The GoodCorporation Standard

Since its launch, over 130 organisations have been assessed using the GoodCorporation Standard, in more than 40 countries worldwide.

The GoodCorporation Standard was developed in 2000 against a background of increasing demands on businesses and organisations to behave in a transparent, responsible way. While a number of initiatives existed that looked at specific aspects of management or tackled industry sector issues, there was no verified standard that looked at all key relationships and the various impacts of an organisation in a consistent way. GoodCorporation created the Standard in co-operation with the Institute of Business Ethics. The Standard underwent a broad consultation with businesses, NGOs, trade unions, CSR organisations and key opinion formers, as well as the general public via internet feedback. It was launched in 2001. Since then, the Standard undergoes a triennial review, the first revision was in June 2004, the second in June 2007 and the third will take place in June 2010.

GoodCorporation had a number of objectives in designing the Standard. It needed to:(1) Cover all the main stakeholders - shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, community and environment; (2) Set sufficiently challenging targets to be meaningful; (3) Be independently assessed; (4) Be applicable to all kinds of organisations regardless of size, type or location; (5) Be rigorous but not create unnecessary bureaucracy; (6) Be cost-effective, adding value as well as demonstrating compliance.

The GoodCorporation Standard is an open source document. Organisations are encouraged to download and use it as the basis for their own Code of Conduct. Organisations are also encouraged to draw from the Standard to improve and develop an existing Code. In using the Standard we ask just for suitable acknowledgement to be given to GoodCorporation. The GoodCorporation Standard is not just a reference document, t is the foundation of a certification system for organisations that succeed in demonstrating good practices across all employee, customer, supplier, community, environment and shareholder criteria. The Standard sets out 65 management practices that are individually assessed. Those that meet the Standard qualify as accredited GoodCorporations. The assessment process, benchmarking tools, and accreditation are exclusive benefits to our clients.

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Content of the GoodCorporation Standard

The GoodCorporation Standard covers 62 areas of management practice, broken down into six sections:

 

The Standard is divided into stakeholder groups. Stakeholders are the groups of people that are found in and affected by all organisations. This includes employees, customers/consumers, suppliers/contractors and shareholders/owners. It also includes the communities where an organisation is based and the environment which is affected by the organisation’s activities.

The practices in the Standard are designed to meet the general needs of all organisations. However, in some cases, the practices can be re-formulated to meet the specific needs of an organisation. For example a retailer may change the customer wording of the Standard to better reflect the needs of a retail mass market; a charity may change the words of the shareholder section to reflect better the needs of trustees and donors.

Within each stakeholder group there is a set of principles. When condensed these principles fit onto one side of paper and were in fact the founding ‘Charter’ used by GoodCorporation to develop the Standard.

The principles (set out in green font in the Standard document) are backed up by concrete working practices (written in a blue font in the Standard document). These practices are assessed in each organisation that applies to be an ‘Accredited GoodCorporation’.

To download a copy of The Standard click here.
To download a copy of The Standard in another language click here.

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GoodCorporation Standard Accreditation

GoodCorporation accreditation is achieved by organisations that demonstrate that their practices towards employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, the environment and the community meet the GoodCorporation Standard in an independent assessment.

GoodCorporation charges for its assessments based on the size of the organisation and the complexity of the assessment. Costs start from £1,500 for small organisations in the UK.

If you are interested in GoodCorporation accreditation or if you would like to find out how much it would cost to assess your organisation please contact us with your basic organisation size and structure (number of employees, locations and main activities).

Accreditation includes licence to use the GoodCorporation logo, the assessment process, production of an assessment report, data for external reporting, a listing in the GoodCorporation directory and invitations to GoodCorporation events.

The accreditation guidelines can be downloaded here

accreditation logo

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GoodCorporation Standard Revision 2010

GoodCorporation has completed its triennial review of the GoodCorporation Standard, ensuring that the Standard provides the most up-to-date and relevant measurement of responsible business practice.

Since its launch in 2001, GoodCorporation has completed almost 400 assessments in more than 40 countries. From these assessments, GoodCorporation has an in-depth understanding of management practice standards across a variety of industries. This provides GoodCorporation with an unrivalled facility to benchmark its clients against best practice within their sector.

The structure of the Standard remains the same, but following industry-wide consultation, a number of small changes have been made.

All changes are approved by the Institute of Business Ethics, providing additional authority to a now internationally recognised assessment of responsible management practice.

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Become a GoodCorporation

GoodCorporation Accreditation is achieved by organisations that demonstrate that their practices towards employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, the environment and the community meet the GoodCorporation Standard in an independent assessment.

Accredited GoodCorporations are true leaders in corporate responsibility. They are able to show with real credibility that they have business practices that work in a fair and responsible way. To find out how much it would cost to assess your organisation please contact us with your basic organisation size and structure (number of employees, locations and main activities).

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