Program Objectives

The interests of the representatives of the various Jesuit provinces are widespread.

NJCIR representatives work together to achieve common objectives:

To update and maintain provinces’ Socially Responsible Investment Policies.
To access research on the corporate social responsibility of companies in the province portfolios.
To participate in the advocacy initiatives of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) on issues of priority interest to NJCIR province members.
To devise strategies to facilitate collaborative shareholder action among NJCIR provinces.
To identify and implement common economic justice priorities through shareholder advocacy.
To provide a clearinghouse for information on alternative investment options and/or methods.
To promote and encourage shareholder advocacy involvement in Jesuit-related institutions.

Shareholder Responsibility

Most shareholders today exercise relatively little power in corporate governance. Although shareholders can and should vote on the selection of corporate directors and on investment questions and other policy matters, it appears that return on investment is the governing criterion in the relation between them and management. We do not believe that this is an adequate rationale for shareholder decisions. The question of how to relate the rights and responsibilities of shareholders to those of other people and communities affected by corporate decisions is complex and insufficiently understood. We therefore urge serious, long-term research and experimentation in this area. More effective ways of dealing with these questions are essential to enable firms to serve the common good. (306)

– US Catholic Bishops Pastoral Letter, Economic Justice For All