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CSR Consultancy Market Grows Rapidly |
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| The global corporate social responsibility (CSR) consultancy market has grown rapidly over the past five years, according to the newly published who's who of providers in the field. The 2010 CSR Professional Services Directory contains details of 685 organizations that provide advice on how businesses can behave more responsibly - compared with 227 when the annual publication was launched five years ago. The figures also suggest that the range of advice is expanding: there were 46 categories of professional services being offered in the first edition, but that has risen to 60 in 2010. The directory, which is sponsored by Achilles and produced by Ethical Performance, the independent newsletter on socially responsible business, is available in both print and online form. Online search statistics show that one of the most popular areas in which corporate responsibility managers seek advice is communications and public relations. There are now many more organizations providing such services - 54 compared with 22 in the first directory. Peter Mason, Managing Editor of Ethical Performance, said: 'In the beginning many companies didn't have much to talk about when it came to corporate responsibility, but as more businesses have got serious about the topic and actually put programmes in place, they're deciding they should let the world know what they're doing. That's led to a big growth in demand for advice on how to communicate, both internally and externally.' Corporate responsibility-related IT services have also shown big growth as companies seek help on collecting data for internal use and for their by-now commonplace annual corporate responsibility reports. The number of companies listed in the directory as providing CSR information technology services has more than doubled from 12 to 23 over the past five years. Mason said much of the recent growth in consultancy services has been in areas of the world that are 'catching up' on corporate responsibility, such as the US and Asia Pacific. An increasing number of consultancies are also offering services across the globe rather than in the countries where they are based. This reflects the global nature of corporate responsibility, especially in areas such as ethical supply chain management. The size and shape of consultancies in the sector varies dramatically. While big outfits such as Arthur D Little, KPMG and Ernst & Young occupy space in the field, smaller consultancies such as Context, Acona and The Reassurance Network generally hold sway. There has, however, been consolidation in the market, with bigger firms such as Corporate Citizenship and Two Tomorrows emerging as a result. There are also a number of institutions, academic bodies and think tanks providing advisory services as an adjunct to their general research and advocacy roles on corporate responsibility. These include bodies such as Business in the Community and Ashridge business school. The 2010 edition of the Ethical Performance CSR Professional Services Directory is now available to use free online at http://www.ethicalperformance.com/csrdirectory/index.php As well as the online directory a full-colour, 104-page A4 print version is available for £65 / euro95 / $130 and can be ordered at http://www.ethicalperformance.com/directory/ordercopy.php Notes for Editors: The directory is published annually by Ethical Performance, the monthly independent newsletter on socially responsible business. http://www.ethicalperformance.com Achilles, the directory sponsors, are leading global suppliers of services for sustainable procurement, delivering a wide range of supplier management and business solutions to hundreds of the world's largest companies. http://www.achilles.com
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