All Articles About Financial Services

BSR Insight Article: U.S. Government Admits Fault in Madoff Investigation

Following an investigation into why the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) failed to detect the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme that stripped investors of nearly US$65 billion, SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro expressed her regret in a public statement, which also outlined how the commission will reform the way it regulates markets and protects investors. Read more →

Posted: September 8, 2009 | Topics: Financial Services, Governance & Accountability

BSR Insight Article: Winning Back the Public’s Trust in Business

Aron Cramer, President and CEO

The fall of Lehman Brothers last September triggered a collapse in financial markets, and then the real economy. It also signaled a dramatic decline in the public’s trust in business. Read more →

Posted: September 8, 2009 | Topics: Financial Services, Governance & Accountability, Reporting & Communications, Return on Investment, Stakeholder Relations, Strategy & Integration

Case Study: Visa: Aligning and Strengthening Corporate Responsibility Strategy

Visa Inc. undertook the world’s largest initial public offering (IPO) in March 2008. As one of the world’s foremost brands, Visa sought to “place a stake in the ground” as a leader in responsible business at the time of its IPO. Executives sought to create an integrated and strengthened vision of corporate responsibility to achieve greater impact—building on its existing programs in employee engagement, environmental stewardship, community relations, and philanthropy. They engaged BSR to assess the company’s existing programs, analyze strategic options, and prepare a comprehensive corporate responsibility platform. Learn more →

Posted: June 1, 2009 Topics: Financial Services, Strategy & Integration

Report: Environmental, Social and Governance: Ready for Mainstream Investing?

Understand the hurdles keeping environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria from gaining wide acceptance among mainstream investors, plus discover the potential solutions to overcoming the barriers preventing ESG progress in our latest report.  Read more →

Posted: August 8, 2008 | Topics: Financial Services, Investor Perspective | Download (PDF)

Report: Word from the Street: Water

This brief includes a set of guidelines, described in the Water & Finance Workstream of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative publication “Half Full or Half Empty?”, which companies can use to evaluate their level of risk exposure to water constraints in order to respond to the growing community of investors and financiers who are including water criteria in their investment decisions. Read more →

Posted: May 28, 2008 | Topics: Financial Services, Investor Perspective, Water | Download (PDF)