FAQs & Contact

• I am confused with all the acronyms, please help me differentiate between CSR, CSI, CR.

  CSR stands for the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society. Enterprises "should have in place a process to integrate social, environmental, ethical human rights and consumer concerns into their business operations and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders"

  (EU commission- http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sustainable-business/corporate-social-responsibility/index_en.htm)

  It is about businesses monitoring and ensuring enterprises active compliance with the triple bottom line or “triple p”- people, planet, profits

  CSI stands for corporate social innovation and is based on the concept of shared values between business and society and it entails “corporate policies and practices that enhance the competitiveness of the company while simultaneously advancing economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates.” http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/corporate-social-innovation

  CSI also stands for corporate social investment.  A more familiar term is corporate sponsorship, but it does not embrace all the aspects of corporate social investment.  SCI programmes in business enterprises are usually targeting societal issues pertinent for the communities in which the business operates.

  CR stands for Corporate Responsibility – “the process of assessing an organisation's impact on society, evaluating its responsibilities and then formulating a response. It begins with an assessment of the business and the way that it engages with its customers, employees and suppliers, as well as with the communities in which it operates and the impact it has on the environment”.

  http://www.managingpartner.com/blog/csr-cr-sb-%E2%80%93-what-does-it-all-mean-and-does-it-really-matter)

  CC stands for Corporate Citizenship and encompasses donations, company contributions and corporate volunteering and should be seen as only a part of CSR.

  Institute for sustainability: http://www.4sustainability.de/en/corporateresponsibility/background.html

• Social reporting, sustainability reporting, what’s next?  Isn’t it enough that I am fully up to date with my financial and management reporting?

  Sustainability reporting is a key platform to communicate, manage, assess and set the goals of sustainability performance and impacts. It is also a fundamental component to demonstrate to internal and external stakeholders the link between a firm’s strategy and its commitment to CSR or sustainability policies. In certain cases sustainability reporting is compulsory by law (e.g. EU).

• Why should I care to collect detailed stakeholder’s opinions, my shareholders are the ones whose opinion should matter?

  Besides being recommended by all major international organisations (United Nations, European Community, World Bank, WTO, just to name a few examples) and being adopted by virtually all the Fortune500, listening and engaging with your stakeholders does matter. The benefits of including stakeholders in business activities does not only encompass intangible values (e.g. better reputation, legitimacy, loyalty, trust, increased now-how, information, ability to successfully cope and respond to criticism, etc) but according to recent studies it also significantly impacts the long term financial returns of your corporation.

  http://www.forbes.com/sites/rahimkanani/2012/02/09/the-future-of-corporate-social-responsibility-csr/

  http://www.grant-thornton.co.uk/en/Media-Centre/News/2014/Global-survey-finds-good-CSR-makes-good-business-sense-British-businesses-reacting-to-stakeholders-demands/

  Bo Enquist Mikael Johnson Per Skålén, (2006),"Adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility – Incorporating a Stakeholder Perspective", Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Vol. 3 Iss 3 pp. 188-207 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/11766090610705399

• Your methodology covers almost all business processes, I do not believe you can bring valuable advice in all the areas, you can not be specialists in everything.

  Our partners and consultants come from different business backgrounds and have solid hands-on business experience.  During most of their careers they have been using stakeholder insights to inform business strategies of their departments and business units.  We are confident we have enough business knowledge to work with any business organisation to help it collect stakeholder insights and advise the organisation how to best use the insights to influence business strategy and develop implementation plans covering most of the business processes.  We work together with your specialists by bringing in a new way of looking at your company’s business processes; together we develop solutions that work for your business.

• What about the reporting standards (AA1000,….), how and where do they fit into the picture?

  Reporting standards are essential tools to guide your organisation in strengthening the credibility as well as quality of its economic, social and environmental reporting. These standards can be used by external auditing bodies to assess a firm’s social accounts and reports or by professionals who are guiding an organisation through the process of building its own accountability processes.  Adhering to a set of recognised standards, if you choose to report, will ensure that your organisation stays focused.

  Making a decision which report to go with and which standards to follow is an important and difficult one.  If you choose we will be available to guide you through with our explanations, expertise and advice.