Breakout: The New World of the Political Corporation

How should a board respond when a traditionally political question suddenly becomes a matter of corporate policy? Should CEOs and boards take positions on matters as diverse as gun safety laws, immigration, content control (for media platforms), gender issues, and presidential politics? How do customer and investor preferences play into that equation? An increasing number of institutional investors are expressing interest in ESG factors. How are these factors measured, and how should boards respond to calls for greater sensitivity on this score? And, what is a board to make of institutional investors who demand greater corporate social responsibility but who fail to define with precision how social responsibility is to be measured. This panel address the broad range of governance challenges posed by the emerging emphasis on social responsibility and various strategies that boards can use to respond constructively to these emerging trends.