Issue Strengthening corporate social responsibility amid volatility

Summary

The survey frames this issue as a compound phenomenon in which the pandemic, climate change, technological innovation and demographic change interact to produce simultaneous and unpredictable shifts across the economy, labour and policy. Against that backdrop, companies are increasingly expected to go beyond profit-seeking and voluntarily create positive social and environmental impact. Demographic change, the rise of ESG management standards, supply-chain realignment and digital technology are fundamentally transforming the traditional economic and social order, with effects on corporate performance, venture investment, public infrastructure and social trust. Interest-rate rises and inflation shape consumer sentiment and investment, while demographic change and remote work are changing organisational culture and productivity. US-China tension and protectionism are reshaping supply chains as strong European ESG regulation collides with anti-ESG moves in the United States, forcing firms to scale back or reorganise ESG policies while building complex strategies for markets with stricter rules.