LibGuides: Research Guides: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

ESG Research in FactSet

1. Use the magnifying glass at the top of the page to type in the name of a company, (ex. MGM Resorts international) If you know the ticker symbol you can also type that in.

2. Then Select 'Document Search from the white menu at the top of the page (note if document search isn't in your menu window use the grey arrows to expand the menu further right).

3. Within document search make sure your company is still selected you can type in the name in the text box under smart search, from here select research... the default timeline is for three months but that can be adjusted to include research up to 10 years old.

4. Look for MSCI ESG Research under the Contributor heading

5. You can read the report once this is highlighted, the report may be restricted to read only (downloading and printing may be disabled).

6. Next go to Filings and adjust the drop down menu to 10 years

7. Then scroll down and find the ESG window

8. Selecting a headline will bring up a document pertaining to your company's position on a particular ESG issue (ex. Human trafficking). You should be able to print or download this document.

9. Use the top banner and select Company/Security

10. Select ESG from Overviews submenu under Reports.

11. This will give you an ESG Overview, ESG Summary, Principal Adverse Impact Indicators, Management & Board Diversity, Green, Social & Sustainability Bonds, and more!

12. Example: Click on 'Excel Modeling under the Further Analysis FactSet will then load an ESG report in Excel that analyzes your company against peers and the industry average for ESG rank over time.

TruValue SASB ESG- MGM Resorts International

ESG Research in Refinitiv

1. There are multiple ways in Refinitiv to search for ESG information. The simplest is to type in the ticker symbol of the company you would like to find this information about. Select ESG from banner menu. This will bring up a list of ESG indicators with annual scores and a True/False option for each indicator.

2. The other area to look at is the Sustainability Dashboard: this will give you ESG Score Evolution, ESG Scoring Profile, Debt Issuance Flagged Sustainable, News, Emissions, Controversies and More!

3. You can also go to the Refinitiv 'Applib' and search for ESG

5. You will see the Refinitiv Applications that are ESG Related these are: Environment Social Governance (this is what we have already looked at), Sustainable Leadership Monitor, Emissions & Clean Energy Markets, Sustainable Islamic Finance, and DAVOS.

6.Sustainable Leadership Monitor

7.Emissions & Clean Energy Markets

ESG Data in Bloomberg

eBooks & Further Reading

Sustainable Enterprise Value Creation: Implementing Stakeholder Capitalism through Full ESG Integration by Richard Samans, Jane Nelson This Open Access book provides a practical guide to the creation of sustainable enterprise value and implementation of the principles of stakeholder capitalism for corporate boards and management teams. The authors argue that business leadership is on the threshold of a new era driven by major shifts in technology, society, political economy and climate change. They set this transition in international and historical context and outline a comprehensive leadership agenda for fully integrating environmental, social, governance (ESG) and data stewardship risks and opportunities into corporate governance, strategy, reporting and partnerships. This systematic approach is illustrated with good practices by leading companies and includes an explanation of how sustainability reporting is making the leap into formal accounting standards set by the same body that oversees international financial accounting standards and what companies should do to prepare. The book’s combination of scholarly analysis and practical guidance make it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to navigate the new business context, whether from the perspective of a board director, C-suite executive, manager, policymaker, scholar or student. This is an open access book.
ISBN: 9783030935603
Publication Date: 2022
Sustainability Accounting and Accountability by Matias Laine; Helen Tregidga; Jeffrey Unerman; Jan Bebbington (Editor); Brendan O'Dwyer (Editor) Sustainability accounting and accountability is fundamental in the pursuit of low-carbon and less unsustainable societies. Highlighting that accounting, organisations and economic systems are intertwined with sustainability, the book discusses how sustainability accounting and accountability broaden the spectrum of information used in organisational decision-making and in evaluating organisational success. The authors show how sustainability accounting can prove to be transformative, but only if critical questions are sufficiently addressed. This new and completely rewritten edition provides a comprehensive overview of sustainability accounting and accountability. Relevant global context and key concepts are outlined providing the reader with the conceptual resources to engage with the topic. Drawing on the most recent research and topical practical insights, the book discusses a wide variety of sustainability accounting and accountability topics, including management accounting and organisational decision-making, sustainability reporting frameworks and practices, as well as ESG-investments, financial markets and risk management. The book also highlights the role accounting has with key sustainability issues through dedicated chapters on climate, water, biodiversity, human rights and economic inequality. Each chapter is supplemented with practical examples and academic reading lists to allow in-depth engagement with the key questions. Sustainability Accounting and Accountability walks the reader through a spectrum of themes which are essential for all accountants and organisations. It helps the reader to understand why our traditional accounting techniques and systems are not sufficient for navigating the contemporary sustainability challenges our societies are facing. This key book will be an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate instructors and students, as an entry point to sustainability accounting and accountability, as well as being a vital book for researchers.
ISBN: 9781003185611
Publication Date: 2021-07-20

Reports & Academic Articles

Activist Pressure and Firm Compliance with ESG Disclosure Policy: Experimental Evidence from the U.K. Modern Slavery Act
Many corporate ESG disclosure regulations rely on private activist pressure to enforce compliance, but relatively little is known about its effectiveness. We present results from a field experiment testing the effect of various types of pressure from a leading human rights NGO on subsequent corporate compliance with the U.K. Modern Slavery Act of 2015, a law requiring disclosure of actions taken to address human rights issues. Sending firms a letter describing their legal ESG disclosure obligations had an unexpected effect of reducing rather than increasing compliance. This effect was partly mitigated for firms whose letter additionally included a list of already compliant firms, the mitigating effect being greatest when this list of peers was drawn from the same geographic location as the targeted firm.
MNEs and human rights: from responsibilities to rights to governance
This paper aims to explore the links between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and human rights abuses and review the development of international business (IB) and human rights initiatives. Arguing that the focus of the business and human rights debate has shifted from responsibility to rights, and subsequently to governance, it proposes a framework for analysing IB and human rights governance issues in the context of social value creation.
Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from France
This study analyzes how the board’s characteristics could be associated with globally corporate social responsibility CSR and specific areas of CSR. It is drawn on all listed firms, in 2016, on the SBF120 between 2003 and 2016. Our results provide strong evidence that diversity in boards and diversity of boards globally are positively associated with corporate social performance. However, they influence differently specific dimensions of CSR performance. First, we show that large boards are positively associated with all areas of CSR performance, while specific and overall CSR scores are negatively associated with CEO-chair structures. Second, board gender diversity is positively associated with human rights and corporate governance dimensions. Third, age diversity is positively associated with corporate governance, human resources, human rights, and environmental activities. Also, our results provide evidence that outside directors care about CSR performance. Specifically, the presence of foreign directors is positively associated with environmental performance and community involvement, whereas CSR-Governance dimension is positively associated with the presence of independent directors. Regarding the director’s educational level, post-graduated directors are positively and significantly associated with overall CSR score and all CSR sub-scores, except the corporate governance one. When directors have multiple directorships, they are more concerned about human resources, environmental performance, and business ethics. Finally, our findings are robust only in non-family firms. In fact, family boards are less diverse than non-family ones; specifically, they have a lower number of independent, foreign, and high-educated directors.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES IN RELATION TO THE ESG REPORTING
Over the last decade, there has been an increasing emphasis on corporate social responsibility in business. The idea has evolved from CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) to ESG Reporting (Environment, Social, Governance), with the latest trends developing towards a green transition. This genesis of development has been followed by corporate practice and legislation at European and national levels. Consequently, ESG and Green Transition guidelines have been incorporated into the liabilities and duties of the management and supervisory bodies of the company, resulting in a new view of the performance of these functions and their accountability. In this paper, the authors outline the basic postulates and roles of corporate governance bodies and their respective responsibilities for the implementation of ESG and the Green Transition. Sustainability as a value is highlighted in the EU and companies are committed to respecting human rights and reducing their impact on the planet. However, progress by companies (corporates) in integrating sustainability into their governance processes, in particular human rights and environmental due diligence, is still slow, and progress is visible with the drafting of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDD) as a follow-up to the Directive 2014/95/EU (NFRD). The new rules are intended to provide companies with legal certainty and a level playing field. It should provide greater transparency for consumers and investors and should accelerate the green transition and protect human rights in Europe and beyond. These tasks are directly linked to the responsibilities of the authorities in society, who will have to respect these rules and be held accountable for failing to enforce them or for failing to achieve a transfer of capital to the green transition.
Human Rights, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Fortune Companies
Human rights and its relationships with businesses such as Fortune Companies are reviewed in light of their corporate social responsibility. Fortune Companies’ commitments to society and the implementation of their “corporate social responsibility”(CSR) are examined. Fortune Companies focus on three areas of human rights–forced labor, human trafficking, and the trade in conflict minerals. This article discusses Fortune Companies’ challenges and opportunities, reviews the three areas of human rights reported by Fortune Companies, proposes a transparent reporting structure, and calls for compassion and the inclusion of other human rights issues in the annual reporting of Fortune Companies
Diversity of Board of Directors and Environmental Social Governance: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies
This study investigates the association between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure and diversity of the board of directors (BoD) in Italian listed companies. Diversity of BoD in terms of gender diversity, CSR committees, board average, and independent directors are examined as to their influence on voluntary ESG disclosure. This rating is highly relevant to managers and investors considering ESG issues in their decision-making process. The factors that drive or hinder ESG disclosure are gaining importance. Despite the relevance of the topic, in Italy there is a scarce amount of literature regarding diversity in the BoD. The data set includes ESG data for more than 54 Italian companies for the period 2011–2014. The results indicate that firm’s CSR disclosure is associated with independent director and committee CSR. In addition, women on BoDs is negatively correlated while the age of the board is not significant. Based on this study, shareholders and policymakers will have a deeper knowledge on the significant roles that board diversity is playing as a determinant of ESG disclosure.

Research Guides: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)

Recent News

ESG Research in FactSet

ESG Research in Refinitiv

ESG Data in Bloomberg

eBooks & Further Reading

Reports & Academic Articles