FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about GoodCorporation. If there is something not covered here or elsewhere on this web site, please contact us.


1. What is CR or CSR?
2. Why was GoodCorporation established?
3. What are the benefits of becoming a GoodCorporation Member?
4. How much does it cost?
5. How do you join?
6. What is the assessment process?
7. What happens if there is a dispute?
8. Can I be assessed without becoming a member?
9. How regularly is an organisation assessed?
10. Who are the assessors?
11. Who owns GoodCorporation?
12. Who are the members?
13. How does it fit with other standards and initiatives?
14. My organisation is already involved in CSR, how will we benefit from becoming a GoodCorporation Member?
15. Isn’t CSR about much more than signing up to a Standard?
16. Isn’t this concept just for Anglo-Saxon countries and organisations?
17. Isn’t this concept just for rich countries? How will poorer countries benefit?
18. Who are you to set the standard?
19. Aren’t there hundreds of ethical organisations already trying to do this?
20. Who profits from GoodCorporation?
21. How do you promote improvement in CSR performance?

What is CR or CSR?
Corporate Responsibility (CR) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a term used to describe an organisation’s consideration and management of its impacts on internal and external stakeholders. When we talk about CR/CSR, we mean fair and ethical treatment of employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, the community and the environment. It is not just about undertaking community projects or making charitable donations, but about running a business in a way that maximises benefits for all concerned, while minimising the negative impacts resulting from the business’s activities. For more information click here.

Why was GoodCorporation established?
Although there are many CSR initiatives and consultants around, there are still no recognised CSR standards that cover all stakeholder groups that are externally assessable. Most existing standards look predominantly at health, safety and environment, or at community involvement, but ignore other key stakeholder groups, such as customers, suppliers and employees. GoodCorporation wanted to provide organisations with a standard against which management practices in all stakeholder groups could be assessed – using a common and easy to understand measurement system. The aim is to assess in a way that helps business to identify, reduce and manage their key business risks. We believe that responsible management practices are at the heard of good business practice, and the GoodCorporation Standard enables organisations to demonstrate their performance in this area.

What are the benefits of undertaking a GoodCorporation assessment?
Feedback from our clients shows that the benefits include:

• using an established Standard as a basis for an internal assessment of current practices;
• enabling the organisation to understand its current performance in each of the 62 evidence points, which cover all key groups of stakeholders;
• providing the organisation with invaluable feedback from the people who are directly associated with or affected by the organisation’s activities;
• providing the organisation with an understanding of why current systems are not working effectively;
• providing the organisation with an idea of what needs to be done to address shortfalls in current systems;
• helping the organisation to prioritise actions needed to minimise risks to the business resulting from poor relationship management;
• enabling the organisation to judge its performance compared to the GoodCorporation Benchmark;

For a more detailed list of benefits, click here.

How much does it cost?
Although the GoodCorporation Standard and methodology can be applied to both large and small organisations, the cost of the assessment depends on the size and complexity of the organisation. When designing the assessment timetable, we will take account of:

• the number of employees;
• the number of different locations (e.g., branches, sites, etc);
• the type and number of customers and suppliers;
• the number of shareholders; and
• the number of management interviews to be held (more managers may need to be interviewed in a highly complex organisation).

We provide proposals that clearly set out the allocation of time and also provide you with information about what the assessment process involves, who we will interview, what you will receive, and any other benefits that members can take advantage of.

We offer discounts to charities and not-for-profit organisations. For more information, click here

How can you become a GoodCorporation Member?
You can contact us directly using the contact information on the “contact us” page. We will agree a target date for an assessment with you. The assessor will carry out the assessment and provide you with a report on their findings. If you meet all the criteria, you will qualify as a GoodCorporation Member. Annual reassessment is required to maintain membership, though for small companies with fewer than five employees there is a self-assessment process for strongly performing organisations.

What is the assessment process?
The assessment process uses internationally accepted audit methods, under the guidance of the GoodCorporation Accreditation Council. The assessor checks that:

• there are policies in place;
• there are appropriate systems in place to implement these policies;
• there is evidence that the systems work; and
• that stakeholders (internal and external) agree that the systems work and are fair.

For more details of the process click here.

What criteria do you have to meet to achieve membership?
In order to achieve membership, an organisation must avoid a fail grade for any of the 62 evidence points assessed. If a fail grade is awarded following the assessment, the organisation will be given a predetermined time scale to address the issue, after which the assessor will recheck that point. If the point can be upgraded, then membership can be awarded. For further information about how
we grade click here.

What happens if there is a dispute?
Disputes are handled by the Accreditation Council, which has representatives from all stakeholder groups. There are two types of dispute – those relating to contravention of the Standard by a Member, and those by a client not in agreement with a grade awarded by GoodCorporation.

Any allegations of contravention of the Standard by a Member will be investigated by the Council. The Council can instruct an assessor to investigate claims, and where these are substantiated, the Council can suspend or withdraw the certification of the Member.

Any disputes over grades awarded during an assessment will be arbitrated by the Council, who may require the assessor and client to provide additional evidence of their case. The final decision is made by GoodCorporation in agreement with the Council.

Can you be assessed without becoming a member?
Yes. Many of our clients use our Standard and methodology as an internal audit tool to check on the management of their business units, or the implementation of their own business principles. The assessment provides them with an independent view of the current status of their policies and systems, and provides them with useful feedback on where there are problems, and what needs to be done to address those problems. For more information about a customised assessment click here.

How regularly is an organisation assessed?
Member clients are assessed annually in order to retain membership. Very small organisation can self-assess for up to two years, depending on their performance. Click here for more information about the assessment process.

Who are the assessors?
We have an in-house team of experienced assessors (see “our people”) and a network of local assessors in each of the 30 plus countries that we have conducted assessments in. Our assessors usually have a background in management consultancy and are familiar with the internal processes of a company. Many of our local assessors work for, or have worked in one of the big accountancy firms or consultancy firms.

How long does an assessment take?
This depends very much on the size and complexity of the organisation, and on the number and location of activities (such as sites, branches, regional offices, etc). Small organisations with one office, a simple management structure and fewer than ten employees may only require two or three days for an assessment, but assessments for large, complex organisations with many employees and multiple locations may take up to five weeks on site. For more information about the assessment process click here.

 
Who owns GoodCorporation?
GoodCorporation is funded and owned by a group of private individuals. Their details are posed on the website under the “about us” section.

How does it fit with other standards and initiatives?
Many of the existing standards and initiatives cover either health, safety and environment, or corporate governance. The GoodCorporation Standard is unique as it covers all aspects of corporate responsibility, and considers the views of all key stakeholder groups. It is not enough for the organisation to have policy documents and systems. Stakeholders must also agree that these polices work in a fair and responsible way on the ground. The Standard and methodology are designed to work together, and the assessment provides clients with an independent feedback on their performance gathered both from inside and outside the organisation. The GoodCorporation assessment can be adapted globally to any size organisation. To find out more about how GoodCorporation fits with other global initiatives click here.

My organisation is already involved in CSR. How will we benefit from undergoing a GoodCorporation assessment?
A GoodCorporation assessment will help to identify issues that most other CSR programmes and initiatives may not cover. Many organisation adopt a narrow view of CSR that concentrates on health, safety, environment and community involvement. Few, if any, CSR initiatives and standards consider employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders as well as HSE and communities. In addition, the GoodCorporation assessment focuses not only on documentation in place, but also on the actual views and opinions of the stakeholders themselves, thus providing useful feedback that is specific to the organisation and its stakeholders. An organisation cannot pass a GoodCorporation assessment by merely having the appropriate policies drafted. We will want to see and hear evidence that the policies actually work on the ground. For more information about other benefits that come from a GoodCorporation assessment,
click here.

Isn’t this concept just for Anglo-Saxon countries and organisations?
No. The Standard has been carefully designed to work for all organisations in all countries. However, the “law of the land” always takes precedence over the Standard, for example where a local law or religious/cultural factor dictates otherwise. We have already assessed organisations in more than 30 countries, and have not found any difficulties in applying the local context to any of the assessments.

Isn’t this concept just for rich countries? How will poorer countries benefit?
The concept is global. In fact, the an assessment against the Standard helps to improve conditions for employees, to afford more protection to local customers and suppliers, and to promote community involvement, which helps to improve the conditions of local communities. Our cost structure in developing countries is designed to make the process affordable to indigenous organisations. We have conducted assessments in eight African markets for example, using local assessors and have had excellent feedback from local stakeholders about the value of assessing responsible behaviour in these countries.

Who are you to set the Standard?
The Standard was devised by the Institute of Business Ethics, and is implemented by GoodCorporation. The Standard was developed in consultation with a wide range of organisations, and it undergoes a review roughly every three years. The latest review is being held in 2007 and the consultation is open to the public. To find out more about the revision of the Standard and how you can get involved click here.

Aren’t there hundreds of ethical organisations already trying to do this?
No. There are a number of organisations promoting aspects of CSR and a number of regional or industry-specific initiatives. Our website has links with some of these organisations. However, the GoodCorporation Standard brings together a unique set of features and provides the only certification of responsible business behaviour. To find out more about the benefits and features of the GoodCorporation assessment click here.

Who profits from GoodCorporation?
GoodCorporation is a commercial venture funded by private equity. The majority of the membership fee covers the assessment process. The remainder is for development of services for clients and the maintenance of the network. We give five per cent of our profits to charitable bodies each year. To find out more about GoodCorporation click here.

How do you promote improvement in CSR performance?
We encourage our clients not just to meet the GoodCorporation Standard, but also to use the assessment process and resulting report as a risk assessment process enabling them to identify and prioritise those areas where improvements can be made. Some of our clients develop action plans from the report, and assign responsibility for ensuring that each action is undertaken by specific individuals. Progress is tracked at regular meetings. Some of these clients have reported significant improvements in their environmental and social performance and in the benefits gained from enhanced relationships with stakeholders. To review some example case studies click here.