Call For Papers: Major New Responsible Investing Study Sought For 2013 Moskowitz Prize Recognition

Best Academic Research Focused on Sustainable Investing to Be Recognized in October at The 24th Annual SRI Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. and BERKELEY, Calif., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Center for Responsible Business at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business has announced a call for papers for the 18th annual Moskowitz Prize—the only global award recognizing outstanding academic research in the field of sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investing.

This year's prize-winning study will be announced at the 24th annual SRI Conference on October 29, 2013.

To be considered for the Moskowitz Prize, studies must be submitted by July 1, 2013.  The $5,000 prize competition is open to authors of studies relevant to responsible investing.  Studies may be published or unpublished, but unpublished studies should be of a quality appropriate for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Details about the submission process can be found at: http://bit.ly/XsA8wk.

Entries are reviewed by an independent jury of scholars and investment professionals.  The prize winner is determined based on practical significance to responsible investment practitioners, appropriateness and rigor of quantitative methods, and novelty of results.

Jo Mackness, Executive Director of the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School said, "We are excited for the 18th year of the Moskowitz Prize.  Submissions continue to grow in both quality and quantity and this year looks to be no exception.  We are also very excited about the excellent panel of new and longtime judges, whose participation contributes to and reflects well on the high caliber of the Prize."

Since its inception in 1996, the Moskowitz Prize has been awarded annually at The SRI Conference, the largest and longest running conference serving investors and investment professionals in the sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investment industry in North America. The SRI Conference is produced by First Affirmative Financial Network.

In 2012, The Moskowitz Prize was awarded to Elroy Dimson, emeritus professor of finance, London Business School; Oguzhan Karakas, assistant professor, Carroll School of Management, Boston College; and Xi Li, assistant professor, Fox School of Business, Temple University.  Their winning paper in 2012, "Active Ownership," was previously presented as a working paper titled, "Activism on Corporate Social Responsibility," at the Inquire Europe & Inquire UK 2012 Spring Seminar and Financial Management Association 2012 European Conference.  Their research shows that the average one-year abnormal return (also known as the excess or "alpha" return) after initial engagement is 1.8 percent—just in-between the excess return of 4.4 percent for successful CSR investor engagements with U.S. companies, and zero for unsuccessful ones.

The Moskowitz Prize encourages and recognizes outstanding academic research on matters germane to the field of responsible investing.  The Prize is named for Milton Moskowitz, one of the first investigators to publish comparisons of the financial performance of screened and unscreened portfolios.

Both the Haas School and The SRI Conference acknowledge and appreciate the 2012 Moskowitz Prize sponsors: Calvert Investments, First Affirmative Financial Network, Nelson Capital Management, Rockefeller and Co., Neuberger Berman, and Trillium Asset Management.

About the Berkeley Haas Center for Responsible Business
The Center for Responsible Business (http://responsiblebusiness.haas.berkeley.edu) is an "action tank" that brings together students, top company leaders, and faculty to redefine business and create a sustainable future. The CRB and its stakeholders build on the Haas School of Business' (http://www.haas.berkeley.edu) culture of innovation and UC Berkeley's tradition of catalyzing social progress. The Haas School was recently recognized by the Financial Times as the #2 ranked MBA program globally in corporate responsibility.

About The SRI Conference
The 24th annual SRI Conference (http://www.SRIconference.com), the leading North American forum for investors and investment professionals involved in sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investing, will be October 28-30, 2013 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Please contact Krystala Kalil, at 888-774-2663 or [email protected].

About First Affirmative Financial Network
First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC (http://www.firstaffirmative.com) is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (SEC File #801-56587) offering investment consulting and asset management services through a nationwide network of investment professionals who specialize in serving socially conscious investors. First Affirmative produces the annual SRI Conference (http://www.SRIconference.com).

SOURCE First Affirmative Financial Network