New OU report offers employers guidance on governance

Academics from The Open University (OU) Business and Law Schools have contributed to a new report that highlights the need for employers to re-examine governance within their organisations and offers step-by-step guidance on how to take action.  

The report, commissioned by the OU’s Business Development Unit (BDU) and HRZone, an online publication focusing on the human element of the workplace, follows up last year’s report into environmental, social and governance (ESG), which found that skills were a major blocker to the development and implementation of ethical business practices.

Written by Blaire Palmer, CEO of That People Thing, this new report takes a progressive approach to governance, looking at today’s most critical ESG challenges and translating them into five digestible levers on how to deploy good governance to enable ESG success.  

The levers cover stakeholder engagement, opportunities to influence policymakers, incentivising ESG targets and upskilling staff to give employers the inspiration to make key changes in this area.

Professor Siv Vangen, Head of The Open University Business School, supported production of the report and said:

In an era where corporate responsibility and ethical practices are paramount to business success, and yet are continually evolving, it can be difficult to know how to move forward with your organisation’s priorities.

"The Open University Business School and our colleagues in other faculties have a long track record empowering individuals, organisations, and society to create a sustainable future in business through quality, flexible education and our research. I am pleased that the Open University community is working alongside Blaire and HRZone to contribute their knowledge and expertise to support businesses with these goals.”

Research for the report included interviews with a range of experts, including academics and alumni from the OU: 

• Ali Ataullah, Professor of Finance, The Open University Business School
• Richard Blundel, Professor of Enterprise and Organisation and Director of the Centre for Social and Sustainable Enterprise, The Open University Business School
• Natalia Szablewska, Professor in Law and Society, The Open University Law School
• Sara Vermeulen-Anastasi, member of The Open University Business School Alumni Council
• Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability, The Open University