Research & Reports

Think about collaborative opportunities and a holistic approach for disaster relief now.

Physical activity is widely known to decrease the risk of countless chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer. It also has a powerful impact on quality of life, mental health and well-being.

A key part of our business is to enable customers to achieve sustainable energy outcomes. In 2017, we provided energy consumers across two key segments - Residential and Small Business, and Commercial and Industrial - with access to cleaner, smarter energy choices.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global set of goals, targets and indicators that United Nations member states, and increasingly businesses, are expected to use to frame agendas and policies surrounding development. The global community has given itself until 2030 to achieve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which will require a significant contribution from the private sector and collaboration across industries.

On July 13, 2005, WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, who had been convicted of fraud and conspiracy four months earlier, was sentenced to a 25-year prison term. It was the largest accounting scandal in US history, until Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme was uncovered in 2008. I remember Ebbers’ sentencing well, because I had just joined the faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and was struck by the fact that no one was talking about it. Ebbers was a man that would have been held up as a model of success for our students, building the second-largest long-distance phone company in the country. But now he was a disgrace.

Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, has published its eleventh annual sustainability supplement. The supplement is designed to provide a comprehensive update on Ingersoll Rand’s progress on environmental, social and governance issues and how the company transforms everyday life.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) today announced the launch of its 12th annual corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report is available online at https://csr.hormelfoods.com/ and includes information about the company’s CR progress in fiscal 2017.

“We are proud of the progress we have made as a leading corporate citizen in our industry,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods, in his letter in the report.

Hormel Foods Corporation today announced the launch of its 12th annual corporate responsibility (CR) report.

The report is available online at https://csr.hormelfoods.com/ and includes information about the company’s CR progress in fiscal 2017.

“We are proud of the progress we have made as a leading corporate citizen in our industry,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods, in his letter in the report. “At Hormel Foods, we know that building social value and creating economic value are not competing goals, and we are inspired to do our part in making the world a better place."

A just-released report, “CEOs Speaking Out on Social Media,” adds yet more numbers to the argument for brands taking stands, and to the growing assumption that chief executives should take the lead. Authors Ann Charles, founder and CEO of BRANDfog, and Susan McPherson, founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, set out to examine “social media as an effective tool that enables CEOs to amplify their positions on key social issues.”

I have been asked more than once if I thought the topic of brands taking stands on the big issues of the day is a trend that will eventually run out of gas. My answer is always the same: Get used to it. This is a movement, not just a meme of the current overheated political moment.