#ESG – Utkarsh Majmudar

A Just transition

Faced with the climate crisis, companies are rapidly transitioning to a green economy. However, this transition is often painful, disrupting people’s lives and livelihoods. Businesses have often gone about the transition as if “transition is assured, justice is not.” Trade unions questioned this mindset in the US in the 1990s. The concept of just transitionContinue reading “A Just transition”

Earnings Calls and ESG

Companies periodically provide financial and increasingly non-financial information to the public to reduce the information asymmetry between investors and the company. Apart from annual reports, communication takes place through three mechanisms: (a) investor’s day, (b) earnings calls and (c) guidance calls. While some companies have started ESG calls, they are not particularly common. The timeContinue reading “Earnings Calls and ESG”

Where organisations go wrong on sustainability

The climate crisis has firmly pushed organisations to be more sustainable (or ESG-centric). While many organisations have done well and are on the path to becoming sustainable, others have struggled in their endeavours. Here are some roadblocks that hinder companies from becoming sustainable. Hierarchical mindset: The organisational culture is that of obedience. Employees only doContinue reading “Where organisations go wrong on sustainability”

Profit and Purpose

In the movie Other People’s Money, an exciting debate between Larry the Liquidator (Danny Devito) and Andrew Jorgensen (Gregory Peck) highlights the current discussion of the trade-offs between profit and purpose. Larry the Liquidator insists that the prime objective of business is to make money, while Andrew Jorgensen stresses the needs of the stakeholders. CompaniesContinue reading “Profit and Purpose”

War and ESG

The Russia-Ukraine war has thrown up several issues around ESG. Given that the EU is neighbour to the warring parties, the impact of war is direct. But the war also has ramifications around the world. So let us look at some implications for ESG. Emissions: The recent IPCC report highlighted the urgency to reduce GHGContinue reading “War and ESG”