Posts Tagged ‘IFC’
IFC Jobs Study: Assessing Private Sector Contributions to Job Creation and Poverty Reduction
2013
Featured In
CSR Social Research Digest – April 2013
Summary
International Financial Corporation in partnership with the ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and World Bank Group released a report that examines how and under what conditions the private sector can best contribute to job creation and poverty reduction. The “IFC Jobs Study: Assessing Private Sector Contributions to Job Creation and Poverty Reduction” is a result of an open-course study to assess the direct and indirect effects of private sector activity on job creation and it relies on surveys of more than 45,000 businesses in over 100 countries.
Key findings
- The world is facing a jobs challenge where 600 million job must be created by 2010 within the context of where informality and working poverty are rampant.
- Private sector, which provides nine out of 10 jobs in developing countries, holds the answer to this challenge.
- There are four constraints to job creation:
- Poor investment climate
- Inadequate infrastructure structure
- Lack of access to finance
- Insufficient skills and training
- There are specific types of interventions that are the most successful in removing the main obstacles to job creation:
- Establishing a friendly investment climate to promote job creation by the private sector
- Improved services that result form the new infrastructure can generate far larger number of jobs
- One of the ways to improve private companies’ access to finance and financial services, and it depends on the degree of development of the local financial sector.
- Some reforms or programs and the jobs created have a transformational impact on an economy
- Example: the strengthening of local suppliers and distributors in agribusiness and manufacturing can reduce poverty.
- A comprehensive approach is needed to tackle the lack of more advanced skills and future employment needs.
Author(s)
International Finance Corporation
Source
Featured In
Governance Research Digest – February 2013
Summary
IFC’s Vietnam Corporate Governance Project and the Global Corporate Governance Forum (GCGF) produced the third Corporate Governance Scorecard monitoring CG standards and practices in Vietnamese companies. Vietnam’s 100 largest publicly listed companies, representing more than 80% of the combined market capitalization on the Hanoi (HNX) and Ho Chi Minh (HOSE) stock exchanges, were assessed against five areas recognized by the OECD as keys to good corporate governance.
Key Findings
- All CG scores were below 60%, with an average score across all companies of 42.5%
- Company disclosure declined, particularly in regard to board and SB activities. Area D, Disclosure and Transparency, declined by 3.1% compared to 2010’s results. Reported information was generally lighter and more superficial than previously observed.
- Also, information related to stakeholders was noticeably poorer. Area C, the Role of Stakeholders, comparatively declined by a significant 6.7% against 2010’s results. In difficult economic times companies seemed to not consider, not do as much previously or not report on activities regarding employees, the environment, the community and in relation to working conditions, health and safety.
- Furthermore in 2011, the SSC was more active in monitoring and enforcing regulations and announcing violations to the market. As a result, more negative information about companies was available and regulatory challenges to related party transactions and to financial statement information were evident.
- Some 25 companies, new to the Scorecard 2012, underperformed against the average score, particularly in Area D, Disclosure and Transparency and Area E, the Responsibilities of the Board. These companies’ average CG score was 38.7%, against the overall average of 42.5% for all 100 companies and less than the average CG score of 43.8% for the remaining 75 companies reviewed last year.
- Some 22 of the 25 companies were newly listed and they seemed ill-prepared for the responsibilities that come with listing, particularly an awareness of corporate governance practices, adherence to stricter reporting requirements and understanding and fulfilling expected board responsibilities.
Author(s)
International Finance Corporation and the Global Corporate Governance Forum in collaboration with The State Securities Commission of Vietnam
Source
1. From Gap to Opportunity: Business Models for Scaling Up Energy Access
A new report from IFC breaks new ground by estimating the market for energy services offered at the household level to low-income people. Read more
2. Health for the EU in 20 Success Stories: A Selection of Successful Projects Funded by the EU Health Programmes
The European Commission has recently issued a new publication outlining a series of best projects funded under the second Health Programme. Read more
3. Global Food Security Index: Measuring Food Affordability, Availability, Quality and Safety across 105 Countries
In an effort to increase global food security, DuPont, a global science company, commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit to create an index aimed at addressing the underlying factors of food insecurity and pointing to areas for improvement and reforms. Read more
4. Doing Business at the Base of the Pyramid: The Reality of Emerging Markets
This research paper highlights the possibility of serving goods and services profitably to the base of the economic pyramid (BOP). Read more
5. Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All: Opportunities and Challenges for Overcoming Poverty and Inequality
This joint Poverty-Environment Partnership paper aims to stimulate a dialogue among developing country policymakers, development partners and other stakeholders on how best to support country-led efforts to build inclusive green economies. Read more
6. Access to Food and Improved Nutrition at the Base of the Pyramid
In this study five different business interventions for BoP ventures were identified that achieve social impact and financial sustainability. Read more
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Featured In
Social Research Digest – September 2012
Summary
A new report from IFC breaks new ground by estimating the market for energy services offered at the household level to low-income people. It profiles companies with innovative business models and explores in detail what it takes for them to succeed.
Key Findings
- There is a $37 billion opportunity for the private sector to improve energy services for people who live in relative poverty.
- With the right business models and conditions—the private sector can play a vital role in providing energy solutions that are better for people’s health and better for the environment.
- Private enterprises have started to seize the opportunity.
- While this is still a nascent sector, many businesses are rapidly moving beyond being cottage industries and are successfully serving tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of customers.
- Some companies are seeing profit margins of 10 percent to 30 percent, often with fairly small subsidies on capital costs or no subsidies at all.
- To scale up successful business models, the report offers a series of recommendations for key stakeholders—including companies, social and commercial investors, governments, policymakers, and donors.
- For instance, it suggests that governments resist give-away programs and unrealistic promises, remove discriminatory taxes on energy access products, and leverage public-private partnerships and smart subsidies for extending electricity grids.
- For investors seeking both social impact and financial returns, the report recommends that they keep investment mandates broad and beyond a single technology, develop a local presence, provide appropriate funding for each part of the business life cycle, support enterprise development and business model refinement, and fund the provision of public goods.
Author(s)
IFC
Source
1. 2012 Social Change Impact Report
The report by Walden University provides a diverse global perspective on why adults engage in social change and the roles individuals, nonprofit organizations, government, and the media play in facilitating it. Read more
2. The Business Environment for Inclusive Business Models: A Policy Note by the IFC
The IFC released a policy note on inclusive business at the recent G20 Summit in Mexico. Read more
3. Handbook on UN Guiding Principles
SAI and ICCO’s Handbook offers a six-step approach to help businesses implement the Principles in their supply chain. Read more
4. Essay: Philanthropy Works when the Giver Can Gain Too
Successful philanthropy brings about lasting social change while creating business value. Read more
5. Understanding Public Attitudes to Aid and Development
The report examines long-term aims and impacts of development. Read more
6. 2012 Global Retail Development Index
The A.T. Kearney Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) ranks the top 30 emerging countries for retail development. Read more
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Featured In
Social Research Digest – July 2012
Summary
The IFC released a policy note on inclusive business at the recent G20 Summit in Mexico. The IFC’s policy note describes how public policy can support inclusive business models and recommends how governments and institutions can support companies.
Key Findings
- Despite promising inclusive business initiatives, companies require support of government, as well as greater governance, to extend the reach and impact of inclusive business models.
- The policy note describes how public policy can support inclusive business models, for instance implementing regulations that provide structure without stifling innovation.
- It also describes the institutional frameworks that define the environment in which businesses operate in a given country – for instance, legal systems, infrastructure and skilled resource.
- The document includes analysis of a survey among 167 applicants for the G20 challenge on inclusive business innovation.
- The survey identified specific regulatory hurdles companies face and recommendations for creating a business environment conducive to inclusive business.
- These recommendations include the suggested role of governments, donors and financial institutions to help companies effectively create and manage inclusive business models.
Author(s)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Source
1. Accelerating Inclusive Business Opportunities
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has released its latest report on inclusive business. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
2. Leveraging Information and Communication Technology for the Base of the Pyramid
This study aimed to learn from “what works” in terms of full projects (as opposed to technologies) combining both an economically viable model and socio-economic impacts on their end-users, in the field of ICT for development. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
3. The Value of Corporate Philanthropy during Times of Crisis: The Sensegiving Effect of Employee Involvement
The article extends the contingency perspective that philanthropy’s value to the firm is largely mediated by contextual factors such as managers’ assumed motives for charity. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
4. Toward Engagement 2.0: Creating a More Sustainable Company through Employee Engagement
This report, the third produced by NEEF’s Business & Environment Program, examines how leading companies are moving toward a more strategic approach to employee engagement in corporate sustainability activities by creating a culture of sustainability throughout their firms. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
5. Social Change Impact Report
The Social Change Impact Report provides a detailed picture of the state of social change engagement in America. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
6. Warm Glow or Cold, Hard Cash? Social Identity Effects on Consumer Choice for Donation versus Discount Promotion
Across five studies, the authors investigate how social identification influences consumer preference for discount-based promotions (i.e., cents-off deals) versus donation-based promotions (in which purchase results in a donation to a charitable cause). Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
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1. Migrant Workers’ Exploitation Report
Israeli NGO Kav LaOved has published a report detailing the extent of exploitation of migrant workers in Israel’s agriculture sector. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
2. Stakeholder Forces of Socially Responsible Supply Chain Management Orientation
This study investigates the influence of stakeholder forces on socially responsible supply chain orientations in the apparel and footwear sector. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
3. Green Consumer Communications Report
A new report, The Green Revolution, released recently by Grail Research aims to helps companies with their communications strategies and effectively influence the shopping behaviours of green consumers. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
4. Perceptions on Social Responsibility: The Entrepreneurial Vision
This article outlines the results of an inquiry into the nature of entrepreneurial commitment to social responsibility as a business philosophy. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
5. Gender Diversity in Sustainability Reporting
A new report from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) states that, despite the presence of gender-related indicators in the sustainability reporting guidelines issued by the GRI, few companies report sufficiently on gender-related issues. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
6. Employee Participation in Cause-Related Marketing Strategies
This study focuses on the extent to which a firm’s internal stakeholders (employees) are involved in the selection of social campaigns for cause-related marketing (CRM). Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
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1. Consumer Attitudes to Corporate Responsibility Report
A new report by Business and the Community Ireland suggests that companies which are socially and environmentally responsible can claim a major competitive advantage – but they need to communicate their activities to consumers. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
2. Is Corporate Responsibility Converging? A Comparison of Corporate Responsibility Reporting in the USA, UK, Australia and Germany
This study aims to move beyond the superficiality of previous analyses of CSR reports by using textual analysis software and a more robust statistical method to more objectively and reliably compare the CSR reports of firms in different industries and countries. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
3. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investment Trends Study
A new report from the IFC and Mercer finds growth in sustainable investing in emerging markets, but also notes the need for improvement in such areas as active ownership. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
4. A Comparative Study of CSR in Bangladesh and Pakistan
This paper measures the sensitivity to corporate social responsibility amongst businesses operating in Bangladesh and Pakistan through a review of written policies of both listed local firms and multinational corporations operating there. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
5. Beyond Credibility of Doing Business in China: Strategies for Improving Corporate Citizenship of Foreign Multinational Enterprises in China
This study examines the perceptions of Chinese executives concerning CSR in their Chinese subsidiaries of foreign MNEs. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
6. Corporate Responsibility Reporting Awards
CorporateRegister.com has announced the winners of the second round of its corporate responsibility reporting awards. Read the report summary in the Digest (see download/purchase links below) …
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