Research & Reports

As global problems seem to grow even bigger every day, so do the ideas for solutions and benchmark measurements. The UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, adopted by 193 world leaders in September, reflect the growing ambition to resolve the big problems of our time in a big way. With its 17 goals and 169 specific targets, the SDGs need businesses to join governments and NGOs and do their part to improve the world.

Legg Mason is one of the world’s largest asset management firms. We have a local presence around the globe serving individual and institutional investors across six continents. We strive to be responsible global company in the asset management business that, through investing, meaningfully impacts the lives of all the constituencies with whom we interact.

In celebration of Pro Bono Week, Taproot Foundation announces that the 2015 standard for the value of pro bono service has increased 25% to $150 per hour. The $150 valuation defines the average, per hour value of time donated by business professionals to nonprofit organizations through pro bono services including expertise in marketing, strategic planning, HR, and IT. This study was developed in partnership with CECP, a coalition of 150 CEOs of the world’s largest companies focused on societal engagement, and is based on an analysis of data included in the 2015 Salary Guides produced annually by professional staffing firm Robert Half.

Today, Deloitte University Press issued “The Freedom Ecosystem – How the Power of Partnership Can Help Stop Modern Day Slavery.” The report, a collaborative effort between Deloitte and Free the Slaves, describes how the Freedom Ecosystem can use collective action to remove conditions that allow slavery to exist. The ecosystem is a cross-section of organizations from the private sector, civil society, government, funding community, and the broader public.

Owen Smith, director, energy policy and strategy, Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (CEES) at Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, will join other thought leaders to share corporate perspectives on combating climate change at VERGE 2015 in San Jose, California. The conference runs Oct. 26-29, with Smith’s panel taking place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. PDT on Oct. 27.

Nearly 190 years of operations have informed, and transformed, CSX’s approach to citizenship. Today, the company holds a high standard of care in the communities we serve along both sides of our network’s 21,000 miles. CSX focuses its outreach efforts in four key areas that align with the business while also meeting real societal needs: safety, community, environment, and health and wellness.

In 2014, MGM Resorts employees logged 172,316 volunteer hours – the equivalent of 4,307 full-time jobs - with 850 agencies. Our employees volunteered throughout their communities in a variety of ways, including feeding the homeless in shelters, packing lunches at Ronald McDonald House and helping The Animal Foundation with pet adoptions.

The forthcoming 2015 Community Involvement Survey illustrates that many companies are addressing relevant social issues, with a prominent focus on K-12 education. The survey shows that nearly 55 percent of companies include education among their top issues for attention and investment.