1st Edition

Looking Beyond Profit Small Shareholders and the Values Imperative

By Peggy Chiu Copyright 2009

    In this revealing book Peggy Chiu argues against the common belief that maximizing wealth is the primary concern of ordinary small shareholders when they make their share-buying decisions. This fascinating in-depth study of small shareholders provides both theoretical and empirical insights into their personal values and attitudes to corporate social responsibility (CSR). The author establishes that personal values are a major influence on decisions about the type of investments people make and about which companies they choose to invest in. Financial risk and return are far from being the only factors that determine small shareholders' investment decisions - irresponsible behaviour is not acceptable and will not attract investment from this significant group. Looking Beyond Profit is an essential book, not just for encouraging investment managers to look more closely at their environmental impacts, but for finance advisers and all concerned with corporate governance, either as practitioners, researchers, business educators or students.

    Chapter 1 How Much Do We Know About Ordinary Small Shareholders?; Chapter 2 Values for Oneself and Values for Others; Chapter 3 Dealing with Stakeholders; Chapter 4 The First Strand: Shareholders' Values; Chapter 5 The Second Strand: Qualities of Directors; Chapter 6 The Third Strand: Shareholders' CSR Concerns; Chapter 7 Merging the Three Strands; Chapter 8 Impact of Values; Chapter 9 Debunking the Ordinary-investor Stereotype; Chapter 10 Trends and Developments;

    Biography

    Peggy Chiu has been an investor, both direct and indirect, in the Hong Kong, Australian and New Zealand share markets for more than 20 years. Her extensive experience working for a funds management company in Australia contributed to her PhD at Massey University where she now teaches strategic governance.

    'Peggy has done both the investment world and the academic world a great service through this research in showing that our assumed knowledge of investment behaviour cannot be taken for granted.' David Crowther, Chair, Social Responsibility Research Network; Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility, De Montfort University, UK 'Acknowledgement and acceptance that corporations must behave in a socially responsible manner is rapidly growing across the world. Yet many managers still believe that their first priority is to their company shareholders. Economic concerns remain dominant, in spite of the growth of socially responsible investment companies. This book is timely in that it sheds new light on the ways in which individual shareholders think: Irresponsible behaviour is not acceptable and will not attract investment from this significant group. That fact should encourage managers to look more closely at their environmental and social impacts.' Professor Juliet Roper, Waikato University, New Zealand