Merry Christmas from the SMART Team!
It has been a busy end to the year for SMART. As well as our move to new offices in Cowcross Street, we were delighted to be joined in November by Melody McLaren, who after ten years at Business in the Community will be working on our business development strategy.
Get in touchWe’ve moved! |
There have been changes in the wider world of corporate responsibility too, most significantly the recent announcement of the abolition of the OFR. Throughout the year we have had many discussions with companies about how to respond to OFR, and I’m sure many of you are thinking – what now?
The Accounts Modernisation Directive was introduced into law at the same time as the OFR, and will now apply to listed as well as non-listed companies. It means that companies must still report on significant social, ethical and environmental risks; although not everything needs to be included in the Annual Report if there is a comprehensive CR report to refer to.
The response to the announcement was encouraging, with
the IOD and the ABI calling on companies to continue to implement
best practice, whether enshrined in law or not. We strongly endorse
this approach – there
are many reasons to report on social and environmental impacts, and
investors particularly value this information. We will continue to
monitor developments and keep clients updated. In the meantime, if
we can provide any assistance on this issue we are very happy to help,
so please do get in touch.
Amanda Jordan
Chair
Client profile
Motor Neurone Disease Association
The MND Association is the UK’s leading provider of care for those impacted by MND, and supports and funds research into a possible cure.
In 2005, SMART was commissioned by new Chief Executive Dr Kirstine Knox to conduct a review of how the Association is perceived by its stakeholders. By consulting with opinion formers, staff and funders, and reviewing existing communications, we were able to make a number of recommendations for the Association to take forward.
The MNDA has recently launched an emotive campaign called “John’s Journey”, which we hope will significantly raise the profile of both the disease and the Association. For further information visit http://www.johnsjourney.org/diary.php
To find out more about our work with the voluntary sector, please contact Victoria Hartley on 020 7864 4141 or victoria.hartley@thesmartcompany.net
Corporate Responsibility Reporting
We provide a complete service in corporate responsibility reporting and have been working with a range of clients this year.
After several years of providing verification for GoAhead’s CR reporting, this year we were also asked to manage and undertake the entire reporting process, while our sister company Rare designed the report. In addition to the main group report, we produced ten mini-reports for each of the operating companies. To find out more visit http://corporateresponsibility.go-ahead.com.
We have been helping Sodexho to report for the first time on its operations in the UK and Ireland. The report will address two issues at the heart of Sodexho’s business and which have been particularly prevalent in public debate this year – sustainable procurement and healthier eating. The report will be published early next year.
Also this year we produced the first social report for Chime Communications. We deliberately took an informal, people led approach to reflect Chime’s philosophy.
If you would like to talk to us about reporting, please contact Peter Hughes on 020 7864 4141 or email peter.hughes@thesmartcompany.net
Client profile
Whitbread
SMART has been working with Whitbread on an Inquiry into how sports and arts projects can help to re-engage socially excluded young people. The Inquiry has been overseen by an expert steering group chaired by Sir David Ramsbotham. A particular focus of the work has been on how business can get involved in addressing social exclusion, and how CR can be developed to fit with the strategic direction of the business. The findings of the Inquiry will be formally launched early in 2006.
Coming in 2006…
Our next breakfast briefing is on 26th January - Jonas Moberg, Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact will talk about whether companies should take on wider responsibilities in countries where governments fail to do their part. Please get in touch for more details
Watch out for news of our 2006 Associates scheme and the latest findings from our London Community Panel research – keep an eye on our website www.thesmartcompany.net
