A substantial majority of global business executives (79 per cent) surveyed believe that companies with strong corporate responsibility track records recover their reputations faster post-crisis than those with weaker records. This finding did not differ by region. The survey, Safeguarding Reputation™, was conducted in 11 markets by Weber Shandwick with KRC Research.

“Reputation recovery is increasingly driven by more than financial metrics,” said Weber Shandwick’s International Head of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Brendan May. “As social, economic and political agendas increasingly influence consumer and market issues, companies now recognise that a record of corporate responsibility can inoculate a company against long-term reputation failure. Responsibility is no longer a nice-to-have. It is now a must-have corporate mandate.”

Global business executives were also asked to rate factors that build company reputation today. Over one-half (55%) surveyed report that being recognised as committed to corporate responsibility contributes “a lot” to a company’s overall reputation. European and Asia Pacific executives were more likely than their North American counterparts to agree on the importance of corporate responsibility in driving reputation.

www.webershandwick.com/reputationRx

EABIS has recently joined a recently launced project coordinated by the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment gGmbH (IZT).

The project is called "International Research Network on Social and Environmental Aspects in Business and Management" and will run for three years. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Education.

The main purpose of the project is to establish a network of researchers of the field that serves as a platform for exchange, discussion and further development of different research activities and ideas among the partners.

The overall target of the funding programme as well as of the project is to integrate the research of the network partners stronger into the academic mainstream. In other words, the network is meant to help the network partners to better integrate their research in the area of environmental and social aspects of business and management with the mainstream academic position and by doing so strengthening both the academic record as well as the visibility of the network partner's research activities.

Besides IZT, the network includes the following partners, including 2 EABIS members (Amsterdam, Royal Holloway):

• Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR), University St Andrews, UK
• Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, USA
• Faculty of Business, University of Victoria, Canada
• Corporate Environmental Governance Programme, University of Hong Kong
• University of Amsterdam Business School (UABS), NL (Ans Kolk)
• Corporate Sustainability Management, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (KTH), SE
• Royal Holloway, University of London (UK) (Lutz Preuss)
• European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS)

EABIS will keep its members informed about the project developments.