個案總覽

Erik Osmundsen, CEO of Norsk Gjenvinning (NG), had initiated a program to strengthen corporate governance, eliminate corruption and improve compliance, and as a result the company had experienced a turnover of almost half of its top 70 line managers and strained relations with several competitors and the waste management industry association. Osmundsen had relentlessly pushed an agenda that involved transforming and professionalizing the waste management industry to mitigate instances of corruption and other crimes. Osmundsen was convinced that his turnaround strategy and change management process would be effective. Having brought employees on board, he was planning to relentlessly engage customers, regulators, and security agencies to drive transformational change within the industry. It was still unclear though how fast customer demand for robust compliance programs would affect the competitive dynamics. How should NG go about convincing its customers? What could NG learn from companies in other industries that have relied on customer support to shift to responsible business practices? Did competitors that maintain non-compliant practices have an Achilles heel that NG could exploit? To what degree should NG drive change on its own in order to achieve customer differentiation vs. collaborate with competitors to bring the whole industry on board? What other mechanisms existed to level the playing field if NG did not succeed in convincing the customers?

The case describes the decision of Omar Selim to set up Arabesque as an independent organization and how he organized Arabesque to use both financial and environmental, social and governance (ESG) data in order to deliver performance for its clients. Supplement to case 115021.

The sustainable investing market was a recent phenomenon in the first decade of the 21st century. However, an increasing number of investors began to integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues in investment decisions. At Barclays Capital, Omar Selim had spearheaded the development of Arabesque-a new socially responsible investment firm designed to appeal to all investors wishing to invest according to broadly held environmental and social values, such as limiting environmental externalities and promoting workforce diversity, as well as to investors wishing to align their investments with their faith. Should Selim give up a very successful career to compete in a highly competitive business, in which it could be very hard to build a differentiated offering? Could Arabesque be something different in the world of asset management? And what role, if any, should values and religious faith play in shaping the firm's products and conduct?