This report, the fourth in a series designed to provide boards with insights into how businesses are shaping their narrative on how they create, preserve and erode value, is the outcome of a survey of executives in more than 20 countries around the world. As this report shows, we are witnessing significant changes to what society expects of business and how businesses think about and communicate their purpose.
Prior reports in this series argued that changing societal expectations meant that businesses were increasingly expected to seek to achieve both profits and purpose. We found that executives now overwhelmingly believe that managing companies using corporate purpose as a strategic framework – including as a filter or lens for decision-making – is critical
to making good decisions and creating sustainable profits over the long term. The interdependency of purpose and profit is clearer than ever before, with executives reporting a significant jump in investor interest in purpose, values and culture.