DeGroote School of Business

About Responsible Investing

Responsible Investing is an umbrella term that refers to investors integrating non-financial elements, related to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, into their assessment of firm performance. Some investors, typically high net worth families and foundations engage in what the Rockefeller foundation calls “impact investing”. Impact investors seek social or environmental impact in addition to some form of financial return, often making loans and taking equity positions in social entrepreneurs.

This website highlights two investing studies Dr. McKnight is involved with. One ongoing study – Responsible Investing, and one archival study – Impact Investing.

Responsible Investing Research Team

Brent McKnight is an Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Dr. McKnight studies how firms and organizations address complex societal problems. Currently, this interest has led him to undertake research in the areas of responsible investing at the retail advisory.

Benson Honig is the Teresa Cascioli Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Research interests include business planning, nascent entrepreneurship, transnational entrepreneurship, ethics in scholarship, immigration and social entrepreneurship, social capital, and entrepreneurship in transition environments. He has published in leading academic journals (over 100 peer-reviewed articles) and serves on ten editorial boards.

Kevin Veenstra is an Assistant Professor of Accounting ar the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Dr. Veenstra studies the influence of social norms and personality traits on an assortment of phenomenon, including career trajectories and corporate financial performance. His interest is driven by his fascination with how individual and group characteristics influence decision making and related outcomes.

Anjali Chawla is a Ph.D. Student of organizational theory at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University. Her research interests include sustainability and social entrepreneurship.