SOMERS, NY — IBM wants to help companies boost their CSR cred with a consulting service aimed at driving policy effectiveness, employee engagement and communication.
A solid CSR strategy and commitment represents an opportunity to attract consumers, investors and talent, George Pohle, IBM's vice president and global leader for business strategy consulting, said in a statement.
"But in order to do that, companies must be able to accurately assess how well they meet those expectations now, and where and how to make improvements," Pohle said.
IBM's Corporate Social Responsibility Benchmarking Utility will help clients assess their CSR performance through a survey whose results are compared to those of more than 250 companies from around the world.
The survey, "Attaining Sustainable Growth Through Corporate Social Responsibility," found that the 68 percent of C-level executives saw CSR as an opportunity, but more than 75 percent of respondents don't understand their customers' CSR concerns, suggesting a gap between CSR policies and stakeholder expectations.
IBM can use the results to determine any holes in a company's CSR policy, which can then be addressed by IBM's CSR Strategy Assessment and Roadmap program.
IBM said it can assist clients with carbon footprinting, procurement, supplier policy and development, green IT, employee engagement, labor issues and communicating CSR issues with stakeholders.
(GreenBiz.com has a resource for businesses seeking sustainability and green consultants. Be sure to check out our sustainability consultants directory).