Social Capital in Decision-Making: How social information drives value creation

Published: 14 Oct 2015
Type: Publication

Within the WBCSD, we believe that measuring and managing social capital – the resources and relationships provided by people and society – is essential for sustainable value creation. In order to do well in today’s business environment, companies have to measure, understand, and proactively manage the value they create, or reduce, for society as well as for shareholders.

In this study, we aim to bring the relationship between social capital and value creation to life. With the support of KPMG, we have drawn insights from the experience of 20 WBCSD member companies, as well as members of two WBCSD Global Network partners from Brazil and the Netherlands, who are actively working on the measurement and valuation of social capital.

The results put the decision-maker at the heart of the issue and illustrate how social capital information can be used to understand, demonstrate and manage business performance.

The study:

  • Introduces social capital and how it drives business value creation.
  • Illustrates how social capital information can be used by internal and external decision-makers who are key to business success.
  • Maps how pioneering companies already inform the decisions and actions of their stakeholders, leadership and managers with social capital information.
  • Provides pragmatic guidance for companies on selecting and implementing fit-for-purpose measurement and valuation approaches.
  • Contributes to the ongoing development of the Social Capital Protocol – a harmonized approach to social capital measurement and management.

We hope that the new insights and guidance provided by this study will help to empower companies to start their own journeys towards integrating social capital performance into their decisions and actions, for the benefit of both their businesses and the societies in which they operate.

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