SOMERS, NY-- New IBM consulting offerings can help clients understand and improve their societal impact -- from carbon management to labor practices -- increasing their competitive position and appeal to consumers and other interested parties.
The ability to meet these expectations has become critical, as people are watching company behavior more closely than ever on a whole range of issues -- the environment, fair wages and workplace safety, international trade, product safety and reliability, philanthropy, and more. Empowered by the Internet, they are equipped to organize and act quickly to reward or punish brands depending on what they observe -- deciding what to buy, who to work for, where to invest, and how business should be regulated.
IBM's Corporate Social Responsibility Benchmarking Utility helps clients assess:
--Whether they're currently treating CSR as an expense or an investment;
--The effectiveness of their environmental policies, labor practices,regulatory compliance, corporate values, and other CSR-related activities,and where they may have gaps;
--How well they engage customers and other stakeholders to understand their concerns and to communicate CSR performance.
The benchmarking utility is based on data from a survey by IBM of c-level executives at more than 250 companies worldwide. The study, titled "Attaining Sustainable Growth Through Corporate Social Responsibility," shows that 68 percent of the executives surveyed see CSR as an opportunity to grow revenue and 54 percent believe it gives them a competitive advantage.
But the report also shows some significant gaps in how companies are approaching CSR -- more than three quarters of the executives surveyed admitted they don't understand their customers' concerns about CSR, and only 17 percent are even asking them. This indicates that many companies need to analyze and improve their CSR practices to ensure they line up with what customers and other key stakeholders expect.
Based on what the benchmarking utility reveals about a client, IBM can use its CSR Strategy Assessment and Roadmap offering to help it improve its business processes and operations, address any shortcomings, and integrate CSR into its overall strategies and objectives. IBM can then assist clients in a range of CSR areas, including:
--Carbon footprint analysis and management;
--Environmental procurement;
--CSR policy development and monitoring for suppliers;
--"Green" data center;
--Information sharing and engagement with customers, shareholders, regulators and advocacy groups;
--Linking philanthropy to corporate strategy;
--Diversity and labor practices;
--Engagement with employees on CSR.
IBM
www.ibm.com
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