Private sustainable value

Beyond the capital market analysis, a financial sponsor needs to judge the sustainable value of a business over the medium to long term. This needs to be adaptable, as equity markets may not be available for IPOs, equity increases, or larger acquisitions. From the financial sponsor s viewpoint this means that the private equity fund has limited exit opportunities during such periods. 

As Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, put it at the Business Day of the Summit Business leaders now understand that companies can only succeed long-term if they put values at the heart of their business and address social and environmental issues in a sustainable way . He added, the corporate sector need not wait for governments to take decisions. It is only by mobilising the private sector that we can make progress. ... 

Owners A number of privately owned retailers have made significant commitments and progress toward a more sustainable approach to husiness because of the personal values of the owner toward sustainability. 

Of these principles, safety and environmental sustainability are clearly required by Canon 1 of the Code. The rest, save perhaps aesthetics, fall primarily under Canon 4 of the Code, requiring faithful stewardship of the client s interests, whether that client is the public or a private entity. Aesthetic value is the only item in this list not directly related to ethical considerations but it may be imposed by community standards. For example, the aesthetic value of riprap-protected shorelines poses an opportunity for vigorous debate that may test the limits of civil behavior, if not ethical behavior. 

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