ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes general definition of socially responsible investment (SRI), and places it in its economic, historical and social context as the contemporary outgrowth of a long-standing liberal democratic tradition of concerned and ethically-aware investors campaigning in favour of greater social responsibility in business. It expands on the case against a single-value' approach to business and investment, arguing that both companies and investors maintain plural extra-financial goals and values in light of which they act within human societies and the natural environment, and that to be successful in pursuing these values and also in making satisfactory financial returns requires significant trust. The chapter discusses ethical theory with respect to SRI, an element that appears not to have had much prominence in the development of SRI principles such as those embodied in United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).
