Investment Perspectives 3Q October 2019

In mid-August, the Business Roundtable, an influential trade group comprised of most of the largest US companies, announced that 181 of its CEO members had signed a new Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. Given that the Roundtable last revised these articles over two decades ago, this shift attracted attention. The decision to update this statement reflects the growing expectation and demands by customers, employees, and influential institutional investors that businesses take on broader social responsibilities than has historically been the norm.