4 minute read
Does Socially
Does Socially Responsible Investing exist?
Well, it depends. Like most things that become fashionable and grab the headlines, many are keen to explore, learn and invest in this emerging area. Sometimes, what people think they are investing in isn’t quite where their hard-earned savings are going.
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Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is an investment approach that looks to invest in an ethical way by considering Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) factors and by considering where the investment is going. With a growing social awareness of climate change, there is an expectation that companies treat their employees, suppliers, and communities correctly and, demanding high standards of accountability and transparency from management, investors are now looking beyond purely financial elements when making an investment decision.
I think this is a great thing and will be an accelerant to change within the capital markets. However, as attributed to Disraeli, there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics,” so care and detailed research must be taken to ensure an investor’s objectives truly aligns to what is being purchased.
For example, a well-known FTSE 100 listed company scores highly and is accepted and included in many ethical funds as it has a water reduction policy, environment management team, a committed emission reduction target and designs environmental products. This company also generated £10.5billion of profit in 2021 through its oil production operation. You’ll know this company as BP. I couldn’t ever honestly allocate funds to BP if my headline objective was to be investing in a socially responsible fashion. BP is an excellent example of ‘greenwashing’ where facts, figures and reporting create the impression a company is ‘green’.
At O-IM, we exclude companies where the main business is in fossil fuels, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapon manufacturing or adult entertainment. Additionally, we restrict investments in companies where there is animal testing for non-healthcare related activity. We design all our investment portfolios with ESG principles in mind but also created three specific SRI portfolios where the objective and purpose of that portfolio can be clearly measured and understood by our clients.
SRI does exist and is likely to exist beyond a fashionable trend and those who do it right should also reap the long-term benefits of a more ethical capitalism. Lewis Hamm – CEO and co-founder of O-IM www.o-im.co.uk
Anthony Tilley, managing director at b4b Marketing
With their unique management system and competitions portal, Poole software, web and marketing agency b4b has transformed the world of bowls for club administrators and players alike.
The company’s proprietary system, Bowlr, has already been rolled out to over 110 bowls clubs nationwide, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Billed as a membership and league management system for indoor and outdoor bowls clubs, Bowlr streamlines club administration, provides a simple platform for running competitions and leagues, and lets players manage their bookings from anywhere using their mobile device.
As well as working with local clubs, b4b’s software developers were recently commissioned by the sport’s national governing bodies, Bowls England and the EIBA, to create bespoke competitions portals to help streamline administration and improve the player experience. b4b has also worked at county level, developing systems for both the Essex and Sussex County Bowling Associations.
Alistair Hollis, head of Sport Development at Bowls England, said: “We have been delighted to work with Bowlr to develop our competitions portal over the past few years. We now have a robust system that enables us to manage our events from the first round to the national finals. The team behind Bowlr is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the sport, which makes all the difference.”
Anthony Tilley, managing director of b4b, said: “It’s been an honour to work with some of the sport’s biggest names. We have ambitious plans for growth, and within the next few years we want to be in as many bowls clubs across the UK as possible. We also plan to take on the international market.”
Excitingly, the Bowlr system also has applications for other sports clubs, such as curling and netball. Anthony added: “The possibilities are almost endless, and we see the Bowlr system being an established fixture in the wider sporting world.”
A smartphone app is also currently in the works, which will give players complete control over their club membership and rink bookings at the touch of a button. It will also make communication between club management and members even easier.
Ken Joy, club manager at Dolphin Indoor Bowls Club (England’s largest indoor bowls club, and the first to start using Bowlr) said: “Bowlr has completely revolutionised how we run our club. It simplifies pretty much all of our admin, and our players love it too. It’s been great to work with Bowlr since the very beginning, and we’re excited to see it continue to go from strength to strength.” www.b4b.co.uk
