In this social media driven world, where consumers and stakeholders have a voice, businesses can find themselves at the centre of a media storm, with negative news going viral. The speed and lack of scrutiny of social media is a problem for firms of all sizes, making controlling and influencing the narrative difficult. 

Calling it out

The rise of activist employees and whistleblowing means that news is hard to keep out of the public gaze, and in turn is fuelling increasing anti-corporate sentiment. This negative sentiment can result in jury verdicts going against a firm, and we are seeing eye-watering and unprecedented financial awards being awarded to plaintiffs.3

Policymakers and regulators are quicker to scrutinise poor decision-making and call out firms who don’t live up to expected standards.

With a growing regulatory burden, businesses must disclose their activities clearly and accurately. Poor communication around ESG can lead to regulatory investigations and allegations of greenwashing. Firms must exercise caution when making claims about the environmentally friendly nature of their products and about the progress they are making to tackle climate change.

Across all industries surveyed, 69% of global business leaders agreed[iii] their industry will struggle to meet its Net Zero targets, rising to 77% of Singaporean executives. The challenge in adhering to the raft of new climate-related regulation is of particular concern for executives in the logistics, cargo and aviation industries, with 36% of executives from these industry sectors agreeing[iii] that the transportation industry will struggle to meet Net Zero targets.