1、2021american corporategovernance indexGrappling with the Fatigue FactorTABLEof CONTENTSINTRODUCTION.3CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN 2021.4Understanding the Grade.5KEY OBSERVATIONS.6 Components of Governance Stagnated or Receded in Year Two of COVID-19.6 Potential Decline Seen in Employee-Related Governance

2、.6 Increases in Shareholder-Related Activism Observed.8 Company Characteristics Associated with Governance Quality Emerge.9ESG AND GOVERNANCE.10 Key Themes for Sound ESG Governance.11GUIDING PRINCIPLES.13CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ROLES.16ACGI SCORING BY PRINCIPLE.18ADDITIONAL FINDINGS.27DEMOGRAPHICS.31IN

3、DEX METHODOLOGY.32ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.34 IntroductionManaging change and uncertainty that can potentially disrupt achievement of goals is simply part of doing business,and 2021 proved as great a test in this respect as any in recent years.As the toxic effects of a global pandemic continue to stubbornly

4、linger and the fallout from 18 months of business,economic,and social disruption manifests in varied ways,the need for effective governance is clear.Still,data from this years American Corporate Governance Index(ACGI)survey point to signs of fatigue as governance improvements seen in 2020 slowed or

5、stagnated across a number of areas examined.This slowdown is understandable,if not anticipated.Indeed,governance gains made amid the chaos of COVID-19s initial onslaught highlighted commendable resilience among publicly traded companies and provided one of the few bright spots in an otherwise distre

6、ssing year.However,those initial successes have given way to potential slips and setbacks.Grappling with the fatigue factor as wave after wave of pandemic-related ills wash over the economy will be one of the challenges for executive management and boards in the coming year.Data from the 2021 ACGI s