Sustainability Inspires: How we use voting to make business better
How does voting help drive positive change and improve the performance of our clients' investments?
Governance
US$ 1.26 tn*
per year is the estimated cost to developing countries, as of 2019 - due to corruption, bribery, theft and tax evasion
11.9%**
was the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gender pay gap in 2021
96%***
of surveyed FTSE100 companies had at least one director from an ethnic minority on their Board in 2022
Championing strong corporate governance and business ethics
We believe companies adopting improving practices in corporate governance and risk management will be more successful and deliver enhanced returns to shareholders.
We also believe it is our duty to be active and engaged owners. We seek to improve the financial resilience and performance of investments; thus enhancing and preserving the value of our clients' investments.
We draw on a number of international, legal and voluntary agreements for guidance on business ethics and governance. This includes the UK Stewardship Code and our primary source is the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which reflect governments’ expectations as to how responsible businesses should act.
It’s vital that we have integrity and transparency in how we operate, building trust in both our business and sector. As an investor, this is what we expect of investee companies and it is our focus operationally. We believe that all business should have consideration of:
We also believe it is our duty to be active and engaged owners. We seek to improve the financial resilience and performance of investments; thus enhancing and preserving the value of our clients' investments.
We draw on a number of international, legal and voluntary agreements for guidance on business ethics and governance. This includes the UK Stewardship Code and our primary source is the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which reflect governments’ expectations as to how responsible businesses should act.
It’s vital that we have integrity and transparency in how we operate, building trust in both our business and sector. As an investor, this is what we expect of investee companies and it is our focus operationally. We believe that all business should have consideration of:
- Corporate governanceA supportive environment starts at the top, with ethics at the heart of an organisation’s governance.
- PayHow people are rewarded influences their behaviour.
- Prevention of bribery and corruptionOrganisations should be committed to doing business in an ethical manner by having a zero-tolerance policy on bribery and corruption.
- Treatment of employeesEmployees should be treated with respect and ethical values should drive employee culture.
- Respect for human rightsEvery human has the right to be treated with dignity whatever their race, creed or gender.
- Respect for natural capitalThe impacts on climate change and biodiversity should be a strategic priority.
View our governance and business ethics documents
Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI)
abrdn is proud to have achieved 5-star ratings across 7 of the 14 modules in the latest PRI Assessment Report, and 3-star or 4-star ratings for the remainder. The full reports are below:
Assessment report – abrdn (2023)
Public transparency report – abrdn (2023)
Source: December 2023
For insights on other research pillars
Environment - Preserving natural capital
Climate change - Enabling a net-zero world
Social - Promoting a fairer society
Cross ESG themes
Find out more about abrdn sustainable investing