Introduction
Following this column’s review of the 2012 Annual Report on the Demerara Tobacco Company Limited in which I stated that I am a small shareholder (500 shares) in the company, a colleague of mine criticised me for profiting from a company whose product is now known to be a killer. I explained to him that the reason for the shareholding is to ensure that I receive the annual report of the company and have the right to attend company meetings. Similarly, for as long as I can remember I have had shares in DDL and Banks DIH Limited despite the fact that I believe there are personal, economic and social consequences for those who engage in excessive use of rum, which is their principal product. After careful consideration and with some regret at my belated decision, I wrote in my review of DDL’s 2012 Annual Report that I would be disposing of my small shareholding in that company, except for a few to allow me to receive the company’s annual reports. My action stems from my conviction that there is such a concept of ethical investing.
Ethical investing or, as it is sometimes referred to, socially responsible investing, has been gaining popularity as individuals seek to align their investments with their personal views, whether they are based on environmental, religious or political precepts. Essentially it comes down to this: should a
