“I enjoyed the session and found the informal nature of the meeting led to a productive discussion. I was sufficiently comfortable in the setting and felt that I could express my opinions honestly.”

Dr Mike Tennant

Lecturer in Business and Environment Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

External engagement

Talking to customers, employees, activists and other stakeholders is good for business. It acts as an ear to the ground - giving companies a better understanding of sustainability risks and opportunities.

We help clients facilitate this kind of dialogue, through meetings, opinion research and advisory panels. Our wide experience of engagement combined with our knowledge of sustainability means that our clients and their stakeholders get the most from these sessions.

We don’t forget the hugely important, but often forgotten, aspect of measuring performance. We help companies assess how effectively their messages are getting through, using surveys and focus groups.

Our services:

Stakeholder mapping

We help clients identify and prioritise stakeholders and plan how to engage with them. This includes identifying stakeholder needs, developing appropriate messages, and specifying communications tactics and channels.

Opinion leader research

Focus groups provide a neutral forum for discussion, giving clients vital feedback. We identify potential participants, and organise sessions over lunch, which we moderate. Telephone surveys are an alternative that work well, providing larger numbers of respondents and wider geographical spread.

Global CS Who’s Who

Our Who's Who is a hand-picked list of over 1,300 sustainability leaders in academia, government, media, pressure groups and companies from more than 60 countries. We use this database to recruit panels for stakeholder engagement and to distribute sustainability publications. See our Global CR Who’s Who brochure.

Advisory panels

Stakeholder advisory panels provide scrutiny and in-depth feedback on a company’s sustainability performance and communications. The eminent panel members offer crucial insights and act as a sounding board for new ideas. We organise panels on behalf of clients, including identifying potential members as well as facilitating meetings and communicating the outcome of discussions.

Case studies

International telephone survey for Standard Chartered

In 2008, we helped Standard Chartered to understand stakeholder views on the bank’s sustainability performance and communications. Because the bank operates mainly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, we used telephone interviews with stakeholders in those markets to supplement information gathered at a London focus group. We interviewed stakeholders in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, India, South Korea and China. The research identified microfinance and the climate impact of the bank’s investment activities as key areas of interest among stakeholders.

Stakeholder dialogue at Vodafone

Vodafone wants to learn from many perspectives and contribute to the debate on key issues for the mobile industry. We have facilitated engagement about reporting that has helped Vodafone develop a sector-leading strategy, recognised by many awards.

Vodafone’s CR dialogues are discussions on issues such as climate change, privacy, emerging markets and content standards. Each dialogue includes a lunch-time discussion with experts which we organise and facilitate, summarising the results to inform Vodafone’s action. For example, the climate change discussion helped to develop Vodafone’s climate change strategy. We have also written papers published on Vodafone’s Dialogue website that put forward alternative views and are designed to stimulate debate.

Facilitating an advisory panel for BAE Systems

BAE Systems, the global defence company, launched a new corporate responsibility strategy in 2008, prioritising key issues for its business and identifying performance goals.

Context organised and facilitated an advisory panel for the company, to provide feedback on its new strategy and draft report. The panel members are experienced sustainability practitioners with in-depth knowledge of implementing sustainability strategies. Panel feedback is used by senior management to refine the company’s approach and is published in BAE System’s report.

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To discuss how Context can help your organisation, contact Simon Propper (Europe) and Peter T. Knight (U.S.).

Find out more in our new publication CS Excellence in Context.