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Management practices in Australasian ethical investment products: a role for regulation?

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  • Matthew Haigh
  • James Guthrie

Abstract

This paper adds to the literatures on socially responsible investment (SRI), investment management, regulation of financial services and social accounting by providing a comprehensive survey of investment methods used in SRI products and regulated social reporting in financial services. Australian and New Zealand regulations require issuers of self‐declarative SRI products to provide details on methods used in portfolio construction. Regulators' objectives to standardize the reporting of portfolio construction and thus improve its comparability were identified by examination of parliamentary debates and other public reports. Portfolio construction styles of 86 SRI products managed by 63 financial institutions in Australia and New Zealand were chosen for analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted to identify associations between styles, construction methods and assessment techniques over a four‐year period: 2004–2007. These aspects were further examined in 18 case studies. Over the period, diversity and intensity of construction methods had increased both within and between investment managers. The non‐standard nature of management consultation used in SRI products, marketing needs to distinguish rather than standardize investment methods and the types of information thought relevant to clients did not reconcile easily with the types of information required by regulation. The more recent products in the sample tended to reference market indexes in portfolio construction, separate social considerations from financial considerations and delegate qualitative assessments of invested companies. Consumer policy implications arise from questions bearing on the integrity of information attached to investment products and the effective monitoring of delegated investment processes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew Haigh & James Guthrie, 2010. "Management practices in Australasian ethical investment products: a role for regulation?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(3), pages 147-163, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:19:y:2010:i:3:p:147-163
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.613
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    2. José F. Molina‐Azorín & María D. López‐Gamero, 2016. "Mixed Methods Studies in Environmental Management Research: Prevalence, Purposes and Designs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 134-148, February.
    3. El-Mehdi Barca, 2015. "Familiarity of Algerian Investors with Socially Responsible Investment (SRI)," International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, Inovatus Services Ltd., vol. 1(4), pages 73-85, March.
    4. Riikka Sievänen & Hannu Rita & Bert Scholtens, 2017. "European Pension Funds and Sustainable Development: Trade‐Offs between Finance and Responsibility," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 912-926, November.
    5. Felipe Arias Fogliano de Souza Cunha & Erick Meira de Oliveira & Renato J. Orsato & Marcelo Cabus Klotzle & Fernando Luiz Cyrino Oliveira & Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado, 2020. "Can sustainable investments outperform traditional benchmarks? Evidence from global stock markets," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 682-697, February.
    6. Martin Gold, 2010. "Fiduciary Finance," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13813.

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