Inclusive Capitalism

Business is changing. Global crises have meant the role and contribution of business and its impact on society and the planet have come under increasing scrutiny. Corporations being held accountable for the externalities they create seems inevitable. With a shift from short term profit maximisation, business is increasingly moving to a more comprehensive approach to value creation, extending beyond financial to social and environmental value.

Inclusive Capitalism is an umbrella term adopted to include theories, perspectives, and practices from across disciplines that challenge core assumptions about the purpose of business and business paradigms. It encompasses research that explores whether value creation for shareholders and investors can be combined with benefits for constituencies external to the enterprise that may include employees, customers, governments, and communities. Such business practices may be guided by a balanced approach that aims to provide equality of opportunity for all people across generations.

Current research areas under this theme include Reporting for sustainable business, Economics of well-being, The Future of the Company, Indigenous Economic Futures, Impact Enterprise and Impact Capital, and Inclusive and Sustainable Management and Governance.

A selection of stories about the work of Business School academic staff and postgraduate students in the area of inclusive capitalism.

• Māori views on conscious capitalism 
• How companies can play the longer game 
• AI’s impact on environmental reporting
• Deconstructing the corporate ‘elephant’
• Rising tides, sinking stocks: study explores cost of climate change
• The economics of happiness and well-being