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1. GRI GOES CHINESE
ACCA has sponsored the translation and production of the Chinese language publication of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2002.
http://www.asria.org/ref/library/csrguidelines/1099478455

2. SRI IN CHINA BLOG
A blog with interesting news about SRI in China, prepared by Guo Peiyuan of Tsinghua University, China, http://csri.blogchina.com/ which provides links and commentary on SRI related news and events.

3. MADE IN CHINA - IS THIS A SUSTAINABLE LABEL?
This Sarasin Sustainable Investment Report, written in co-operation with ASrIA, identifies "good practices" and benchmarks for the socially responsible conduct of multinational companies operating in China. Multinational companies operating in the country are expected to address the environmental and social impacts of their own operations and their supply-chains. These operational risks need to be better understood. Free download of soft-copy from the ASrIA publications page:
http://www.asria.org/publications

4. PROMOTING CSR IN CHINA: STATEMENT OF FINDINGS RELEASED
The Kenan Institute Working Group on CSR and China recently published a report which noted that if US policymakers and citizens want China's social and environmental progress to match its economic achievements, they must develop and implement innovative ideas that encourage positive change. See
http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/articl! e.cgi/30 88.html
and the full text of the Statement of findings at
http://www.csrpolicies.org/files/releaseonchina.pdf

5. FTSE4GOOD LAUNCHES NEW SRI INDEX IN JAPAN
Following the introduction of the first SRI index by Morningstar Japan last year, FTSE4Good unveils the second SRI index covering the Japanese market exclusively.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1096514322

6. ASrIA CHAIR TESSA TENNANT SHARES INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PRIZE
Congratulations to ASrIA Chair Tessa Tennant, and Joan Bavaria, Founding President and CEO of Trillium Asset Management, USA, who were jointly awarded the City of Goteborg International Environment Prize 2004 on 5 October. The prize recognizes their pioneering efforts in promoting socially, environmentally and economically responsible investing. The award is made annually, "to stimulate continued positive development and draw attention to implemented and strategically interesting environmental projects".
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097468114/

7. GREENING OF INDUSTRY NETWORK CONFERENCE, HONG KONG
12th International Conference of The Greening of Industry Network: Partnerships For Sustainable Development: 7-10 November, 2004, Hong Kong.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1083127577

8. ASrIA BRIEFING ON ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING, 10 NOVEMBER
ASrIA will host a talk and discussion by Fatima Reyes, Chair, Environmental Accounting Committee, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, on Wednesday, 10 November, 2004, on environmental/sustainability management accounting. The talk will focus on the important role of e! nvironme ntal accounting and its relationship to sustainable investment. Full details at http://www.asria.org/events/hongkong/04nov/1098692422/

9. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT WORKSHOP IN HONG KONG, AND GLOBAL FOOTPRINT REPORT
There will be an 'Ecological Footprint Workshop' on 24 November 2004 at the BEC Auditorium in Hong Kong. This workshop will discuss the basic principles and concepts of the method and help participants understand how to apply them in their own business and organization.
http://www.asria.org/news/events/1099623824

WWF International has also released its fifth Living Planet Report. The report uses new scientific analysis, provided by Global Footprint Network, to compare the Ecological Footprints of 150 nations.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099627902

10. ETHICAL INVESTMENT TAKES OFF IN AUSTRALIA
Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) in Australia has taken off with funds under management jumping by 41% to AUD 21.5bn over the 12 months ending June 30. According to the latest SRI Benchmarking Survey the sector grew by more than twice that of the Australian retail and wholesale investment market. The survey was announced at the 4th Annual Ethical Investment Association Conference in October and claims assets invested in SRI have doubled since the first annual benchmarking study was released in 2001, and by 920% since June 2000.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097835377

11. SAMSUNG SDI INCLUDED IN DJSI
Samsung SDI has become the first Korean stock to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). Samsung SDI is a digital technology development ! company that has taken a pioneering role in introducing 'sustainability management' into South Korea.

12. HOW RESPONSIBLE IS ADOLESCENT ASIA?
A summary of developments, trends and risks facing investors in Asia by Melissa Brown, Executive Director of ASrIA published in the Autumn 2004 issue of Accountability Forum.
http://www.asria.org/ref/library/performance/1098673918

13. CSM LAUNCHES 'WHO'S WHO IN CSR IN INDIA'
The Centre for Social Markets (CSM), an India and UK-based non-profit, launched its 'Who's Who in CSR in India: A Resource Guide 2004' at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 5 October. A practical guide to the key players and institutions in the emerging field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India, the book will be a must-have reference for all who wish to navigate the CSR terrain in this vast country.
http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097216110

14. THE STATE OF SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN AUSTRALIA 2004
The Centre for Australian Ethical Research recently released report that finds only 23 percent of the 500 Australian companies surveyed are issuing sustainability reports, compared to about 45 percent of companies doing so in comparable countries. Entitled 'The State of Sustainability Reporting in Australian 2004', the report was commissioned by the federal Department of Environment and Heritage and conducted in collaboration with KPMG and Deni Greene Consulting Services.
http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/corporate/reporting/survey.html

15. ASIA ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUNDTA! BLE, JAK ARTA INDONESIA
Melissa Brown, ASrIA Executive Director spoke at the recent Asia Asset Management event in Jakarta in September. A focus of the event was the importance of improving corporate governance in Indonesia as a precondition for encouraging more active investment by foreign investors into the country. The conference was designed to create what the organizers hope will be an ongoing dialogue which facilitates the goal of addressing the ongoing 'democratisation' of the equity market for the benefit of all Indonesians. It was noted in the welcoming address that true financial democracy will exist for the retail investor when they can move confidently from a savings to an investment regime, with investment alternatives other than bank deposits and bonds - or in the case of the better-off, property, and also that true financial democracy will reach the corporate sector when Indonesian companies can readily raise capital as an alternative to debt, and when companies that are privately-held can monetize the value they have created and diversify their operating risks. This cannot be achieved by the government alone, but through the active engagement of professionals in the public and private sectors.

16. ETHICAL CORPORATION ASIA 2004, HONG KONG
Melissa Brown, ASrIA Executive Director, joined a panel on 'Reporting and External Communications' at the Ethical Corporation event in Hong Kong on October 14-15. She noted that disclosure of SEE risks would be significantly improved if companies would move toward tighter linkage of disclosed risks and their financial impacts. Until this is addressed in a more serious way, it is unlikely that mainstream investors will find sustainability reports useful. In addition, companies need to do a better job of accurately describing their relations with regulators. Many Asian companies neglect to provide even rudimentary discussion of the legal and regulatory struc! ture of their industries and how this shapes their operations. This is not a small issue in markets that are often characterized by shifting regulatory patterns and "unofficial" guidance. While many companies feel that they may put themselves at risk if they comment on regulatory issues, they overlook the fact that regulatory risk is a key component of the sustainability equation in Asia. The event had a broad range of speakers and generated valuable discussion on corporate social responsibility in the Asian region.

17. HOTEL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE ASIA PACIFIC
Hong Kong on 14-15 October. Although eco-tourism normally focuses on boutique hotels, resorts and tours, the discussion considered wider perspectives such as the influence of the tourism sector on government and private sector infrastructure investments, the importance of this sector to national economies, to societies and to the environment, and the role that the sector and investors can play in influencing investment towards more sustainable options. However, although there are numerous examples of best practice within the tourism and hotel industries, the sector is not very effective at organising itself to promote and lobby for sustainable investment and the wider adoption of best practice. The panel was well attended by delegates and generated strong discussion.

18. THREE RECENT CONFERENCES WHICH HAVE POSTED SUMMARIES AND PAPERS
2nd International Conference on Renewable Energy Technology for Rural Development: October 2004, Kathmandu, Nepal.
http://www.ioe.edu.np/retrud/index.html

IN THIS ISSUE:
ASIAN SRI NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
GRI goes Chinese SRI in China blog Made in China - is this a sustainable label? Promoting CSR in China: statement of findings released FTSE4good launches new SRI index in Japan ASrIA Chair Tessa Tennant shares international environment prize Greening of Industry Network Conference, Hong Kong ASrIA briefing on environmental accounting, 10 November Ecological footprint workshop in Hong Kong, and global footprint report Ethical investment takes off in Australia Samsung SDI included in DJSI How responsible is adolescent Asia? CSM launches 'Who's who in CSR in India' The state of sustainability reporting in Australia 2004 Asia Asset Management Roundtable, Jakarta Indonesia Ethical Corporation Asia 2004, Hong Kong Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific Three recent conferences which have posted summaries and papers ASrIA Annual Conference in Singapore
GLOBAL SRI NEWS
Coalition of SRI funds encourage adoption of GRI sustainability reporting platform EU Policies: CSR & Corporate Governance The Association for Independent CSR Research (AI CSRR) is established Gemi releases new tool to promote corporate transparency Leading suppliers release Electronics Industry Code of Conduct Sustainability, UNEP and Standard & Poor's launch new non-financial reporting survey Shell and BP top Innovest CSR ratings of integrated oil and gas companies SRI funds rate well in Morningstar grading of mutual fund governance Paul Hawkens critiques SRI Global corporations unite to examine world-class performance in corporate citizenship Ethibel labelled investment funds the first to receive the Austrian environmental product label Global pension funds assets on the up Report advocates breaking down barriers to global corporate sustainability reporting EIRIS report highlights growth of Islamic finance Investors conclude "pharmaceutical companies could do more" to address the public health crisis in emerging markets A critical eye report - 'Corporate Integrity: the Strategic Reality' Triple Bottom Line Investment (TBLI) conference International conference on Sustainable Finance in Emergent Markets Annual Net Impact conference Symposium on Executive Compensation
	ASIAN SRI NEWS AND ACTIVITIES
	1. GRI GOES CHINESE ACCA has sponsored the translation and production of the Chinese language publication of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2002. http://www.asria.org/ref/library/csrguidelines/1099478455 2. SRI IN CHINA BLOG A blog with interesting news about SRI in China, prepared by Guo Peiyuan of Tsinghua University, China, http://csri.blogchina.com/ which provides links and commentary on SRI related news and events. 3. MADE IN CHINA - IS THIS A SUSTAINABLE LABEL? This Sarasin Sustainable Investment Report, written in co-operation with ASrIA, identifies "good practices" and benchmarks for the socially responsible conduct of multinational companies operating in China. Multinational companies operating in the country are expected to address the environmental and social impacts of their own operations and their supply-chains. These operational risks need to be better understood. Free download of soft-copy from the ASrIA publications page: http://www.asria.org/publications 4. PROMOTING CSR IN CHINA: STATEMENT OF FINDINGS RELEASED The Kenan Institute Working Group on CSR and China recently published a report which noted that if US policymakers and citizens want China's social and environmental progress to match its economic achievements, they must develop and implement innovative ideas that encourage positive change. See http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/articl! e.cgi/30 88.html and the full text of the Statement of findings at http://www.csrpolicies.org/files/releaseonchina.pdf 5. FTSE4GOOD LAUNCHES NEW SRI INDEX IN JAPAN Following the introduction of the first SRI index by Morningstar Japan last year, FTSE4Good unveils the second SRI index covering the Japanese market exclusively. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1096514322 6. ASrIA CHAIR TESSA TENNANT SHARES INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT PRIZE Congratulations to ASrIA Chair Tessa Tennant, and Joan Bavaria, Founding President and CEO of Trillium Asset Management, USA, who were jointly awarded the City of Goteborg International Environment Prize 2004 on 5 October. The prize recognizes their pioneering efforts in promoting socially, environmentally and economically responsible investing. The award is made annually, "to stimulate continued positive development and draw attention to implemented and strategically interesting environmental projects". http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097468114/ 7. GREENING OF INDUSTRY NETWORK CONFERENCE, HONG KONG 12th International Conference of The Greening of Industry Network: Partnerships For Sustainable Development: 7-10 November, 2004, Hong Kong. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1083127577 8. ASrIA BRIEFING ON ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING, 10 NOVEMBER ASrIA will host a talk and discussion by Fatima Reyes, Chair, Environmental Accounting Committee, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, on Wednesday, 10 November, 2004, on environmental/sustainability management accounting. The talk will focus on the important role of e! nvironme ntal accounting and its relationship to sustainable investment. Full details at http://www.asria.org/events/hongkong/04nov/1098692422/ 9. ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT WORKSHOP IN HONG KONG, AND GLOBAL FOOTPRINT REPORT There will be an 'Ecological Footprint Workshop' on 24 November 2004 at the BEC Auditorium in Hong Kong. This workshop will discuss the basic principles and concepts of the method and help participants understand how to apply them in their own business and organization. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1099623824 WWF International has also released its fifth Living Planet Report. The report uses new scientific analysis, provided by Global Footprint Network, to compare the Ecological Footprints of 150 nations. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099627902 10. ETHICAL INVESTMENT TAKES OFF IN AUSTRALIA Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) in Australia has taken off with funds under management jumping by 41% to AUD 21.5bn over the 12 months ending June 30. According to the latest SRI Benchmarking Survey the sector grew by more than twice that of the Australian retail and wholesale investment market. The survey was announced at the 4th Annual Ethical Investment Association Conference in October and claims assets invested in SRI have doubled since the first annual benchmarking study was released in 2001, and by 920% since June 2000. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097835377 11. SAMSUNG SDI INCLUDED IN DJSI Samsung SDI has become the first Korean stock to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). Samsung SDI is a digital technology development ! company that has taken a pioneering role in introducing 'sustainability management' into South Korea. 12. HOW RESPONSIBLE IS ADOLESCENT ASIA? A summary of developments, trends and risks facing investors in Asia by Melissa Brown, Executive Director of ASrIA published in the Autumn 2004 issue of Accountability Forum. http://www.asria.org/ref/library/performance/1098673918 13. CSM LAUNCHES 'WHO'S WHO IN CSR IN INDIA' The Centre for Social Markets (CSM), an India and UK-based non-profit, launched its 'Who's Who in CSR in India: A Resource Guide 2004' at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on 5 October. A practical guide to the key players and institutions in the emerging field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in India, the book will be a must-have reference for all who wish to navigate the CSR terrain in this vast country. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097216110 14. THE STATE OF SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN AUSTRALIA 2004 The Centre for Australian Ethical Research recently released report that finds only 23 percent of the 500 Australian companies surveyed are issuing sustainability reports, compared to about 45 percent of companies doing so in comparable countries. Entitled 'The State of Sustainability Reporting in Australian 2004', the report was commissioned by the federal Department of Environment and Heritage and conducted in collaboration with KPMG and Deni Greene Consulting Services. http://www.deh.gov.au/industry/corporate/reporting/survey.html 15. ASIA ASSET MANAGEMENT ROUNDTA! BLE, JAK ARTA INDONESIA Melissa Brown, ASrIA Executive Director spoke at the recent Asia Asset Management event in Jakarta in September. A focus of the event was the importance of improving corporate governance in Indonesia as a precondition for encouraging more active investment by foreign investors into the country. The conference was designed to create what the organizers hope will be an ongoing dialogue which facilitates the goal of addressing the ongoing 'democratisation' of the equity market for the benefit of all Indonesians. It was noted in the welcoming address that true financial democracy will exist for the retail investor when they can move confidently from a savings to an investment regime, with investment alternatives other than bank deposits and bonds - or in the case of the better-off, property, and also that true financial democracy will reach the corporate sector when Indonesian companies can readily raise capital as an alternative to debt, and when companies that are privately-held can monetize the value they have created and diversify their operating risks. This cannot be achieved by the government alone, but through the active engagement of professionals in the public and private sectors. 16. ETHICAL CORPORATION ASIA 2004, HONG KONG Melissa Brown, ASrIA Executive Director, joined a panel on 'Reporting and External Communications' at the Ethical Corporation event in Hong Kong on October 14-15. She noted that disclosure of SEE risks would be significantly improved if companies would move toward tighter linkage of disclosed risks and their financial impacts. Until this is addressed in a more serious way, it is unlikely that mainstream investors will find sustainability reports useful. In addition, companies need to do a better job of accurately describing their relations with regulators. Many Asian companies neglect to provide even rudimentary discussion of the legal and regulatory struc! ture of their industries and how this shapes their operations. This is not a small issue in markets that are often characterized by shifting regulatory patterns and "unofficial" guidance. While many companies feel that they may put themselves at risk if they comment on regulatory issues, they overlook the fact that regulatory risk is a key component of the sustainability equation in Asia. The event had a broad range of speakers and generated valuable discussion on corporate social responsibility in the Asian region. 17. HOTEL INVESTMENT CONFERENCE ASIA PACIFIC Hong Kong on 14-15 October. Although eco-tourism normally focuses on boutique hotels, resorts and tours, the discussion considered wider perspectives such as the influence of the tourism sector on government and private sector infrastructure investments, the importance of this sector to national economies, to societies and to the environment, and the role that the sector and investors can play in influencing investment towards more sustainable options. However, although there are numerous examples of best practice within the tourism and hotel industries, the sector is not very effective at organising itself to promote and lobby for sustainable investment and the wider adoption of best practice. The panel was well attended by delegates and generated strong discussion. 18. THREE RECENT CONFERENCES WHICH HAVE POSTED SUMMARIES AND PAPERS 2nd International Conference on Renewable Energy Technology for Rural Development: October 2004, Kathmandu, Nepal. http://www.ioe.edu.np/retrud/index.html 2nd Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil: The 2nd Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil was held in Jakarta in October and was a "resounding success", with over 300 people from 17 countries attending. http://www.sustainable-palmoil.org/ Conference on Forest Finance and Investment in China, September 2004, Beijing. The conference came up with five recommendations including the need to strengthen public investment in forest restoration and new markets in forest products. http://www.forest-trends.org/whoweare/meetings.htm#Beijing_2004 19. ASrIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SINGAPORE Full conference proceedings, papers and photos are now available on the ASrIA website. http://www.asria.org/events/singapore/july04/postconf/postconf
	GLOBAL SRI NEWS
	1. COALITION OF SRI FUNDS ENCOURAGE ADOPTION OF GRI SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING PLATFORM A coalition of 17 socially responsible investment firms, representing over US$147billion in assets, recommends that companies disclose social and environmental data using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Since its 1997 founding by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GRI has become the standard-bearer in "triple bottom line" (economic, environmental, and social) reporting. See : http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099283843/ and http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097475580 2. EU POLICIES: CSR & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The European Commission adopted a Directive about annual accounts. The Directive requires that EU-based listed companies should disclose an annual corporate governance statement as part of their annual report. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099021318 3. THE ASSOCIATION FOR INDEPENDENT CSR RESEARCH (AI CSRR) IS ESTABLISHED The launch of the 'Association for Independent Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Research' (AI CSRR) followed years of preparatory work and efforts to achieve self-regulation in the sector for CSR research. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1096866583 4. GEMI RELEASES NEW TOOL TO PROMOTE CORPORATE T! RANSPARE NCY The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) recently released a new tool, the latest in a series of GEMI tools showing how environmental, health and safety excellence can enhance the business performance of companies. 'Transparency: A Path to Public Trust' has been designed to provide approaches that a company may consider as it addresses transparency-related challenges and opportunities. http://asp.sriworld.com/asria/press_releases/article.cgi/3150.html 5. LEADING SUPPLIERS RELEASE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY CODE OF CONDUCT HP, Dell and IBM today released an Electronics Industry Code of Conduct to promote industry standards for socially responsible business practices across their global supply chains. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099037257 6. SUSTAINABILITY, UNEP AND STANDARD & POOR'S RELEASE REPORT ON NON-FINANCIAL REPORTING SURVEY Boards are failing to disclose to financial investors how environmental and social issues pose strategic risks and opportunities for their businesses, according to an international review of corporate sustainability reports by SustainAbility, the United Nations Environment Programme and Standard & Poor's. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1099301745 7. SHELL AND BP TOP INNOVEST CSR RATINGS OF INTEGRATED OIL AND GAS COMPANIES Marathon and several companies operating in emerging markets sink to th! e bottom of the rankings of corporate social responsibility performers. Shell, despite having to revalue its strategic reserves, continues to get high CSR ratings. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1098083993 8. SRI FUNDS RATE WELL IN MORNINGSTAR GRADING OF MUTUAL FUND GOVERNANCE Morningstar Fiduciary Grades find relatively few areas of weak performance for those socially responsible investment mutual funds rated. Morningstar, best known for its starred ratings of mutual fund financial performance, has assigned governance grades ranging from A (best) to F (worst) for 761 of the largest funds in the US thus far, with plans to grade 2,000 funds in the near future. Socially responsible investment (SRI) mutual funds fared well in the Morningstar ratings. Of the nine broadly-screened SRI funds rated, the group as a whole received 24 excellent ratings, 11 good ratings, four fair, three poor, and three very poor. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1097570159 9. PAUL HAWKEN CRITIQUES SRI Paul Hawken, the author of 'The Ecology of Commerce' and Executive Director of the Natural Capital Institute, recently wrote an article making a strong critique of certain aspects of SRI, in particular the way in which the SRI industry has developed. For links to article text and industry responses see: http://www.asria.org/news/press/1098677415 10. GLOBAL CORPORATIONS UNITE TO EXAMINE WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCE IN CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP The Centre for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College and AccountAbility have joined forces with nine of the world's top performing companies to form the Global Leadership Network. This international network will focus on the crucial question of what constitutes world-class performance in corporate citizenship. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1095224174 11. ETHIBEL LABELLED INVESTMENT FUNDS THE FIRST TO RECEIVE THE AUSTRIAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT LABEL Ethibel, the Brussels-based CSR research and advisory organization, recently announced that 10 Ethibel labelled funds received the Austrian government's environmental product label, the "Umweltzeichen". The "Umweltzeichen" are the first eco-labels being awarded to investment funds throughout Europe. It is available for investment funds that comply with a broad range of criteria. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1095740131 12. GLOBAL PENSION FUNDS ASSETS ON THE UP Total assets at the world's largest pension funds grew by 19% to US$6.6 trillion during 2003, moving above the previous high of US$6.2 trillion reached in 2000, according to Watson Wyatt research. The P& I / Watson Wyatt global 300 ranking, conducted in conjunction with Pensions & Investments, a leading US investment newspaper, showed that large increases in assets occurred in most major countries consistent with the general recovery in markets. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1098672894/ 13. REPORT ADVOCATES BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO GLOBAL CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING An Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and CorporateRegister.com report tracking sustainability reporting worldwide finds its growth hampered by obstacles. The report comes from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which established the world's first environmental reporting awards in 1990, and CorporateRegister.com, the world's largest directory of corporate non-financial reports. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1095734457 14. EIRIS REPORT HIGHLIGHTS GROWTH OF ISLAMIC FINANCE ASrIA member Ethical Investment Research Services (EIRIS) has published a new report highlighting developments in the field of Islamic finance. It notes that the past two years have seen significant developments in Islamic banking and finance in the UK. http://www.asria.org/news/press/1098849789 15. INVESTORS CONCLUDE "PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES COULD DO MORE" TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN EMERGING MARKETS Pharmaceutical companies should develop a more effective strategy on the public health crisis in emerging markets according to a report published today by the Pharmaceutical Shareowners Group (PSG). http://www.asria.org/news/press/1095669622 16. A CRITICAL EYE REPORT - 'CORPORATE INTEGRITY: THE STRATEGIC REALITY' Critical Eye (The European Centre for Strategic Thought Leadership) has recently released a report on corporate integrity. It notes that, "When the share price of a corporation goes into freefall it is clear that something profound has gone wrong, but fingers pointed and blame apportioned can often miss the more fundamental point: that the cause was not one single thing, but a disease or malaise at the heart of the organization". Section 1 of the Report, which describes six theoretical pillars which define corporate integrity and provides a thought provoking introduction to this important issue, can be downloaded for free from the Critical Eye website. http://www.criticaleye.net/ 17. TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE INVESTMENT (TBLI) CONFERENCE 6th Anniversary TBLI Conference: 11-12th November, 2004, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Brooklyn Bridge's TBLI conference is celebrating its 6th anniversary! What started in 1999 as a small event has grown into the world's largest conference on investments that provide a financial, social and environmental return (Triple Bottom Line Investing), covering the fields of public equity, private equity, debt financing, microfinancing, bonds, etc. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1086596562 18. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FINANCE IN EMERGENT MARKETS 22-25 November, 2004, FGV-EAESP, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The International Conference on Sustainable Finance in Emergent Markets has as its main goal the establishment of an international network of sustainable finance players in developing countries through a series of annual meetings, having Sao Paulo and November 2004 as its inaugural gathering. Tessa Tennant, ASrIA Chair will be sharing the experience of ASrIA in setting up a sustainable finance network in Asia. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1093834657 19. ANNUAL NET IMPACT CONFERENCE 12th Annual Net Impact Conference, 11-14 November 2004 New York. Net Impact is a network of business leaders committed to using the power of business to positively impact social and environmental concerns throughout the world. This year's conference will bring over 1,000 MBA students and professionals together to discuss topics ranging from corporate social responsibility to environmental management to social entrepreneurship. Orin Smith, CEO of Starbucks, will be the keynote speaker. http://www.asria.org/news/events/1093926807 20. SYMPOSIUM ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION Executive compensation is now generally understood to be a critical corporate governance question, and it continues to be a subject of heated debate. The Symposium examined key questions concerning the current state of executive compensation and corporate governance. 15 October, 2004, Columbia Law School, USA. Several papers have been posted. http://www.law.columbia.edu/center_program/cle/Exec_Comp
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