic Shareholder Power into a Reality (10/27)
A new paper by Harvard Professor Lucian Bebchuk debunks the myth of shareholder power to replace directors, and recommends reforms that could jumpstart the stalled SEC proxy access rule.

Wal-Mart Embraces Sustainability: Does the SRI Community Buy It? (10/26)
Socially responsible investors cautiously applaud Wal-Mart for committing to social and environmental sustainability, but remain highly skeptical about actual implementation.

Institutional Investors Drive Research on Mainstreaming of SRI by Investment Managers (10/21)
A new line of research at Mercer Investment Consulting rates proxy voting, shareholder engagement, and analysis of environmental, social, and governance issues by mainstream investment managers.

Changing of the Guard: Vanguard Pulls a Switcheroo on SRI Index Providers (10/06)
Vanguard is swapping the benchmark for its socially responsible investing index fund from the Calvert Social Index to the FTSE4Good US Select Index.

ICCR Online Database Eases Access to Information on Shareowner Resolutions (10/04)
EthVest, the new web-based tool from the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, provides access to 2,000-plus shareowner resolutions and 12-plus years of shareowner action.

Third Carbon Disclosure Project Survey Finds Increasing Action on Climate Change (09/21)
CDP3, now sponsored by 155 institutional investors with more than $21 trillion in assets, also reveals some significant footdragging by the Financial Times 500 companies.

A Semantic Hermeneutics of SRI (09/09)
KLD Research & Analytics Founding President Peter Kinder examines limitations of the term socially responsible investing, and identifies both overemphasized and overlooked distinctions.

Shareowner Resolution Asks Monsanto to Create Ethics Oversight Committee (08/26)
The company stonewalls inquiries related to the resolution, which springs from a $1.5 million settlement with the SEC and DOJ earlier this year regarding a bribe Monstanto paid in Indonesia.

Lack of Human Rights Policy Concerns Chevron Shareowners in Light of Unocal Merger (08/16)
Part two of this two-part article examines the implications of the delay in adopting a human rights policy given the inheritance of Unocal holdings in Burma and Alien Tort Claims Act cases.

New Document Alleges Tie Between Chevron and Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria (08/12)
Identified in the discovery phase of a case proceeding at state and federal levels, the invoice and receipt indicate Chevron paid Nigerian soldiers for services on a day several villagers were allegedly killed (part one of a two-part article.)

Power to the People: Amnesty Launches Grassroots Shareowner Advocacy Program (08/05)
The SharePower program encourages ordinary people to tell institutional investors holding shares in their name to vote for shareowner resolutions supporting human rights.

TIAA-CREF Creates New Director of Social Investing Post But Refrains From Some SRI Strategies (07/15)
TIAA-CREF enhances its proxy voting and practices some community investment, but finds obstacles to supporting community development financial institutions and SRI venture capital.

The Ghost of a Shareholder Resolution Haunts ExxonMobil Annual Meeting (05/26)
Despite an unprecedented 28 percent vote for a first-year climate change resolution and strong support for seven others, the censoring of a resolution quashes shareholder democracy.

Book Review--The Bhopal Reader: Remembering Twenty Years of the World's Worst Industrial Disaster (05/12)
A collection of primary and secondary sources spanning the twenty-year quest for corporate accountability from Union Carbide and now Dow for the 1984 chemical leak that killed thousands upon thousands.

Institutional Investors Call on SEC, Wall Street, and Companies to Address Climate Risk (05/11)
The second Investor Summit on Climate Risk focused on information, from the perspectives of disclosure, data generation, and analysis, as a key to transforming climate risk into opportunity.

Virgin Trees in Kleenex: Greenpeace Lambasts Kimberly-Clark Fiber Sourcing (05/06)
Between 15 and 30 percent of K-C tissue products fiber originates from the Canadian Boreal Forest, according to a Greenpeace report, and only 19 percent of its fiber is recycled.

Report Asserts Shareholders Have The Right To Know More About DuPont PFOA Liabilities (05/04)
The report documents information on perfluorooctanoic acid, a Teflon ingredient associated with human health hazards, which DuPont withheld from federal regulators and investors alike.

JPMorgan Chase Environmental Policy Triggers Tipping Point for US Bank Sustainability (04/29)
The JPMC policy surpasses environmental best practice established by Citigroup and Bank of America in some areas, but also lags these sustainability leaders in others.

Pharma and Biotech Companies Just Starting to Pass the Transparency Litmus Test (04/27)
oekom research rates the social and environmental sustainability performance of 27 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and finds disclosure lacking across the board.

Weyerhaeuser To Screen Shareholder Questions at Annual Meeting Tomorrow (04/20)
Shifting from the standard open-mic Question and Answer format, the CEO will act as gatekeeper for shareholder questions, a practice viewed by shareholders as restricting their rights.

SRI Funds Vote Proxies More Conscientiously Than Conventional Funds on Corporate Governance (04/13)
A study on proxy voting by socially responsible investment and conventional funds finds SRI funds voting against management more often on social, environmental, and governance issues.

Ecuadorian Attorney General Tells ChevronTexaco Shareholders Remediation Agreement May Be Invalid (04/12)
The questionable validity of the remediation agreement indemnifying ChevronTexaco could carry implications for the lawsuit and beyond (part three of a multipart article).

Asphalt Jungle: Did Oil Drilling by Texaco Create Environmental and Social Harm in Ecuador? (04/11)
Both ChevronTexaco and lawsuit plaintiffs are finding evidence of contamination during judicial site inspections: the question is, does it pose human health or environmental risks? (part two of a multi-part article.)

Oil Spread Upon the Waters of Ecuador May Return Harm for ChevronTexaco Shareholders (04/08)
A shareholder delegation surveys the environmental and social impact of oil operations, assessing potential risk from a twelve-year old lawsuit in its judicial inspection phase (part one of a multi-part article).

To Screen Or Not To Screen?: That May Not Be The Question For Fiduciaries (03/30)
Part two of this two-part article examines the opportunities and limitations that social and environmental sustainability screens present to pension funds and other institutional investors.

Shareowner Activists on Sustainability Take Baby Steps Into Sustainability Screening (03/25)
Part one of this two-part article surveys the landscape of US public pension fund screening of corporate social and environmental sustainability.

Caterpillar Bulldozes Shareowner Concern Over Aiding Alleged Israeli War Crimes (03/24)
Caterpillar faces a shareowner resolution as well as a lawsuit filed by the family of peace activist Rachel Corrie that cites the Nuremberg Tribunal as precedent in alleging war crime complicity.

Faith-Based and Environmentalist Shareowners Withdraw Climate Change Resolutions at Six Companies (03/22)
The six oil and gas companies commit to measure, mitigate, and disclose data related to global warming, and evangelicals join their faith-based compatriots in concern over climate change.

Biting the Hand That Feeds: Mutual Fund Ties to Corporate Clients Can Affect Proxy Voting (03/10)
Study reveals that individual mutual fund firms do not alter proxy voting whether companies are clients or non-clients, but fund firms with more clients tend to vote and adopt voting policies favoring management.

Campaign to Enhance Pharma Industry Accountability Broadens Shareowner Action (03/04)
The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility sent letters to over 2,750 institutional investors seeking support for three resolutions filed at nine pharmaceutical companies.

Carrots and Sweets: Tying Executive Remuneration to Extra-Financial Performance Indicators (03/02)
A report from Henderson Global Investors and Universities Superannuation Scheme finds incentives for extra-financial performance tied to short-term instead of long-term indicators.

Book Review--Corporations and the Public Interest: Guiding the Invisible Hand (02/22)
Steve Lydenberg eloquently describes corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment, fields in which he is an expert, and recommends mechanisms to fuel their trajectories.

Binding Resolutions and Coordination Circumvent Structural Limitations of Shareowner Action (02/18)
A preview of the 2005 proxy season reveals tactics that challenge the systemic imbalance of power favoring corporate management and directors over shareowners.

Deafening Silence: Corporate Political Contribution Non-Disclosure Impacts Shareowner Value (02/17)
A Center for Political Accountability report documents corporate secrecy on political donations, and a Common Cause report reveals how mutual funds fail to support contribution transparency.

Mixed Messages and Flip-Flops as the SEC Director Nomination Rule Stagnates (02/11)
While the SEC retracts its promise to allow shareowners to file director nomination resolutions, lawsuits secure shareowner rights to nominate directors.

Benchmarking Corporate Governance on Product Toxicity and Safer Alternatives (02/10)
The benchmark, released by the Rose Foundation today, addresses the scientific uncertainty of product toxicity through risk assessment and opportunity identification instead of inaction.

Speaking From Both Sides of the Mouth: The Art and Science of Corporate Tax Avoidance (02/04)
Three reports--by a US tax watchdog, a pair of US academics, and a UK socially responsible investment firm--find troubling trends in corporate tax strategies.

Two Socially Responsible Investment Exchange Traded Funds Launch (02/01)
The iShares KLD Select Social Index Fund seeks broad diversification and low risk, while the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio ETF invests in renewable energy companies.

Reigning In Raines on Bonuses Based on Earnings Before Restatements (01/26)
With restatements of financial earnings reaching record levels in 2004, the question arises whether executive bonuses based on incorrect earnings statements should be recalculated.

Monsanto $1.5 Million Fines for Genetic Engineering Bribe Illustrates Risks of GE Strategy (01/19)
The penalties, levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, may lend credence to a shareowner resolution asking Monsanto to report on GE risks.

Top Five Socially Responsible Investing News Stories of 2004 (01/11)
Shareowner engagement shifted from confrontational to collaborative, sustainability analysis fused with financial analysis, and fiduciary duty expanded to include social and environmental issues.

Corporations Fight to Keep Political Contributions in the Closet (12/09)
The Center for Political Accountability expands its campaign by advancing shareowner resolutions asking companies to disclose political donations and to provide a business rationale for them.

Two Reports Reveal Proxy Votes Rubber-Stamp Management Recommendations (12/08)
One finds the majority of top US mutual funds voting against climate change resolutions, the other finds contradictory proxy by Canadian pension fund managers.

Ford HIV Report Exemplifies New Shareowner Action Strategy (12/07)
Ford joins Coca-Cola, Cinergy, and others heeding shareowner resolutions requesting reporting on social and environmental issues, but it remains to be seen how far the strategy will extend.

ICCR Spends World AIDS Day Preparing Shareowner Resolutions for Upcoming Proxy Season (12/01)
This year's resolution has expanded to cover operations in India and China as well as Africa, and ICCR is campaigning for pharma companies to provide better access to medicines for children.

SEC Decision on Shareowner Nomination of Corporate Board Directors Still Pending (10/27)
Supporters and opponents of the proposed SEC rule granting shareowner access to the proxy to nominate directors advance their causes while the rule languishes in limbo.

Book Inspires Symposium on How Governance Codifies Excessive Executive Pay (10/14)
The book is written by Harvard Law Professor Lucian Bebchuk and Berkeley Law Professor Jesse Fried, and the Symposium is hosted by Columbia Law School.

Material Risks of Genetic Engineering Undisclosed by Food Companies, Report Says (09/28)
A survey of the 35 largest food processors finds only two mentioning genetic engineering risks in their annual reports, and none analyzing these risks.

SEC Asked to Let the Sun Shine on Corporate Political Contributions (09/17)
A group of state and city treasurers and a watchdog group sent letters to the Securities and Exchange Commission requesting mandatory political contributions disclosure.

How Do SRI Firms Walk Their Talk When It Comes to Corporate Social Responsibility? (08/13)
Socially responsible investment firms take particulars such as scale and sector into account in their CSR expectations at the companies they own and in their own operations.

Accuracy of Dow Chemical Statements and SEC Filings Questioned (08/12)
On behalf of two socially responsible investment firms, an environmental attorney asks the SEC to probe the factuality of public statements and filings made by Dow Chemical.

The Value of Transformation: The Catholic Equity Fund (08/11)
After transforming itself from three actively managed funds into one index fund, the Catholic Equity Fund works to transform corporate practice through shareowner advocacy.

Can Corporate Social Responsibility Put the Brakes on HIV in Africa? (08/04)
A field report from Africa by Dan Rosan of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.

Keeping Score: The Mathematics and Linguistics of the World Bank Extractive Industries Review (07/28)
World Bank Group management and socially responsible investors interpret EIR recommendations differently.

House Votes to Kill Mandatory Expensing of All Stock Options, Sending Bill to Senate (07/22)
The House's passage of the Stock Option Accounting Reform Act reverses Sarbanes-Oxley's commitment to protect independence of FASB as the arbiter of accounting rules.

Senate Calls on the SEC to Enforce Environmental Disclosure Regulations (07/16)
A series of reports issued at a Senate symposium detail how insufficient disclosure of environmental liabilities results from lack of SEC enforcement.

Rule Proposal Requires Canadian Mutual Funds To Disclose Proxy Votes and Guidelines (06/15)
New Canadian Securities Administrators rule closely resembles the US Securities and Exchange rule.

Governance Overhaul: An Interview with Tyco Corporate Governance VP Eric Pillmore (06/09)
Mr. Pillmore speaks candidly with SocialFunds.com about rebuilding reputation and trust, engaging stakeholders, and increasing transparency.

ExxonMobil Mocks Climate Change, Maine Treasurer Finds It No Laughing Matter (05/27)
Senior management remains resolute in its disbelief of climate change risk.

Companies Ignore Majority Votes on Shareowner Resolutions (05/20)
Some high-profile companies are taking advantage of the non-binding nature of shareowner resolutions.

Carbon Disclosure Project Report and Greenhouse Gas Protocol Release Second Editions (05/19)
Climate change initiatives get a significant boost this month with the release of two revised editions of a report and a protocol for addressing global warming.

Shareowner Resolution Withdrawn as JP Morgan Chase Addresses Environmental Risks (05/14)
A group of socially responsible investment advocates withdrew a shareowner resolution from JP Morgan Chase when the company established an office of environmental affairs.

ChevronTexaco Faces Class-Action Lawsuit in Ecuador Over Environmental Damage (05/11)
A resolution asking ChevronTexaco to report on new initiatives to address its legacy of environmental damage in Ecuador gained nine percent support from shareowners.

Avon Shareowners Withdraw Two Resolutions Before Annual Meeting (05/05)
Avon agreed to hold annual board of director elections and to phase out phthalates from its products, prompting shareowners to withdraw their resolutions on these two issues.

Three More Companies Address Climate Risk, So Shareowners Withdraw Resolutions (05/04)
Shareowners withdrew climate change resolutions at Southern Company and TXU, which agreed to issue reports, and at Reliant, which agreed to expand disclosure.

Jewish Institutional Investors Form Shareholder Engagement Network (04/30)
The Jewish Shareholder Engagement Network is based on the notion that Jewish tradition supports such shareowner action as active proxy voting and dialogue with companies.

Forget Sit Ins: Student Activists Now Promote Socially Responsible Investment (04/22)
Students and alumni from 22 prestigious colleges and universities launch the Responsible Endowment Coalition to urge schools to practice socially responsible investing.

Tyco Recommends Vote in Favor of Shareowner Resolution, Joining Three Others (04/21)
While companies routinely recommend voting against shareowner resolutions, four companies so far this proxy season have bucked this standard approach.

Thirteen Pension Funds Call on SEC to Require Disclosure on Climate Change Risk (04/16)
Institutional investors ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue a clarification that climate change is a material risk which must be disclosed in filings.

Stock Option Dilution Rose But Granting Slowed in 2003, Anticipating Mandatory Expensing (04/14)
Right after the Financial Accounting Standards Board called for mandatory option expensing, the Investor Responsibility Research Center released its yearly dilution study.

Social Investors Urge World Bank to Adopt Extractive Industries Review Proposals (03/23)
If adopted by the World Bank, EIR recommendations could serve as a social and environmental best practice benchmark for oil, gas, and mining companies.

Disney Vote and California Bill May Affect SEC Shareowner Director Nomination Rule (03/10)
The significant withhold vote at Disney and a bill being considered by the California State Legislature may have a bearing on the SEC's proposed rule on shareowner director nominations.

Cintas Defamation Suit Challenges Shareowner Free Speech Rights (02/10)
Cintas files a defamation lawsuit against Tim Smith of Walden Asset Management for alleging that the company uses sweatshop labor in Haiti.

Study Dissects SRI Performance by Different Social and Environmental Factors (01/28)
A Pictet study correlates financial performance with specific aspects of socially responsible investment, such as corporate governance and stakeholder relations.

Community Investment Advocates Question Bank of America/FleetBoston Merger (01/23)
Bank of America is responding to critics of its proposed merger with FleetBoston.

Shareowner Resolution Calls Costco on Cultural Crimes in Mexican Site Development (01/08)
Shareowners express concern that Costco, which demolished a culturally significant site in Mexico to build a store, may be demolishing its reputation in the process.

Film Depicts Environmental and Social Reporting Disappearing in SEC Black Hole (01/07)
A documentary film by environmental attorney Sanford Lewis reveals the SEC's failure to enforce its rules requiring companies to disclose environmental and social liabilities.

Underreporting of Material Environmental Liabilities Persists (12/23)
Despite clear documentation of the problem, multiple solutions proposed, and petitioning to enhance enforcement, corporate underreporting of material environmental liabilities continues.

Top Five Social Investing News Stories of 2003 (12/19)
The major social investing news stories of the year include SEC reforms, stock exchanges mandating social, environmental, and corporate governance practices, and climate risk assessment defined as a fiduciary duty.

2003 Proxy Season Roundup: Shareowner Action Success Measured On and Off the Record (12/17)
While the 2003 proxy season produced some impressive numbers, shareowner advocates also define success in ways that are not easily quantifiable (Part one of a two-part article.)

Women Sit in Less Than a Seventh of Fortune 500 Board of Director Seats (12/11)
According to a new Catalyst report, women will inhabit less than a quarter of Fortune 500 board director seats by 2023, though regulations and shareowner action may change this.

Watchdog Fund Established to Take a Bite Out of Corporate Governance Malfeasance (12/09)
The new investment vehicle is part mutual fund, part shareowner advocate, and part hedge fund.

Two New Real Assets Funds Attract $25 Million in Their First Two Months (12/03)
The Real Assets Social Leaders Fund and Social Impact Balanced Fund are off to a flying start, re-invigorating social investing in Canada.

UN Institutional Investor Summit Considers Opportunities of Addressing Climate Change (11/26)
Institutional investors make the business case and investment case for assessing, reporting, and mitigating climate change in a summit at the UN (part two of a two-part article).

Resolutions Ask TIAA-CREF to Practice the Good Corporate Governance It Preaches (10/14)
TIAA-CREF faces several resolutions asking it to reconcile its strong corporate governance advocacy with what filers describe as its own weak governance policies.

Socially Responsible Investment Through 401k Plans Comes of Age (10/10)
Since the late 1990s, there has been a boom in socially responsible investment through 401k retirement plans.

SEC Opens Proxy to Shareowner-Nominated Directors, Critics Bemoan Triggers, Thresholds (10/09)
New SEC rules will allow shareowners to use companies' proxies to nominate director candidates, but corporate governance advocates point out potential pitfalls.

Walden Asks Companies to Allow Shareowners to Ratify Auditors (10/03)
Walden Asset Management wrote letters to 45 companies asking them to allow shareowners to ratify the board's choice of auditor, a procedure that is routine.

ISIS Product Offers Shareowner Action without Portfolio Management (10/01)
Institutional investors can use ISIS's Responsible Engagement Overlay to promote better social and environmental performance at companies through dialogue, proxy voting, shareowner resolution filing, and research.

Identifying the Effects of Interlocking Directorships on Board Independence (09/26)
A new report from The Corporate Library uncovers ways interlocking directorships impede board independence, though shareowner activists could leverage this interlock to push corporate governance reform.

AFL-CIO Advocates Active Ownership as a Way to Enhance Shareowner Value (09/16)
The AFL-CIO coordinates resolution filing, assesses managers' proxy voting records, and identifies worker-friendly investments for union pension funds.

Influential Institutional Investors to Form National Coalition for Corporate Reform (09/10)
The National Coalition for Corporate Reform, championed by state treasurers and pension funds, seeks to restore investor confidence through better corporate governance.

New Proxy Voting Recommendation Service Provides Choice, Objectivity (09/05)
Investor Responsibility Research Center teams with Glass, Lewis & Co. to provide proxy voting recommendations and voting services to institutional investors.

Institutional Investor Practices SRI Through Shareowner Action (08/14)
The Nathan Cummings Foundation prioritizes shareowner action by actively voting its proxies, filing shareowner resolutions, and dialoguing with companies on social issues.

The Needmor Fund Utilizes a Muscular Definition of Fiduciary Responsibility (08/05)
Susan Stranahan, treasurer of the Needmor Fund, discusses socially responsible investing as a fiduciary duty and tier A money managers who have a social mission.

SEC Report on Shareowner Nomination of Directors Opens Some Doors, But May Close Others (07/18)
A recent SEC report recommends several solutions for allowing shareowners access to director nominations, but social investors worry it may not solve some problems.

Report Connects the Dots Between Corporate Governance and Climate Change Risk (07/10)
A report reveals the degree to which 20 major global companies use corporate governance to address climate change risks and opportunities.

Eurosif Releases Transparency Guidelines for European SRI Funds (07/08)
Eurosif asks socially responsible investment firms to disclose their policies and procedures around SRI issues.

Summer Reading List, SRI-Style (07/02)
Prominent figures in the socially responsible investing community recommend SRI- and CSR-related books, and as well as some great titles from outside the field.

Pension Funds and Mutual Funds Influence Their Holdings Differently (07/01)
Academic studies discern between how pension funds and mutual funds wield influence as institutional shareowners, but the studies lack methods sophisticated enough to evaluate the effects of SRI.

Huh?!?: CEO Pay Goes Up in 2002 While the Stock Market Goes Down (06/25)
The Corporate Library's report shows how CEO pay increased in 2002 despite the fact that the stock market declined significantly, a trend that does not sit well with investors.

Apria Democratizes Director Elections (06/24)
Apria Healthcare Group set a precedent as the first company to allow shareowners to nominate candidates for board of director elections.

Shareowner Advocates Tell SEC How Best to Democratize Board Election Process (06/11)
The question is not whether shareowners should have access to the proxy to nominate directors, but what percentage of stock ownership qualifies shareowners to make nominations.

Book Review: Saving the Corporate Soul & (Who Knows?) Maybe Your Own (05/29)
A new book recommends a series of corporate reforms that mirror those advocated by the corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment communities.

Religious Institutions Issue Benchmarks for Corporate Social Responsibility Performance (05/28)
A global coalition of religious activists have published the third edition of a comprehensive set of guidelines for corporate social and environmental performance.

Increasing Shareowner Action Fuels Record Proxy Season (05/20)
Shareowners are increasingly recognizing and practicing their right to influence corporate practices and policies by filing and voting on shareowner resolutions.

Report Asks When ExxonMobil Will Wake Up to Climate-Related Risks (05/15)
For the second year in a row, a report tells ExxonMobil shareowners to beware of the significant risks the company faces in terms of how the oil giant addresses climate change.

Investors Press Companies on Stock Options Expensing (05/13)
A shareowner resolution on options expensing is garnering support, and a California pension fund has released a study on how to best expense stock options.

Shareowners Press Avon to Walk the Walk (05/08)
Shareowners vote overwhelmingly for board independence at Avon while questions about potential carcinogens in its products linger.

Back in the U.S.A. (04/15)
A combination of investors, activists, and congresspeople are working to make sure U.S. companies keep paying their share of taxes.

PepsiCo Shareowners Will Address the Business Risks of Water Scarcity (04/02)
The SEC is requiring PepsiCo's to allow its shareowners to vote on a resolution regarding the business risks of water scarcity.

The Key to Director Independence: Equal Access to Corporate Board Elections (04/01)
A growing number of investors are demanding that shareowners be given the right to nominate candidates for board of director elections.

CalPERS Says Xerox's Corporate Governance Not Worthy of Copying (03/27)
Pension fund giant names six companies that need to improve their corporate governance.

Watching the Public Company Accounting Watchdog (03/21)
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Association is slowly getting to work and it will be scrutinized by the newly-formed Association for Integrity in Accounting.

Oekom Applauds Insurers Employing SRI but Chides Rest of Sector's Non-Transparency (03/18)
Lack of transparency prevented the German corporate research firm from conducting corporate responsibility ratings on the majority of global insurance companies.

ExxonMobil Receives 23 Shareowner Resolutions on Issues Ranging from Climate Change to Corporate Governance (02/26)
Concerted shareowner action this proxy season targets ExxonMobil over such issues as its refusal to address climate change and its coupling of CEO and Chairman of the Board.

SRI Issues Will Impact Companies' Financial Performance, UK Pension Fund Trustees Say (02/25)
A recent survey finds that pension fund trustees in the United Kingdom view socially responsible investing (SRI) issues as linked to companies' future financial performance.

Carbon Disclosure Project Informs Investors of Climate Change Risks and Opportunities (02/18)
A new report finds that companies stand to gain competitive advantage by addressing climate change.

World Economic Forum Surveys CEO Attitudes Toward Corporate Citizenship (02/06)
The World Economic Forum CEO survey finds much enthusiasm but less substance in the adaptation of corporate social responsibility into core business activities.

SEC Tells Mutual Funds To Disclose Their Proxy Votes (01/24)
The Securities and Exchange Commission voted in favor of rule changes that require mutual fund companies to disclose their proxy voting policies and their actual proxy votes.

ICCR Proxy Resolutions Book Gauges Shareowner Action Climate (01/22)
In its new publication, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility rounds up the social and environmental shareowner resolutions to be voted on in the 2003 proxy season.

Global Warming Shareowner Resolution Filed at "Filthy Five" Electric Companies (01/17)
A coalition of institutional investors has filed a shareowner resolution calling on five electric power producers to report on the business risk of their greenhouse gas emissions.

SRI Gains Momentum in University and College Endowment Investments (12/04)
U.S. academic institutions are increasingly applying socially responsible investment principles, although not comprehensively.

SRI Index Fund Uses Overweighting and Underweighting to Fully Replicate S&P 500 (10/29)
Instead of screening companies in or out of the Total Social Impact Fund, this enhanced index fund concentrates its holdings in positive social and environmental performers.

Seven New SRI Mutual Funds Launched by Seminal Canadian Investment Firm (10/28)
Ethical Funds recently introduced seven new SRI mutual funds in response to investor requests and a poll that shows overwhelming support for shareowner action in Canada.

SRI Community Reaps Success in Washington (10/09)
Recent proposals from the SRI community enacted as public policy are creating momentum toward more potential legislation and regulations that support SRI goals.

IRRC to Release Corporate Governance Rating Tool (10/03)
The Investor Responsibility Research Center will launch a new scoring system for evaluating and benchmarking corporate governance performance.

The Strengths and Inadequacies of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (09/27)
Social and mainstream investors alike applaud the positive reforms instituted by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, but also point to additional reforms needed to clean up the markets.

SEC Chair Proposes Eliminating Ordinary Business Exception in Proxy Rules (09/25)
SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt proposed abolishing a rule that allows companies to exclude shareowner resolutions from their proxy statements because the resolution concerns the companies' day-to-day business.

SEC Proposal Would Require Mutual Fund Companies to Disclose Proxy Voting (09/20)
The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed rules requiring all mutual fund companies and investment advisers to disclose proxy voting guidelines and votes.

SRI Mutual Funds Continue and Enhance Corporate Governance Screening (08/29)
While the SRI industry has long screened for corporate governance criteria, the recent accounting scandals have prompted the development of more comprehensive corporate governance screens.

Matrix Plots Business Cases for Sustainability in Emerging Markets (08/06)
SustainAbility recently released a report that identifies the business benefits of practicing sustainability in emerging markets.

Investors Continue to Put Money into SRI Mutual Funds (08/01)
While U.S. diversified mutual funds are experiencing significant net outflows in response to the corporate scandals, SRI mutual funds are experiencing net inflows.

Conference to Consider the Business Case for SRI (07/29)
Institutional investors will discuss SRI at the Green Mountain SRI Summit, to be held in Stowe, Vermont in September.

South African Community Growth Fund Celebrates Tenth Anniversary (07/17)
The Community Growth Fund invests in South African companies committed to sustainable development and triple bottom line reporting.

Shareowner Vote Keeps Pension Plan an Issue with AT&T (07/16)
A resolution calling for employee choice in selecting pension plans can be resubmitted next year, and a resolution seeking to strike sexual orientation from AT&T's nondiscrimination policy is soundly defeated.

Connecticut Fights to Keep Stanley Works from Disappearing to Bermuda (07/09)
Officials from Connecticut contend that Stanley Works continues to mislead shareowners about the effects of reincorporating in Bermuda.

Three States Act to Keep Money Managers Honest (07/01)
New York, North Carolina, and California will require money management firms that handle public funds to follow guidelines that discourage conflicts of interest.

Shareowner Support for Resolutions Increases Significantly This Proxy Season (06/27)
Support for proposals concerning corporate governance as well as social and environmental issues in the 2002 proxy season is reaching record levels.

Annual Meeting Focuses Pressure on ExxonMobil (05/24)
Some shareowners and NGOs claim that ExxonMobil's environmental and social practices are hurting the company's profitability.

Two Perspectives on the Business Case for Ethical Corporate Behavior (05/17)
Robert Monks defends the business case for corporate ethics against Sir Geoffrey Chandler's recent editorial attacking the business case as amoral.

EMC Shareowners Vote for a More Independent and Diverse Board (05/15)
At the recent EMC annual meeting, a board independence resolution received majority support, while a board diversity resolution easily surpassed the SEC threshold for resubmission.

Fund Applies Socially Responsible Investing Principles to South African Markets (05/13)
Fraters Earth Equity Fund promotes positive corporate governance by engaging with the South African companies in which it invests.

Debate Continues Over Effects of CalPERS' Divestment from Emerging Market Countries (05/07)
Although CalPERS may reverse its decision to divest from the Philippines, the question of how other emerging markets will be affected by divestment remains unanswered.

Companies Skirt Disclosure of Environmental Liabilities (04/08)
New study echoes social investors' call for the SEC to strengthen its rules regarding corporate disclosure of environmental liabilities.

EMC Proxy Card Leaves Shareowner Voters in the Dark (04/03)
EMC apparently violated SEC regulations by omitting descriptions of two shareholder resolutions on its 2002 proxy card, according to proposal filers and proxy voting experts.

Survey Holds Money Managers Accountable (04/02)
A recent AFL-CIO survey may prod money managers to examine their proxy voting on labor issues, but some in the social investment community note that the interests of organized labor and social investors sometimes diverge.

SEC Chair Calls Proxy Voting a Fiduciary Duty (03/29)
In a February letter, the SEC Chair acknowledged that proxy voting is a fiduciary responsibility for all fund managers

Shareowner Resolutions Fuse Corporate Governance with Social Issues in 2002 (03/28)
A new study offers insights to how this year's proxy season is shaping up.

EMC Maintains Firewall on Its Board Diversity Efforts (01/23)
The computer hard drive giant continues to resist sharing its board diversity initiatives with investors, and now is petitioning the SEC to omit socially responsible shareowner resolutions from its proxy.

SEC Clarifies Position on Auditor Independence Resolutions (01/18)
Although the SEC rejected a shareowner resolution early in 2001 that called for shareowners to choose a company’s auditor, the SEC recognizes the relevance of the auditor independence issue to shareowners.

Consulting Firm Promotes Online Reporting of Triple Bottom Line (12/31)
SustainAbility, a British research and consultancy firm, recently released a report on how companies, their stakeholders and customers use the Internet to communicate about sustainable development.

Resolution Urges ExxonMobil to Strip Chair from its CEO, a Global Warming Naysayer (12/21)
Robert Monks' resolution claims that ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond's denial of global warming is harming the company's reputation and shareowner value.

Study Correlates Shareowner Rights with Strong Stock Price Performance (12/07)
Through the 1990s, stock in firms that preserved shareowner rights outperformed companies that bolstered management's power, according to an academic paper.

EC Adopts Sustainable and Responsible Investing with the Launch of Eurosif (12/05)
Social investment forums throughout Europe joined forces to establish Eurosif, which will centralize efforts to promote socially responsible investing on the European continent.

Shareowners Increase Social Activism Significantly in 2001 (11/28)
Research released by the Investor Responsibility Research Center reveals upward trends for shareowner activism on social issues.

Directing the Faithful Call for Corporate Social Responsibility (11/08)
An interview with Sister Patricia Wolf, executive director of ICCR, reveals how ICCR has remained a driving force in the corporate social responsibility movement and what might be in store for ICCR in the future.

Shareowners Rally to Defeat Online Annual Meeting Provision in Massachusetts (09/21)
Online annual meetings viewed as reducing shareowners' and the public's ability to hold companies responsible for their actions.

Socially Responsible Shareowner Proposals Continue to Gain Support (09/06)
The number of social issue proposals receiving at least 10 percent support in the 2001 proxy season outpaces that of recent years.

Group Invites Grantmakers to Invest with Their Values (08/22)
The Foundation Partnership for Corporate Responsibility seeks to help foundations bring their investment principles in line with their mission.

Proxy Monitor Buys ISS (08/13)
Move gives one firm significant power in influencing the proxy votes of institutional investors.

Canadian Parliament Votes to Give Socially Responsible Shareowner Proposals Equal Billing (08/02)
New law will limit corporate management’s ability to claim that a proposal “promotes a cause” and therefore should be rejected.

Book Review: The New Global Investors (07/25)
Robert Monks calls on institutional investors to exercise their rights as shareowners and hold senior managers accountable for company performance and practices.

Labor Standards Resolutions Garner Support in 2001 Proxy Season (07/11)
Ten international labor and human rights proposals that came to vote this year received 10 percent or more support from shareowners.

International Business Leaders Promote Ethical, Responsible Business Practices (06/29)
The Caux Round Table offers guidelines to promote social, environmental and economic sustainability among corporations.

Book Review: The Rise of Fiduciary Capitalism (05/30)
The fiduciaries of large institutional investors are finding it is in their interest, as shareowners, to urge corporate social responsibility.

ExxonMobil Feeling Heat on Both Sides of the Atlantic (05/17)
Shareholder resolutions and boycotts put pressure on oil giant to change its stance on global warming and embrace clean energy.

Getting Boards to Address the Triple Bottom Line (05/15)
New report proposes a set of principles and actions to assist corporate boards in addressing the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental performance.

Citigroup Shareowner Resolutions Yield Mixed Results (05/04)
Three of five resolutions achieve thresholds for resubmission next year.

Fortune Names Worst Corporate Boards (05/03)
Excessive CEO and board member pay a recurring point in the annual roster of America's worst corporate boards.

Major UK Fund Manager to Require Environmental Reporting (04/19)
Institutional investors are increasingly seeing the need for environmental disclosure.

Environmental Groups Endorse Shareholder Resolutions (04/12)
Environmental advocates ask for support for pro-environmental resolutions at a wide range of companies.

High CEO Pay Does Not Translate to Good Stock Performance (04/09)
A new report indicates that top compensation packages may even foreshadow poor short-term stock performance.

Worker Files Shareholder Resolution with United Technologies (03/29)
Shareholders will be asked to support the linking of executive pay with employee satisfaction.

California's Supreme Court to Decide Corporate Whitewash Trial (03/02)
Suit charging Nike with false advertising regarding its labor practices has implications for corporate image advertising.

Citizens Funds Makes Gains on Board Diversity (05/23)
Three shareholder resolutions meet with success, highlighting Citizens efforts to create fairer representation in corporate boardrooms.

AIG Shareholders Call for Corporate Democracy (05/17)
Three shareholder resolutions facing American International Group today called for greater independence in the insurance giant's board of directors.

Rio Tinto Shareholders Address Labor Abuses (05/10)
Two union-backed shareholder resolutions call on the European mining giant to adhere to international human rights conventions.

Disney Shareholders Get Animated About Employee Ownership (02/22)
Despite the omission of their resolution urging Disney to make all employees shareholders, activists rise to the occasion to highlight economic inequality.

Shareholders Assert that Equality is Good Business (02/15)
A collection of shareholder resolutions this year raise equality issues from the level of employees up to the board of directors.

Will Dot-com Businesses Rewrite the Rules of Corporate Governance? (01/25)
A conference hosted by IRRC draws attention to how high-tech businesses will shape, and be shaped by, the corporate governance movement.

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