Strategic Plan Towards 2014

“To mobilise business as a force for good in society”.

We aim to achieve this purpose by inspiring, engaging, supporting and challenging businesses to act  responsibly and to have a positive impact on their People, the Planet,and the Place where they operate.

Business in the Community’s last three-year strategy was published a year before the global economic downturn, which resulted in recession for economies across the globe. One could be forgiven for expecting that when the full force of the downturn hit, corporate responsibility (CR) would be one of the casualties, as companies were faced with difficult decisions in order to simply stay afloat. The reality, thankfully, has been quite different. The recession has taught many  companies a hard lesson about the importance of maintaining and staying true to corporate values during difficult times, and this lesson has augured well for the growth of the CR movement and for Business in the Community membership by extension. Here in Northern Ireland, Business in the Community actually gained a number of new members during the downturn – companies that are totally committed and fully appreciate the potential benefits of embracing their corporate responsibilities. As we began planning for this new strategy, our membership base was, and remains, stronger than ever, giving me and my colleagues on the Board a real sense of optimism about the future of responsible business practice here.

A key objective of ours in developing this new strategy was to simplify the language; to make it easier for you to grasp not only what we do but what corporate responsibility means within your business. I am excited by the clarity I believe our three Ps offers – showing responsibility towards your People, the Planet and the Place where you operate is a simple concept to grasp, and it will help us achieve our newly stated purpose of mobilising business as a force for good in society. 2010 has so far been an incredibly successful year for Business in the Community, beginning in January when we received the Northern Ireland Quality Award, followed in June by winning the Irish News Best Place to Work Award for small companies and achieving BS8555 accreditation in August. I would like to pay tribute to the executive team at Business in the Community for their outstanding commitment and passion for what we do and also to my colleagues on the Board for their dedication to everything that Business in the Community stands for.

We realise that being committed to doing business responsibly is a journey and that we’re all at different stages on that journey. Over the next three years, Business in the Community's committed to working with all companies – large and small – to help them along the road and to ensure that they maximise their business success by embracing their responsibilities.

Paul Rooney Chair, Business in the Community Northern Ireland
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLB

Strategic Plan Towards 2014: Introduction

Objective 1: Membership

Objective 2: Impact

Objective 2: Responsibility towards...our People

Objective 2: Responsibility towards...our Planet

Objective 2: Responsibility towards...the Place we live and work

Objective 3: Platforms and Communications

Objective 4: Operational Excellence