Ethical investment: An analysis trends in UK socially responsible investments funds

Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) is a growing sector in the financial world. SRI involves selecting and investing in stocks based on the ethical views of investors, and then screening, negatively and positively, companies for investment. Some of the ethical issues commonly addressed by SRI funds are alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and environmental and social issues. A model was adapted from Spillers 4 P’s for Ethical business to provide an analytical framework for generating qualitative theories about socially responsible investment (SRI). The aim of the thesis was to use this analytical framework as a starting point and develop/collapse it through constant comparison with data, in line with the grounded theory approach. Semi structured interviews were conducted with members of different groups with interests in SRI, and the transcriptions were coded using the qualitative data analysis software programme Atlas.ti. The results of the interviews confirm that the central driving force behind SRI is the investor, and this has been the case since SRIs inception. However, interviews with informants also reveal that there is an increasing influence from asset managers, as they recognise that SRI can provide a more sustainable form of investment. Changes in social attitudes about the role business plays in society are also behind an increasing desire to make corporations more accountable. Funds that use engagement as an investment strategy are trusted more by investors, because they are seen to have a greater commitment to socially responsible issues, but informants said that these funds need to be more transparent in their engagement policies. Many of the interviewees believed that there was a need for the integration of social, environmental, and ethical issues, with financial criteria when funds consider investment decisions.