Distribution Network
Content
More changes are likely in Business in the Community’s Corporate
Responsibility Index after another drop in the number of companies
taking part this year.
A total of 123 UK-based organizations participated in this year’s index, published last month – six per cent less than last year’s figure of 131, which was itself down from 144 in 2005. The six-year-old index has already undergone significant changes in the past year, notably the scrapping of numbered rankings in favour of classifying the companies into platinum, gold, silver or bronze categories. Bitc is now considering further adjustments in order to attract more entrants and maintain the commitment and interest of existing participants.
David Grayson, a Bitc director, suggested it might now be time ‘to take the index Europe-wide and to target the Euro 250 as well as the FTSE 100’. He conceded that the assessment process ‘takes a lot of time and effort’ and that ‘some companies choose to complete it only every two to three years, since innovation and improvements take time to bed down’.
Another idea is to shift the emphasis from what companies have done to what they intend to do in the future. Katia Martin, director of the index, said information gathering ‘will be much more focused on future improvements’ and will concentrate on ‘real transformational change rather than incremental achievements’ on the part of businesses.
Bitc says it is happy with the way the index is functioning but expects the emphasis to ‘increasingly shift towards companies using the index as a management tool, rather than as a comparative benchmark’.
Other changes may be put forward by a ‘leadership network’ of some of the best-performing companies to discuss improvements. Anita Longley, head of corporate responsibility at RWE npower, and chair of the leadership network, said: ‘The index is really useful the first couple of years you do it, because it helps you to identify what you need to achieve and where your gaps are. But beyond that it’s helpful to be encouraged to do something even more stretching.’
Some members are now scoring almost full marks. BAA, Barclays, BT and National Grid all achieved 95 per cent or more in all six categories marked by the index, and 29 companies received platinum status by scoring an average of 95 per cent or above. A total of 27 scored between 90 and 95 per cent to qualify for gold.
The most improved organizations – those that increased their score by more than 10 per cent – included Alfred McAlpine, which was particularly praised for reducing its accident rate, HM Revenue & Customs, which has developed a ‘strategic framework’ on community issues, and Royal & Sun Alliance, the first UK insurer to set a target of carbon neutrality. The two platinum-ranked companies that improved their scores most, by up to ten per cent, were J Sainsbury and Rio Tinto. Top 50 companies whose scores worsened slightly included Anglo American, Astra Zeneca, BNFL and Friends Provident.
Organizations invited to participate include FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies, sector leaders from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and Bitc members ‘with a large economic presence in the UK’.
A total of 123 UK-based organizations participated in this year’s index, published last month – six per cent less than last year’s figure of 131, which was itself down from 144 in 2005. The six-year-old index has already undergone significant changes in the past year, notably the scrapping of numbered rankings in favour of classifying the companies into platinum, gold, silver or bronze categories. Bitc is now considering further adjustments in order to attract more entrants and maintain the commitment and interest of existing participants.
David Grayson, a Bitc director, suggested it might now be time ‘to take the index Europe-wide and to target the Euro 250 as well as the FTSE 100’. He conceded that the assessment process ‘takes a lot of time and effort’ and that ‘some companies choose to complete it only every two to three years, since innovation and improvements take time to bed down’.
Another idea is to shift the emphasis from what companies have done to what they intend to do in the future. Katia Martin, director of the index, said information gathering ‘will be much more focused on future improvements’ and will concentrate on ‘real transformational change rather than incremental achievements’ on the part of businesses.
Bitc says it is happy with the way the index is functioning but expects the emphasis to ‘increasingly shift towards companies using the index as a management tool, rather than as a comparative benchmark’.
Other changes may be put forward by a ‘leadership network’ of some of the best-performing companies to discuss improvements. Anita Longley, head of corporate responsibility at RWE npower, and chair of the leadership network, said: ‘The index is really useful the first couple of years you do it, because it helps you to identify what you need to achieve and where your gaps are. But beyond that it’s helpful to be encouraged to do something even more stretching.’
Some members are now scoring almost full marks. BAA, Barclays, BT and National Grid all achieved 95 per cent or more in all six categories marked by the index, and 29 companies received platinum status by scoring an average of 95 per cent or above. A total of 27 scored between 90 and 95 per cent to qualify for gold.
The most improved organizations – those that increased their score by more than 10 per cent – included Alfred McAlpine, which was particularly praised for reducing its accident rate, HM Revenue & Customs, which has developed a ‘strategic framework’ on community issues, and Royal & Sun Alliance, the first UK insurer to set a target of carbon neutrality. The two platinum-ranked companies that improved their scores most, by up to ten per cent, were J Sainsbury and Rio Tinto. Top 50 companies whose scores worsened slightly included Anglo American, Astra Zeneca, BNFL and Friends Provident.
Organizations invited to participate include FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies, sector leaders from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and Bitc members ‘with a large economic presence in the UK’.
Super Featured
No
Featured
No