The number of award schemes which praise companies is growing, not all based on strict criteria. Meanwhile the few schemes that criticise corporate behaviour seem rooted more in prejudice than fact. Do award schemes serve any useful purpose?
New BITC awards for CSR
Both small and global businesses will be recognised for their corporate social responsibility, with the introduction of two new categories for Business in the Community’s annual Awards for Excellence, launched by Kim Howells MP, the CSR minister, on December 6. The new additions are:
• a new category for small businesses and local branches of larger organisations with fewer than 250 employees, sponsored by Corporate Culture;
• a global leadership award for companies actively practising corporate citizenship in emerging markets, run in conjunction with The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum and sponsored by Diageo .
The additions join the established set of more than 10 awards, with assessment based on the ‘business excellence’ quality model. The deadline for entries is March 26. Contact Rebecca Fowkes, BITC, on 08706 002 482 (http://www.bitc.org.uk)
Two awards for entrepreneurs’ CSR
Meanwhile, two award schemes are being extended to recognise companies’ social contributions for the first time. Ernst and Young is introducing a national social entrepreneur award for individuals helping to foster community enterprise initiatives. Launched nationally in January, the aim is to highlight businesses that help promote economic growth in the community, for example by offering skills training, mentoring and work-experience opportunities or by setting up micro-finance initiatives.
Young entrepreneurs applying for the long-established Shell LiveWire award scheme can also now win recognition for their contribution to sustainable development and environmental awareness. Shell is producing new resource materials, called Sustainable development – make it your business , to raise awareness of sustainable development among the entrepreneurs. Contact Ernst & Young on 0845 604 1012 (http://www.eoy.co.uk) or Shell LiveWire on 0191 261 5584 (http://www.shell-livewire.org)
Business and arts awards
Lever Brothers , Elida Fabergé , Ford , Selfridges and Pfizer were among the companies singled out by culture secretary, Chris Smith MP, in a ceremony on December 10 for their innovative engagement with the arts. The event was organised by Arts and Business to celebrate winners of up to £50,000 funding in the first six months of its New Partners scheme, which evolved from the previous Pairing scheme. The new scheme has encouraged companies to invest £5.7 million in the arts, up from £4.1 million the previous year.
Lever Brothers and Elida Fabergé’s Project Catalyst is typical of the mutually beneficial partnership which the scheme is designed to foster. The Unilever subsidiaries aim to use initiatives, such as arts-based training, volunteering with the arts, a corporate art collection and a poet in residence, to encourage creativity and promote an enterprise culture. Contact Rebecca Rickard, A&B, on 020 7378 8143
Being aware of best global examples
The South African mining company, Richards Bay Minerals , won highest honours in the category of sustainable development at the Worldaware Business awards , held on January 22. Thames Water also won recognition for its commitment to provide clean water to the Marunda district in Jakarta. Other categories included a prize for long-term commitment, for best small business, for innovation and the not-for-profit award. Contact John Wood, Worldaware, on 020 7831 3844 (http://www.worldaware.org.uk)
Award winners inspire business to greener futures
Corporate winners of environmental awards from around the world are profiled on a new website. Launched in the first week of March, the site aims to provide information on what awards are available to companies as well as spreading best practice. The site – http://www.environmentalawards.net– is run by the UK-based Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and offers a link to another new RSA site providing news on sustainable development issues ( http://www.sage-rsa.org.uk ). Contact Anita Beardsley, RSA, on 0127 537 1145
And from North America…
United Parcel Service of America is the winner of the first annual international Centre for Corporate Citizenship Awards for exceptional community involvement. UPS received the award from the United States Chamber of Commerce in December, for providing education and training for women and minorities and implementing environmental initiatives in communities in which it operates. At the same ceremony Merck won an award for its donations to eliminate river blindness from a new US initiative, the Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy.
Meanwhile in Canada during December,Nortel Networks was highlighted in the 2000 Imagine New spirit of community partnership awards for its education programme. Another winner in the awards, which promote corporate philanthropy, was Compaq Canada for its alliance with the charity, Go For Green. Contact US Chamber of Commerce on 00 1 202 463 5682 (http://www.uschamber.org), CECP on 00 1 212 355 8186 (http://www.corphilanthropy.org), or Canadian Centre for Philanthropy on 00 1 416 597 2293 (http://www.ccp.ca)
Corporations criticised
The US-based pressure group, Corporate Watch, published its listing of the ten worst corporations in 2000 on
January 3. Aventis, BP, British American Tobacco, Ford / Firestone and Glaxo Wellcome are among the companies named. Among issues highlighted are GM corn, Alaska exploration, tobacco promotion, accident prone vehicles and drugs to counter HIV/AIDS. Contact Russell Mokhiber, Corporate Watch, on 00 1 415 561 6568 (http://www.corpwatch.org)
Comment
From time to time at Community Affairs Briefing, we get asked to join judging panels for award schemes. Ten years’ reporting on corporate activity gives us a certain perspective on what makes a good programme. The last month alone has brought requests from Business in the Community and the Institute of Public Policy Research. To be honest, the first reaction is usually “Oh no, not another *!&*@#* award scheme!”. The more considered response is: will this help spread good practice? is judging based on rigorous and transparent criteria? do professional community engagement staff, trying hard to move their companies forward, deserve recognition and a way to show senior management the effort is worthwhile?
There remains a very real danger here of self-satisfied, mutual back-slapping – or at least creating that perception. And while praise is nice, honest criticism is often a greater spur for action, when based on a fair assessment of the facts. So please, not too many new ‘didn’t they do well’ award schemes. And campaign pressure groups, how about some more wooden spoon awards?
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