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frequently asked questionsClick here to read the general FAQ for the Corporate Responsibility Index > > > Is there any flexibility in the ten week completion period of the Index?Companies completing the Index have ten weeks to complete their submissions and must plan extra time that may be needed for Board sign off, stretched resources, etc.. Any extensions will need to be requested from St James Ethics Centre (contact us). Due to the resulting additional time pressures that CRI Validators will incur, we request that any clarification of responses and substantiating evidence be provided within 48 hours when the need arises. What is the timing of the Index?The Corporate Responsibility Index in Australia runs on an annual cycle in parallel to the Index in the UK as follows:
What resources are needed to complete the Index?Companies are interested to assess the extent to which they will need to make resources available in order to complete the Corporate Responsibility Index. Evidence from the UK and Australia suggests that there is no simple way to address this issue, with completion time ranging from sixty hours to ten-plus weeks. In general, companies with a high level of integration across their activities find it easier to complete the Index. In general it is easier to complete the Index after the first attempt. In general, the effort required is proportional to the size and complexity of a business (however, it should be noted that large, complex businesses often have more available resources) and do especially well when applying the management insights generated by Index reports. How much supportive evidence and what level of detail is required when answering questions?Ernst & Young have developed some 'substantiation guidelines' that will guide companies as to the degree of evidence required. Click here to read these guidelines (PDF document). In addition to any guidelines developed by Ernst & Young, companies will need to meet the standards established by their own Boards of Director who must sign off on each company submission to the Corporate Responsibility Index. These guidelines will be maintained a developed by the Validators of the 2008 and 2009 CRI. What type of substantiating evidence is required?As above, Ernst & Young have created a substantiation guidance sheet to assist participating organisations in the collection of appropriate evidence while they are drafting their responses to survey questions. Click here to view a PDF of this guidance sheet. These guidelines will be maintained a developed by the Validators of the 2008 and 2009 CRI. Some of the areas of corporate responsibility are not very relevant to my company – how is the issue of materiality to the company handled?The Corporate Responsibility Index asks questions that are considered relevant to all companies. During the last section – environmental and social impact areas - companies are able to choose questions most material to their business. If a company has completed the UK Corporate Responsibility Index can the same submission be used in Australia?Yes, if the submission covered global operations of which Australia would obviously be a part. However, any updates should be noted. The intention is that the Corporate Responsibility Index become a genuinely global index. As such, companies will be able to report once (and only once) on their activities over an established period of time. The nature of reports made by companies will therefore differ depending on the scope of their operations. Should board level 'sign off' be national or international?If the survey submission is of Australian operations only then the Australian CEO or Board member is appropriate. Companies may decide to participate in the international pool of companies completing the Index and, in doing so, include all aspects of global operations. In this case, sign off would be required by the international board (whether located in Australia or offshore). What does the feedback report tell you?The confidential feedback report provides companies with their position overall in the Index, in their sector and economic group. This gap analysis is a useful external tool in determining the company’s level of responsible business practice in relation to its peers whilst highlighting internal strengths and weaknesses. What if we decide that we do not want our results to be published?We wish to emphasize the voluntary aspect of the Index. This means that any participants can decide to pull out of the Corporate Responsibility Index up until they receive their confidential individual feedback reports which would be followed two weeks later by the results being published. |
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site map > copyright & legal > about the site The Corporate Responsibility Index is funded by the Australian Federal Government. The Index, developed and maintained by Business in the Community in the UK, is a project of St James Ethics Centre supported by Ernst & Young. Our media partners are The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Project catalyst: Pilotlight Australia. |
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