The importance of corporate responsibility
A white paper from the Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Oracle
The importance of corporate responsibility
Preface
The importance of corporate responsibility is an Economist Intelligence Unit white paper, sponsored by Oracle. The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for this report. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s editorial team executed the surveys, conducted the interviews and wrote the report. The findings and views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor. Justin Doebele is the author of the report. Our research drew on two main initiatives: We conducted two global online surveys on the topic of corporate responsibility in October 2004. One survey of senior executives gathered 136 respondents. The other of institutional investors received 65 responses. To supplement the survey results, we also conducted 17 in-depth interviews with senior executives and analysts. Mr. Kevin Money of the John Madejski Centre for Reputation at Henley Management College in the UK advised in the initial stages. Our thanks are due to all survey respondents and interviewees for their time and insights. January 2005
© The Economist Intelligence Unit 2005
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The importance of corporate responsibility
Executive summary
C
orporate Responsibility (CR) has emerged as a significant theme in the global business community and is gradually becoming a mainstream activity, according to a new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, in cooperation with Oracle Corporation. The growing emphasis on corporate responsibility is affecting the relationship between companies and their various stakeholders, such as investors, customers, vendors, suppliers, employees, communities and governments. In October 2004 we conducted an online survey of corporate executives around the world and a separate online survey of institutional investors, asking them to assess the importance of...