Impact Management | March 20, 2023

Just Capital and Ford Foundation set a research agenda for human capital management

David Bank
ImpactAlpha Editor

David Bank

ImpactAlpha, March 20 – As much as 90% of the value of S&P 500 companies comes from “intangible” assets, most importantly talent. Yet accounting standards continue to reflect mostly tangible assets.

Just Capital and the Ford Foundation selected seven projects from among more than 80 responses to an RFP intended to establish a research base for human capital management.

The grants come as the SEC readies rules for disclosure of data around how corporations invest in their workforces.

The funded research includes:

  • Employee value-added. Columbia Business School’s Shiva Rajgopal and Shareholder Value Advisors’ Steve O’ Byrne will expand their research on measuring gain-sharing between labor and capital.
  • Job quality. WORC’s Ellen Frank-Miller will measure how the quality of frontline jobs affects financial outcomes of private equity-owned companies.
  • Data disclosure. George Georgiev of Emory University’s law school will analyze corporate disclosure under the SEC 2020 human capital management disclosure requirements.
  • Freedom of association. UMass Amherst’s Lenore Palladino will examine the effect of corporate policies and behaviors toward employees’ freedom of association, including on labor organizing.