Can “doing good” lead to “doing well”? — A Debate on Socially Responsible Investments
Abstract
Socially responsible investments have been recognized as practical vehicles to boost global corporation’s brand image. Among different major initiatives, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a “popular” one and it essentially assigns ethical purposes to each investment and measures its societal impact and sustainability to address environmental, social and corporate governance concerns. Similar concepts can be found in the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Nonetheless, what are the actual driving forces behind this emerging movement? Is it a victory for social responsibility advocates of common welfares? Or rather, a new scheme for businesses to attract more investments? This paper aims to decode socially responsible investment mystery by deciphering different actors’ interests, analyze the movement’s financial impacts on corporation, and evaluate their outcome if possible. Essentially, this paper wants to address the question whether “doing good” can lead to “doing well”.
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