"Marriage is intimate. Marriage is hard": sober thoughts for a time when movies and television tell us that love is supposed to be romantic and fun. In this eclectic blend of playful and earnest storytelling, social commentary, and fierce argument, Kurt Armstrong offers an up-close look at real-life marriage and the countless ways it differs from what the advertisers tell us it should be. With wisdom, wit, and profound honesty, he explores the aching beauty of love, the ongoing struggle to maintain vows, and the reality of death as the finishing line of covenant. "Even if love one day fills my heart full of grief," says Armstrong, "it is still the only thing worth living for." This moving, honest, heartfelt look at real-life marriage will strike a chord with single men and women, young couples, and seasoned veterans of married life.
This volume breaks new ground by approaching Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) as an explicitly ethical practice in financial markets. The work explains the philosophical and practical shortcomings of ’long term shareholder value’ and the origins and conceptual structure of SRI, and links its pursuit to both its deeper philosophical foundations and the broader, multi-dimensional global movement towards greater social responsibility in global markets. Interviews with fund managers in the Australian SRI sector generate recommendations for better integrating ethics into SRI practice via ethically informed engagement with invested companies, and an in-depth discussion of the central practical SRI issue of fiduciary responsibility strengthens the case in favour of SRI. The practical and ethical theoretical perspectives are then brought together to sketch out an achievable ideal for SRI worldwide, in which those who are involved in investment and business decisions become part of an ’ethical chain’ of decision makers linking the ultimate owners of capital with the business executives who frame, advocate and implement business strategies. In between there are investment advisors, fund managers, business analysts and boards. The problem lies in the fact that the ultimate owners are discouraged from considering their own values, or even their own long term interests, whilst the others often look only to short term interests. The solution lies in the latter recognising themselves as links in the ethical chain.
The authors have done an excellent job explaining the development and practice of Socially Responsible Investment (SRI). Under the recent recognition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia and its strong emphasis by US and European corporations, this book provides important guidance to students and professionals who are interested in the effects and implications of SRI. This book is truly informative and should be on the reading list of all fund managers and CFOs of international corporations which are serious about CSR. Louis T.W. Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Individual investors and corporate heads have the responsibility to keep abreast of major changes in the marketplace. Socially responsible investment is one of those changes. Fung, Law and Yau provide, in a single source, a great opportunity to get up to date on an area that will be a force for years to come. I encourage any thoughtful investor or manager to read this book. Thomas Schneeweis, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US Socially responsible investment (SRI) is becoming increasingly popular and can be potentially rewarding to all parties concerned. This book discusses the opportunities, challenges, and practices of SRI in a global financial environment in a consistent and integrated framework of risk management. It also covers a wide variety of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues related to various participants, such as values-based retail, institutional investors, corporations, banks, supranational agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Readers are provided with the perspectives of SRI from various players in the financial community from values-based investors to fiduciaries to supranational agencies. The authors analyse the incorporation of ESG issues into investment practices within a regulatory, legal, reputational, and operational risk management framework. Academics, corporate executives, government regulators and policymakers, bankers, and non-governmental organizations involved with sustainable development will find much of interest in this book.
"Paul Tice delivers a body-blow to the predations of the ESG-industrial-complex." —Mark P. Mills, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute Over the past few years, sustainable investing—which is based on the theory that subjective environmental, social and governance or ESG factors should drive corporate policy and investment decisions—has swept across Wall Street, spurred on by the United Nations, sovereign governments and financial regulators and cheered on by academics, environmental activists, social justice warriors and the media. To date, there has been little public resistance or analytical pushback as the ESG orthodoxy has integrated itself into almost every corner of the financial markets. By 2030, the iron curtain of sustainability will have fully descended across Wall Street. Race to Zero is meant to provide a detailed rebuttal to the case for sustainable investing from the perspective of a long-time Wall Street analyst and investor and latter-day finance professor. Sustainable investing is a scam because it is not about generating excess returns for investors or furthering ethical goals such as improving society or saving the planet; rather, it is about controlling the world’s financial system and determining the allocation of capital and investment flows across the markets. It is liberal progressive politics masquerading as finance whose objective is to create a compliant corporate sector that serves as both Greek chorus and funding source for the environmental and social causes championed by government and the elite class. This book is designed to expose this truth in plain-spoken language—free of financial jargon—to reach the widest possible audience, including the silent majority on Wall Street now afraid to speak up about ESG.
The Shared Value Debate. Academic Visions on Corporate Sustainabilityis the first issue of the Enel Foundation series ŇAcademic VisionsÓ. Sixteen scholars, belonging to universities and research centres located in different countries around the globe, are the authors of short papers that resume their findings and visions on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The volume offers a view on the current academic debate, increasingly focused on the new role that corporate dynamics play in the global scenario, and allows the emergence of the wide variety of perspectives on the core set of issues brought up by the shared value logic. The authors, aware of the growing importance and influence of these issues on future society, deal with key concepts and ideas on the role that Environmental, Social and Governance principles and actions have in shaping the new business model for the incoming years. Reflecting both scientific interests and geographical peculiarities, every article will introduce the readers to a specific issue and peculiar point of view on CSR debate. In the resulting picture, the shared value logic appears as a powerful combination of conceptual wisdom, albeit not all generated by its proponents, and managerial insight, that contributes to diffuse and evolve a new way of conceiving the business enterprise.
The topic of ‘stranded assets’ created by environment-related risk factors has risen up the agenda dramatically, influencing many pressing topics in relation to global environmental change. For example: how best to manage the exposure of investments to environment-related risks so that financial institutions can avoid stranded assets; the financial stability implications of stranded assets and what this means for macroprudential regulation, microprudential regulation, and financial conduct; reducing the negative consequences of stranded assets by finding ways to address unemployment, lost profits, and reduced tax income; internalising the risk of stranded assets in corporate strategy and decision-making, particularly in carbon intensive sectors susceptible to the effects of societal action on climate change; underpinning arguments by civil society campaigns attempting to secure rapid decarbonisation to reduce the scale of anthropogenic climate change; and designing decarbonisation plans developed by governments, as well as companies and investors. Taken as a whole, this book provides some of the latest thinking on how stranded assets are relevant to investor strategy and decision-making, as well as those seeking to understand and influence financial institutions. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment.
The Cambridge Handbook of Institutional Investment and Fiduciary Duty is a comprehensive reference work exploring recent changes and future trends in the principles that govern institutional investors and fiduciaries. A wide range of contributors offer new perspectives on the dynamics that drive the current emphasis on short-term investment returns. Moreover, they analyze the forces at work in markets around the world which are bringing into sharper focus the systemic effects that investment practices have on the long-term stability of the economy and the interests of beneficiaries in financial, social and environmental sustainability. This volume provides a global and multi-faceted commentary on the evolving standards governing institutional investment, offering guidance for students, researchers and policy-makers interested in finance, governance and other aspects of the contemporary investment world. It also provides investment, business, financial media and legal professionals with the tools they need to better understand and respond to the new financial market challenges of the twenty-first century.
Build wealth through real estate Real Estate Investing All-in-One For Dummies will show new and seasoned real estate investors how to make smart decisions. With seven books in one, this complete resource will teach you how to purchase real estate, flip houses, invest in commercial real estate and foreclosures, sell your house, buy real estate internationally, and more. We even explain the ins and outs of short-term rentals like Airbnb, so all your passive income options are covered. With this book, you can start investing in real estate quickly and easily, thanks to user-friendly information and expert tips that will help you avoid costly mistakes. It’s your one-stop resource for all things real estate. Learn how to buy and sell real estate, including how to find the best deals Determine whether flipping houses or short-term rental management is for you Maximize your earnings and minimize your tax bill in real estate investment Extend your reach outside the United States by investing in real estate globally This is the perfect Dummies guide for amateur real estate investors who need a hand getting started, and for seasoned investors looking to up their game with commercial, international, and other investment strategies.
'This book makes a significant contribution to the literature on natural resource law and governance by engaging specifically with the issues arising in the African region. It covers a wide spectrum of issues that are key to the sustainable use of natural resources in the region, thus making it an important resource for anyone interested in natural resource governance and economic development in the African region.' – Philippe Cullet, University of London, UK This well-researched book covers a wide spectrum of important issues that are central to investment in natural resources and ultimately, economic development of Africa. Francis Botchway and the expert contributors analyse the relationships between good governance and resource management, as well as the existing commercial and financial agreements. The environmental implication of resource exploitation and the international dimensions of the industry are also explored in this insightful study. Each comprehensive and concise contribution highlights the importance of transparency and equity in investment and management of natural resources. Natural Resource Investment and Africa's Development is essential material for scholars and students of development, environmental law, international economic law and dispute resolution, as well as any international investor in natural resources.
There is a deep dysfunction in the way we talk about oil and mining. Battles over oil and mining developments in New Zealand are fierce and polarised. Often presented as a simple trade-off between conservation or quick profit, the debate leaves little space for discussion across ideological divides. The Ground Between provides a rare account from someone who has worked within this contested arena. Drawing on his experience with local and international mining companies, governments and NGOs, Sefton Darby reflects frankly on the state of resource extraction in New Zealand. Seeking to reset the debate within a global context, this book is ultimately about how we – as a country – make decisions around contentious issues.
