Tag Archives: TheConversation

Companies Prefer Ticking Boxes to Breaking the Glass Ceiling

March 8, 2016UncategorizedASX, Catalyst Australia, companies, Corporate Governance, CSR, diversity, gender, gender equality, glass ceiling, governance, TheConversationmartijn

Research shows when there are three women on a board, as opposed to one, they are seen as individuals rather than the “female voice”. Image: Shutterstock

“Empowerment of the world’s women is a global imperative,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the 2016 World Economic Forum. Although the worldwide trend to promote equal opportunities has also impacted Australia, progress in the corporate world is slow and a change in pace is required. Improving disclosures is a good place to start.

In 2010, the ASX Corporate Governance Council made several amendments to its Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations. The most prominent change was that companies should publicly disclose the number of female directors, senior managers and total number of women in the workforce, as well as progress against diversity objectives established by the board.

New research by Catalyst Australia finds that ASX50 listed companies – Australia’s largest companies and industry leaders – tick all the gender reporting boxes. But while some progress is made concerning women on boards, facilitating the career advancement of women into executive positions remains a problem area.

Likewise, while ASX50 companies do refer to pay equity, our research finds their disclosures are limited and often do not include figures for management or the workforce.

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The Sustainability Record of Australia’s Big Banks

July 17, 2015UncategorizedAustralia, Australia and New Zealand Bank, banking, banks, Catalyst Australia, civil society, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, companies, Corporate Governance, corporate social responsibility, environment, GFC, global financial crisis, governance, National Australia Bank, regulation, Reporting, self-regulation, social, stakeholders, supervision, Sustainability, sustainable finance, The Conversation, TheConversation, Westpacmartijn

Australian companies will soon be publishing financial results, as well as information about sustainability efforts. Corporate social responsibility of the big four banks – Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac is a continuing topic of debate following recent scandals and reports of unsustainable activities. Yet according to ANZ chairman, David Gonski, Australians ought to “stop bashing the banks” for being large and profitable. This comment should put civil society on guard.

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Global supply chains link us all to shame of child and forced labour

October 30, 2014Uncategorizedchild labour, forced labour, globalisation, Martijn Boersma, supply chains, TheConversation, worker exploitation, working groupmartijn

The fragmentation of global production has dramatically increased the length and complexity of supply chains. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that more than half of the world’s manufactured imports are intermediate goods. These are used as inputs in the production of other goods, sourced from different parts of the globe.

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