In spring 2019, the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University surveyed 209 CEOs and CFOs of companies included in the S&P 1500 Index to understand the role that stakeholder interests play in long-term corporate planning.
Key Findings:
- CEOs are divided on whether stakeholder initiatives are a cost or benefit to the company.
- Companies tout their efforts but believe the public doesn’t understand them.
- Institutional investors, such as Blackrock, advocate for companies to play a more central role, but have little impact.