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REACHING USERS
At the end of March 2004, SRI World Group, Inc. will launch OneReport,
an on-line network through which companies can report their environmental,
social, economic and
corporate governance information to research firms and other data
users. Companies report their data just once and the service distributes
the information to appropriate data users. For details visit www.sriworld.com.
MATCHMAKER TARGETS IMPROVED REPORTING
A new program launched in February by
the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) may help bridge academic interest
with private-sector experience in sustainability reporting. Called
Matchmaker, the program will match companies that have prepared
sustainability reports with universities that can deliver rigorous
feedback to GRI reporters. In the form of workshops, clinics and
practicums, the partnership is intended to enrich both the academic
learning experience while providing companies with constructive
and tailored feedback on their most recent GRI reports.
Leading academic institutions are embracing corporate responsibility
as a key element in MBA and executive education. Within this domain,
sustainability reporting is a key element, with direct linkages
to courses and research in finance, accounting, governance, human
resources and strategy. Just as reporting is on the rise, so too
are investigations by academics and practitioners into motivations
and benefits of reporting, application of the GRI Guidelines and
best practices. With the Matchmaker program, GRI attempts to share
lessons learned with its growing, international community of reporters.
It is designed to address and advance two parallel goals: enlarging
the overall knowledge base of company
experiences with GRI reporting while providing individualized feedback
to companies to support their improvement efforts.
How Matchmaker Works:
1. Getting started: Course instructors
register their interest in performing a critique with their class
on a report with GRI. Likewise, reporters also register interest
in having their report critiqued in a constructive and detailed
manner.
2. The match: GRI matches requested
logistical criteria such as timing, geographic location, language,
sector, etc., and puts the course conductor in touch with the reporting
organization.
3. The critique criteria: GRI
provides a template for report critique criteria. The course conductor
and the reporting organization can adjust the template to reflect
specific requests by the reporter, or course learning goals of the
instructor.
4. The presentation: The course
conductor and reporting organization agree on output, which may
include formal written feedback to the reporter, a set of case studies
and—highly
recommended—a one- to two-day workshop where both parties can
meet and interchange ideas.
5. The results: The course conductor
should supply GRI with a synopsis of the critique upon conclusion
of the program, along with any case studies that may have been generated.
GRI has set a low administration fee to finance the Matchmaker program.
For more information, visit www.globalreporting.org.
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