Chapter 4: Social factors Flashcards
What are social megatrends?
Long-term social changes that affect governments, societies, and economies permanently over a long period of time:
- Globalization
- Automation and Artificial Intelligence
- Inequality and wealth creation
- Digital disruption, social media and access to electronic devices
- Changes to work, leisure and education
- Changes to individual rights, responsibilities and family structures
- Changing demographics, including health and longevity
- Urbanisation
- Religion
Where should investors start when they decide to implement social factors in their investment decisions?
- Determine which social factors are most controversial or financial material in each sector
- Assess exposure of companies to these sector-specific factors - depending on business model, location, operations
- Assess social factors in supply chain
What are the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and what issues do they address?
- Governmental-backed recommendations (voluntary standards and principles) on responsible investment conduct in areas such as
l Employment and industrial relations
l Human rights
l Environment
l Information disclosure
l Combating bribery
l Consumer interests
l Science and technology
l Competition
I Taxation
What are Corporate Human Rights Benchmarks?
- Governance and policy commitments
- Embedding and respecting human rigthts in due diligence
- Remedies and grievances systems
- Performance of companies human rights practices
- Response to serious allegations
- Transparency
What are the International Labor Rights?
- Freedom of association and protection of right to organise
- Right to organise and collective bargaining
- Abolition of forced labour
- Minimum age
- Child labour
- Equal renumeration
- Discrimination
- Nothing on living wage
What does Free Prior Informed Consent mean in practice?
- Way to establish bottom up participation
A company that plans to develop on ancestral land or use resources of a territory owned by indigenous people should establish FPIC.- FREE - No coercion of indigenous people - PRIOR - Consent is sought sufficiently in advance of any activity - INFORMED - Satisfactory information on key points of the project, including § Nature § Size § Pace § Reversibility § Scope § Reason § Duration - CONSENT - Process in which participation and consolations are central pillars
What is product liability?
- Legal responsibility of business or manufacturer selling defective goods
l Design flaws
l Manufacturing defects
I Failure to warn of possible danger
What is consumer protection?
- Refer to laws and other forms of government regulation designed to protect rights of consumers
l Product safety
l Distributing consumer-related information
I Preventing deceptive marketing
What are the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?
- First global for preventing and addressing the risk of human rights linked to business activity
- Three Pillars how states and business should implement the framework
1. The state’s duty to protect human rights
2. Corporate responsibility to respect human
rights
3. Access to remedy for victims of business
related abuses
What are likely impacts of social factors that should be taken into consideration for company assessment?
- Ratio analysis and financial modelling
l Health and safety violations can result in
fines and liabilities
l Poor human capital management can lead
to greater operating costs and high turn-
over
l Supply chain issues can impact brand
reputation
l Protest can lead to local disruptions
I Poor working condition can lead to poorer
product safety
Why is social materiality assessment important?
Not all countries, sectors and companies are affected equally by the different social megatrends and social factors
What are internal social factors?
- Human resources
- Health and safety
- Human rights
- Labour rights
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
- Corporate Human rights Benchmark
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
rights
What are external social factors?
- Stakeholder opposition
- Controversial sourcing
- Free Prior Informed Consent
- Product liability
- Consumer protection
- Social opportunities
- Animal Welfare
- Anti-microbial resistance
What is the FAIRR Initiative?
Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return
- Focused & engaged on risks and opportunities linked to intensive livestock production
- Focuses on increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance due to intensive farming practices and poor antibiotic stewardship
Which human rights guidelines / principles have a direct impact on companies and investors?
1) United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)
2) OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)