As companies communicate more about environmental and social topics, they also face scrutiny about their actions and impacts. Where there is a perceived disconnect between statements of intent and actual activities, accusations of greenwashing soon follow. According to Corporate Affairs professionals, just over one in five organizations have been accused of greenwashing in the past. This is particularly common among respondents in Europe (32%) and the consumer products/retail sectors (41%). Source: Oxford-GlobeScan Global Corporate Affairs Survey 2022, n=221, 2022
Oxford and GlobeScan convened a panel and roundtable discussion on 8 December with members of the Oxford-GlobeScan Global Corporate Affairs Council. The event featured some global public opinion insights on the shifting expectations of the global public regarding the Climate Agenda by Chris Coulter, GlobeScan CEO, and perspectives from Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Head of Corporate Affairs & Chief Sustainability Officer, Reckitt, on experiences at and key takeaways from COP26. The session was moderated by Rupert Younger, Director, Oxford University Centre for Corporate … “Impact of COP26 on the Corporate Affairs Function”
A majority of Corporate Affairs professionals – nearly three-quarters – feel that their company is interested in taking a public advocacy position on issues. This view is shared by experts across industries, with a stronger appetite for corporate activism in the food, agriculture, and forestry sector (80%). Those in financial and professional services perceive a slightly lower interest in corporate activism from their organizations (67%). This suggests that companies are increasingly aware of their role in managing global challenges and … “Insight of the Week: Corporate Affairs Professionals Indicate an Appetite for Activism Among Companies”
Insight of the Week: Corporate Affairs Professionals Perceive Growing Trust Among Their Stakeholders
Four in ten Corporate Affairs professionals now feel they are building stakeholder trust that their business operates in society’s best interest, a significant increase from a year ago. This could be due in part to positive feedback companies have received as a result of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Heightened trust in business may also indicate the successes of stakeholder engagement in working to better understand societal and environmental impacts. Data source: Oxford-GlobeScan Global Corporate Affairs Survey Report 2021
ESG also Dominates the List of Corporate Affairs Functional Priorities 15th July 2021 – ESG performance tops the list of Corporate Affairs risk priorities globally for organisations (46%), according to a new survey report launched today by the University of Oxford and GlobeScan. Corporate Affairs experts point to climate change as the most-pressing ESG issue for global businesses over the next two years followed by net zero / carbon emissions and inequality in society. Pandemic management (32%) is the second-highest … “Report: ESG Performance Tops List of Corporate Affairs Risk Priorities Globally for Organisations”
As part of a new Global Corporate Affairs partnership, Oxford University and GlobeScan are working together to help senior executives and corporate affairs leaders around the world to develop the contribution and improve the impact of the corporate affairs function. In our inaugural Oxford-GlobeScan Global Corporate Affairs Survey 2020, we captured the views of Corporate Affairs Professionals on issues and themes of relevance to the function. Key research findings are summarized below. Most Pressing Global Risks to Business The most pressing … “Report: Delivering Enhanced Insights to Help Corporate Affairs Professionals Improve the Impact of the Corporate Affairs Function”
The risk environment that faces global business is usually well mapped, from an operations perspective. Yet, this operational readiness masks a lack of preparedness in front of other types of external risks – ones that are more unpredictable and macro-societal in nature. On March 21, Christophe Guibeleguiet (co-CEO) and Lionel Bellier (Associate Director) from GlobeScan, and special guest Cécile Duprez-Naudy, Global Advocacy Lead at Nestlé hosted ‘Building Social Capital in a Volatile and Uncertain World’: an engaging 30-minute webinar discussion around … “Espresso Webinar Recap | Building Social Capital in a Volatile and Uncertain World”
The uncertain landscape in which businesses operate has become increasingly susceptible to the risk of social polarization. Once solely the remit of government authorities, responding to social polarization is now also likely to become part of business responsibilities. In a recent GlobeScan survey, 92 percent of corporate affairs practitioners see social polarization as representing at least a moderate risk to business in general, and nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) see it as a great risk. Although corporate affairs practitioners are increasingly … “What Can Business Do to Address Social Polarization?”
The risk environment that faces global business is usually well mapped, from an operations perspective. Yet, this operational readiness masks a lack of preparedness in front of other types of external risks – ones that are more unpredictable and macro-societal in nature. On March 21 at 12 pm EST / 4 pm GMT, we invite you to join Christophe Guibeleguiet (co-CEO), Femke de Man (Director), and Lionel Bellier (Associate Director) from GlobeScan, and special guest Cécile Duprez-Naudy, Global Advocacy Lead … “Upcoming Espresso Webinar | Building Social Capital in a Volatile and Uncertain World”
The impacts of political, economic, and social instability are dominating the external environment in which companies operate. Among growing material risks, social polarisation is now emerging as a core area that companies need to prioritise, with nearly seven in ten corporate professionals viewing it as a great risk to business. The potential risks of a polarised society are manifold, but three main areas emerge as being highly associated with polarisation: instability, greater economic inequality and slowdown, and eroding trust. In … “Social Polarisation: Insights from Corporate Professionals – Spanish Report”