Business Call to Action

24 January 2011

Missed the Webinar? Watch the webinar presentations: Jason Saul |  Adrian Ristow Access the PowerPoint presentations: Jason Saul | Adrian Ristow Download Resources: Measuring Value of Business Call to Action Initiatives:  A Results Reporting Framework (Re) Valuing Public-Private Alliances: An Outcomes-Based Approach

Some of the world’s most successful companies are changing the way they do business by adopting new approaches to innovation that tackle poverty in the developing world. Measuring the development and business impacts of these pro-poor, inclusive business initiatives is not always straightforward or easy.

During the Business Call to Action’s (BCtA) first webinar event on January 13, Jason Saul, CEO of Mission Measurement, and Adrian Ristow, Project Director for Micro-Distribution at The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC), outlined the major challenges and issues companies face when measuring results of inclusive business initiatives.

Saul, a leading expert on measuring social impact, focused on how companies often run into issues with measurement because they treat it as an afterthought. A better approach, said Saul, is to identify desired outcomes from the outset of an initiative. These outcomes will then inform business strategy. By making this link between measurement and business strategy, companies will find that results measurement isn’t that difficult.

Another critical takeaway attaches metrics to outcomes as opposed to focusing on measuring the business strategy. Measuring against shared outcomes will help determine the true success of an initiative.

Finally, results measurement needs to be supported from the highest-levels of management.  “It takes strong local leadership to balance the need for short-term results with the long-term business outlook,” said Saul.

Ristow agreed that taking a holistic approach to results measurement is one of the keys to getting started. Ristow, through his work with TCCC and its network of locally owned micro-distribution centers across Africa, has been able to capture and document not only how the company generates increased revenues but to assess the development outcomes in terms of local jobs created and increase in women-owned distributorships.

The critical factor for developing Coke’s process of measurement, noted Ristow, was learning by doing.  “Often you think you should measure impact with a comprehensive set of indicators from the start,” said Ristow. “But what we learned is that you have to get started with a simple set of indicators.” The point is not to get bogged down in the details of measurement, but to begin collecting some results and then adding more indicators incrementally. This approach makes the process less intimidating and more manageable for companies just getting started in results measurement.

BCtA Results Reporting

Participants to BCtA’s webinar were introduced to the BCtA Results Reporting Framework, which will help member company’s measure and assess progress toward their BCtA commitments.

Developed over the course of 2010, key features of the BCtA Results Reporting Framework include:

• Reflection of BCtA application–Directly reflects the aims and targets expressed in member companies’ commitments.
• Light-touch–Designed to complement and integrate with existing reporting/measurement processes used by companies.
• Flexible–Allows companies to pick and choose from a number of different indicators, and to report additional results if/when data becomes available.
• Externally reviewed–Developed with input from leading companies and development institutions working in the area of inclusive business.

Measuring Value of Business Call to Action Initiatives:  A Results Reporting Framework provides BCtA member companies with a guide to reporting progress on commitments. Download the Framework.

• Watch Adrian Ristow’s webinar presentation
• Download Adrian Ristow’s PowerPoint presentation

• Watch Jason Saul’s webinar presentation
• Download Jason Saul’s PowerPoint presentation
• Download (Re) Valuing Public-Private Alliances: An Outcomes-Based Approach