Multiple Chapters on "Impact of Socially Responsible Funds on the Behavior of Russian Companies"

Multiple Chapters 11 pages (2970 words) Sources: 30

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Russian SRI

The impact of socially responsible funds on the behaviour of Russian companies

To this juncture, the research discussion has focused on Russian corporate culture in a general sense. Here, the investigation has been armed with a greater appreciation of the corruption and the culture of corporate lawlessness that have remained as a holdover from Russia's days as the Soviet empire. Now, the discussion will turn to a more specific examination of the areas where corporate social responsibility is needed, where it is improving and where it has seen either no improvement or an actual state of decline. Channeling this discussion through the perspective of a leading global Socially Responsible Investment Fund (F&C), the case study hereafter centers on F&C as a firm invested on some level in Russian private enterprises.

Using both available literature produced by F&C and by external sources to create a secondary data set, the research will parallel findings there from with data collected from key interview respondents. The Data Collection process is centered on the target interview with Karina Litvack, a director and head of governance and sustainable investment of F&C Investments fund. This interview would provide the research process with a list of companies in Russia in which F&C has key interests and these would consequently help to direct the thrust of the data collection process by guiding the selection of key sources for review as they related to these companies and by pointing the Researcher in the direction of additional interiew subjects. Accordingly, as a result of the target interview with Litvack, the Researcher was able to identify were Lukoil, Rosneft, Gazprom, Novatek and Norilsk Nickel as those of the greatest importance to the presence research.

In order to gain a better perspective on these firms, three additional interviews would be conducted. One would be an interview with a vice-president to an international investment bank in Moscow who requested anonymity. This interviewee would specially as an oil & gas sector analyst who would offer great insight on this sector's connection to SRI interests. This interviewee is hereafter referred to as Anonymous Investment Bank VP. An additional interview would be gained with an associate at a different international investment bank in Moscow who was, alternately, an expert in metals and mining. This subject would be particularly useful in a discussion on the performance of Norilsk Nickel. The subject is henceforth referred to as Anonymous Investment Bank Associate. A fourth interview would be gained with an employee at Rosneft also requesting anonymity. The subject is referred to as Rosneft Employee.

The interview with Litvack would comprise the single most important primary source in the research process. By and large, the LItvack source would confirm the supposition that a scarcity of data or open discussion exists on the subject of Socially Responsible Investment in Russia primarily because a culture of patronage, corruption, cronyism and state-level abuses persists. Litvack indicates that this makes investment and assessment of investment opportunities in Russia distinct from many other contexts, though not unlike many developing nations. The interviewee would go on to identify certain features of the Russian marketplace that render it thusly. Litvack would tell that Russia suffers from a categorically low level of corporate governance, either internally or through regulatory oversight. The result of this condition is a general absence of accountability to low-level investors and stakeholders. Certainly, this may be viewed as a deterrent for would be investors in the Russian market.

Litvack goes on to indicate that many companies tend to make their decisions without input from or even notification to the shareholders. This denotes the general lack of transparency that is epidemic in the Russian marketplace. Here, Litvack's claims correspond directly with the research encountered through secondary sources. For instance, the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 2009 report on transparency and disclosure amongst Russian companies reports this to be generally lacking even in the face of government claims at confronting corporate secrecy. S&P find in their 2009 report that "transparency and disclosure levels per single components have changed insignificantly. We have noted some progress in the ownership structure and the shareholder rights disclosure. Yet, there is a lack of operational information disclosure which we now see as weaker than in the previous survey and around the same number as in 2007. Executive and board members' remuneration remains the weakest aspect of disclosure." (p. 4)

Litvack describes improving transparency as a major imperative for F&C in all areas of investment. The characteristic features of the Russian economy and business culture make this yet a more pressing imperative. Litvack indicates that where it determines to involve itself on any level with a Russian firm, the pursuit of transparency is a major priority. The Litvack interview would tell researchers that F&C meets twice annually with leaders at partnered firms in Russia to discuss ways of improving patterns of transparency. As the trends reported in the S&P study illustrate though, the relative scarcity of Socially Responsible Investment funds is at least partially a product of the resistance on the part of corporate leaders to open up to the public. Litvack suggests that this is because any improvement in the decision-making power of stakeholders would impede on current power dynamics. As the S&P report confirms, Russia's remains one of the least transparent corporate cultures, noting that "our analysis shows that public companies listed in London or New York have continued to be substantially more transparent than companies listed only in Russia, regardless of the quotation level of the latter. The average transparency index for companies traded only in Russia is 49%. At the same time, the average transparency scores of companies listed in London and New York are 64% and 75% respectively." (S&P, p. 4)

This demonstrates the distinct difference for the SRI in determining to invest in Russian companies as opposed to those in the developed sphere. Here, the absence of corporate governance and transparency means that SRI's such as F&C must approach investment decisions with the appropriate model. Accordingly, Litvack describes the three models of engagement used by F&C and discusses these as they relate to investment in Russian companies. Litvack describes the Social Responsibility Fund approach, the Emergent Social Responsibility Fund approach and the Engagement approach. The first of these approaches involves high levels of investment in those firms which meet the highest standards of social responsibility. These standards are defined by such key features as the presence of a developed and effective mode of internal corporate governance; the achievement of transparency with respect to its personnel, stakeholders and the public; and the effective adherence to standards of environmental responsibility, sustainability and efficiency. According to Litvack, no Russian companies meet F&C's stringent standards to be considered eligible for the Social Responsibility Fund approach. Certainly, this helps to underscore the major claim of the present research, that there is a scarcity of applicable knowledge to this juncture on how Socially Responsible Investment might have impacted Russian corporate culture.

In its additional categories for engaging selected firms, Litvack indicates that the standards are somewhat less stringent. The Emergent Social Responsibility Fund approach applies to those firms that meet certain minimal requirements and that are able to demonstrate that they are proceeding in a positive direction with respect to all dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Demonstration of the proper attitude and a documented willingness to take real and significant steps toward progress have been sufficient to gain such Russian firms as Lukoil and Novatek this status. Their role in justifying this status will be discussed further along in our analysis.

A third status granted by F&C, Litvack describes the Engagement approach, in which those firms demonstrating the greatest need for change and a simultaneous willingness to improve their practices are accompanied in their efforts by F&C's advisers. A company which Litvack raises at this point in the discussion is Norilsk Nickel, which research encountered in both primary interviews and secondary literature sources denotes to be a particularly troubled firm. The nickel and metals mining firm which is globally notorious for its history of inhumane labour practices and gross environmental degradation is currently engaged in efforts to gradually come up to speed with poorly enforced but evolving environmental standards. This is an area which is also due for considerable investigation in the presence analysis. Litvack's interview would dictate and secondary sources would confirm that the need for some level of control over environmental regulation and enforcement in Russia is a significant feature of its struggle to move to a more socially responsible corporate culture.

Indeed, this is a point which is raised during one of the subsequent interviews conducted in our research. Anonymous Investment Bank VP provided an interview with a particular focus on the natural gas and oil sector. This would concern many of the firms identified by F&C in discussion as well, including Gazprom, Rosneft, Lukoil and Novatek. Gazprom, in particular, is a company which Anonymous Investment Bank VP identified as having a positive record in areas of CSR.… READ MORE

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