Most investment today is conducted by a relatively small number of institutional investors – pension funds and investment managers – who manage the pensions and saving funds of millions of ordinary people. The manner in which these institutional investors invest and discharge their responsibilities as the owners of companies is, therefore, of critical importance to society as a whole. In recent years, some of the biggest institutional investors have actively encouraged companies to improve their management of social, ethical and environmental issues. A number have also sought to explicitly analyse companies' performance on these issues and to incorporate this analysis into investment decision-making. These activities have contributed to important changes: a number of companies have committed to stabilising or reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their activities and operations, labour conditions in many retail supply chains have improved significantly, and many companies have significantly improved their governance of corporate responsibility issues. However, to date, there has been little systematic analysis of fundamental questions such as: Do responsible investment strategies systematically result in improvements in the social, ethical and environmental performance of companies? To what extent is it in investors' interest to encourage higher standards of corporate responsibility? Do responsible investment strategies enhance financial performance for investors? In this ground-breaking collection, Rory Sullivan and Craig Mackenzie have brought together some of the leading practitioners and commentators in the field of responsible investment to explore these questions. The contributors to this book present their views on the practicalities of implementing responsible investment strategies, the outcomes that have been achieved, the practical issues and barriers faced in implementing such strategies, and the challenges to be faced if responsible investment is to become a mainstream investment approach. The results are both unique and surprising. This book will be mandatory reading for all those involved in the field of social and environmentally responsible investment, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility whether they be academics, researchers or practitioners.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Pensions Reform, UK   Part I: Introduction and background1. Introduction Rory Sullivan and Craig Mackenzie, Insight Investment, UK  2. The scope for investor action on corporate social and environmental impacts Craig Mackenzie, Insight Investment, UK  3. A historical perspective on the growth of socially responsible investment Russell Sparkes, Chief Investment Officer, Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church, UK Part II: Enhanced investment analysis and decision-making4. Does a focus on social, ethical and environmental issues enhance investment performance? Rory Sullivan, Craig Mackenzie and Steve Waygood, Insight Investment, UK  5. Integrated investment analysis: Investment implications of the REACH regulation Steve Waygood, Insight Investment, UK, and Steffen Erler, Walter Wehrmeyer and Harish Jeswani, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, UK  6. Morley Fund Management’s approach to investment integration Ronnie Lim, Morley Fund Management, UK  7. Integrating governance, social, ethical and environmental issues into the corporate bond investment process Kerry ten Kate and Andy Evans, Insight Investment, UK  8. HIV/AIDS: Economic implications for the Southern African mining industry Simon Toyne, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, UK  9. The Goldman Sachs Energy ESG Index: Integrating environmental, social and governance factors into energy industry analysis Sarah Forrest, Anthony Ling and Jonathan Waghorn, Goldman Sachs, UK  10. Sustainable investment research: Innovest Strategic Value Advisors Matthew Kiernan, Innovest, USA  11. SAM’s approach to measuring and valuing corporate sustainability performance Gabriela Grab Hartmann and Thilo Goodall, SAM Sustainable Asset Management  12. Communicating risks to pension fund trustees: The UKSIF sector notes project Meg Brown, UKSIF, UK Part III: Shareholder activism13. Shareholder activism on social, ethical and environmental issues: An introduction Rory Sullivan and Craig Mackenzie, Insight Investment, UK  14. Universities Superannuation Scheme: Implementing responsible investment Peter Casson, University of Southampton, UK, and David Russell, USS, UK  15. Henderson Global Investors: Engagement and activism Rob Lake, Henderson Global Investors, UK  16. Insight’s approach to activism on corporate responsibility issues Craig Mackenzie and Rory Sullivan, Insight Investment, UK  17. The role of activism in responsible investment: The FTSE4Good indices Will Oulton, CRG Advisory Services, UK  18. Measuring the effectiveness of investor engagement: GSK and developing-country access to essential medicines Steve Waygood, Insight Investment, UK Part IV: Perspectives on responsible investment19. The universal owner’s role in sustainable economic development James P. Hawley and Andrew T. Williams, Saint Mary’s College of California, USA  20. Companies run in shareholders’ long-term interests also serve society’s long-term interests Robert Monks, Lens Governance Advisors, USA, and Allen Sykes, UK  21. Why socially responsible investment requires more risk for companies rather than more engagement Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK  22. SRI analysts: is it time to bring them in from the cold? Ralph Edmondson and Adrian Payne, British American Tobacco, UK  23. Exerting influence: engagement or best-in-class? Andy Wales, Severn Trent plc, UK  24. Engaging with investors: from values to value Chris Tuppen, BT, UK  25. Workers’ capital: promoting trade union concerns through investment Tom Powdrill, Trades Union Congress, UK  26. Pharma Futures: investor analysis of the future of the pharmaceutical sector Sophia Tickell, Pharma Futures, UK  27. Evaluation and research of SRI managers Emma Whitaker, Mercer Investment Consulting, UK  28. Why should investors care about responsible investment? Yusuf Samad, Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow, UK  29. A critical perspective on activism: Views from a pension fund professional Raj Thamotheram, USS, UK  30. Shaping the market: investor engagement in public policy Nick Robins, Henderson Global Investors, UK  31. Harnessing investors to support the implementation of health and safety public policy Steve Waygood and Rory Sullivan, Insight Investment, UK, and Alan Morley, Health and Safety Executive, UK Part V: Discussion and conclusions32. The practice of responsible investment Rory Sullivan and Craig Mackenzie, Insight Investment, UK  33. Looking forwards Craig Mackenzie and Rory Sullivan, Insight Investment, UK