The JUST Report

How can companies do better for women and people of color?

A deadly heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, fatal flooding in western Europe and China, and more have brought fresh urgency to tackling the climate crisis.

PayPal CEO Dan Schulman and Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box to explain what they see as the most important step for attracting and retaining talent post-pandemic.

Amazon has a new CEO, Andy Jassy, as of July 5, and top of his agenda is to “Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer.” That’s a big statement – lets unpack it.

The majority of Americans believe in capitalism but want to see it improved, especially through treating workers with respect and equal opportunity.

As shareholder demand for action on human capital and DEI metrics rises, we may be entering a new worker paradigm.

As the debate rages over why millions of jobs, especially low-wage ones, have been left unfilled, the idea of lifting wages and providing good jobs has gotten relatively little attention.

Don’t be fooled. Long-term value creation for all stakeholders is best for shareholders too.

On Wednesday, an investor firm owning 0.02% of ExxonMobil stock gathered enough support to win at least two seats on the oil and gas giant’s board. The shockwaves of this outcome will reverberate throughout every boardroom in America.

PolicyLink hosted an event this week that shed light on a critical lesson that all C-suite executives need for leading through this era of stakeholder capitalism: authenticity is everything.

“How can the stakeholder model lend American corporations a competitive advantage on the world stage?” The more I ponder this, the more I realize it is in fact a defining proposition.

Companies are starting to hold each other accountable for their actions, and many of the underlying issues have distinctly bipartisan support. Take a look at two important corporate alliances coming out this week.

For corporations, bold action on climate is already a must. Net-zero commitments – essentially, a promise to balance GHGs emitted with GHGs removed and/or avoided – are everywhere.

The role of business in advancing racial equity isn’t about politics. It’s about building a bridge to a better economy and a more just society.

“The problems that are tearing at the fabric of American society require all of us – government, business and civic society – to work together with a common purpose.”

CEOs of some of America’s largest corporations have begun to voice their opposition to what they say is restrictive legislation that makes it harder for Americans to vote.

Pay equity mattered a lot to the public before the pandemic, and it matters even more now.

This week, Emmanuel Faber, one of the world’s foremost proponents of stakeholder capitalism, lost his job as CEO and chairman of Danone. The easy reaction would be to see this as a blow for proponents of the stakeholder cause. That would be a mistake.

CEOs are a notoriously optimistic bunch. But even so, their views contrast sharply with those of their workers, who have a decidedly different take on the situation.

Yesterday, acting SEC Chair Allison Herren Lee – who at the beginning of the week had said at a conference that voluntary ESG disclosure wasn’t cutting it – announced the creation of a Climate and ESG Task Force in the Enforcement division

Walmart has seen both sides of the stakeholder vs shareholder debate over the last seven days, losing $25 billion off its market cap after a mixed earnings call.

If we’re looking at what Americans want, and what our biggest corporations can provide them, the bar has to be set higher.

investors are becoming sophisticated enough to tell the difference between greenwashing and value creation…and this Exxon case proves it.

The change in administration opens up a new frontier for stakeholder capitalism. The first 100 days will be critical. 

Business and politics collided this past week – here is what the American people thought of it.