When institutional shareholders famously opposed the HP/Compaq merger, we stood witness to the power of the investor in today’s organization. Shareholders have the ability to block mergers, replace board members and influence directors. However, if it comes to light that an organization has...

What organizations spring to mind when corporate social responsibility is mentioned? Perhaps you think of the Body Shop who will not sell products that are tested on animals. Or maybe you picture Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream corporation that aims to recognize “the central role that...

Although Enron & Co have left many with the belief that corporate transgression is very much a thing of the present, it is worth noting that this is not the first time that the economy has suffered due to the greed and hubris of a select few. The following tale shows that business‐related...

In the words of Business Week , we occasionally witness scandals so vast that they profoundly shock our most deeply held beliefs about the honesty and integrity of corporate conduct. There is unlikely to be a more devastatingly spectacular demonstration of this than the collapse of US energy...

Although CSR appears to be the new craze on the corporate block, history has shown that this penchant for responsibility is not necessarily as straightforward as you may think. Certainly this was the experience of Shell Oil, the global giant who (perhaps unwittingly) discovered a number of...

Ethics has become a cliché, Enron an everyday word and corporate governance an international obsession. Companies are being forced, quite rightly, by investors and the public to produce transparent financial reports, adhere to stringent employment laws and take a responsible approach to society...

At the end of 2001 a global summit conference in San Francisco aimed to address the future role of corporate social responsibility in business. As the delegates got to grips with the subject, among the challenges tabled were two that stood out clearly from the rest. These were whether CSR could...

Little more than a decade ago, Shell was a by‐word for corporate mistrust. Not only had it caused public outrage with its plans to sink the Brent Spar oilrig in the Atlantic, but the energy giant was also facing intense opposition to its activities in Nigeria (where it was perceived to be...