Do investors hold the key to changing the purpose of business?

Tim Jenkinson, Professor of Finance and Director of the Private Equity Institute at Saïd Business School, Oxford University, and Partner at Oxera, says that the decisions of asset managers are being driven by asset owners, and asks if those owners are prepared to make the kinds of trade-off required to fundamentally change the purpose of a business. Investors continue to be comfortable with the idea of making short-run versus long-run trade-offs by investing in companies that have long-term sustainable business, but the difficulty arises when there are potential trade-offs in profitability.

Tim is Joined by Luis Correia da Silva, Partner at Oxera, who suggests that there has been a gradual shift in boardrooms as the corporate world tries to articulate a purpose that goes beyond financial objectives. However, Luis continues to challenge how well these ideas are embedded within an organisation in the pursuit of real change.