Project examples

The following examples provide a brief snapshot of the many successful projects undertaken by members of our team:

Responding to 193 different languages in one borough

Simon Norris helped to develop a web site for one of the most deprived and diverse boroughs in the UK, reaching 225,100 citizens speaking 193 different languages. The citizens drove every stage of its development, enabling the council to respond efficiently to their needs. An intensive training programme gave the council the skills to maintain the site's high quality and web accessibility standards.

It was the first local council site to achieve triple-A accessibility status and was winner of the 2004 IVCA CSR in Action Award.

Helping the UK Government tackle a major social issue

A major campaign helped a Government department tackle a social problem affecting every part of the UK - anti-social behaviour. Stuart Blake and Ros McTaggart were key members of the team that developed and ran a roadshow which reached 2,500 practitioners, providing motivation and training. The events were designed to provoke maximum involvement by cross-professional teams. Audience research indicated an average of 96% felt personally engaged and 88% felt better equipped to make a difference.

The campaign won an IVCA award for communication effectiveness.

Making Corporate Responsibility "business as usual"

A major British company was seeking to develop a Corporate Responsibility programme, focusing existing responsibility activities and identifying other issues relevant to their business. Peter Davis conducted a full stakeholder dialogue process, including meetings with customers, agents, staff, national and local government. This defined a clear set of issues which formed the company's sphere of responsibility. He then worked with key company staff to establish the degree to which these issues were already being addressed. A time-tabled programme was developed to ensure that all relevant issues were addressed as a part of 'business as usual.'

Setting the ground-rules for high-risk emerging markets

A British-based company with global operations wished to understand the CR implications of their activities in high-risk emerging markets. Peter Davis ran a pilot project for the company in China. This involved in-depth research into issues such as labour conditions, corruption and human rights, as well as close co-operation with staff to understand the implications for the company. This led to an inventory of issues that needed to be addressed. An action-plan was developed to set clear benchmarks for improvement.

Helping a drinks company to respond to alcohol misuse

In 2004 The British Government launched its National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy to address issues such as binge drinking, and the chronic and acute damage caused by alcohol misuse. This policy has significant implications for the beverage alcohol industry. Peter Davis worked with one of the leading drinks companies to understand

The issues of concern to the government
Global best practice in addressing alcohol misuse
How best to collaborate with others
Actions that the company should take to respond to the government's agenda and, more importantly, to make a difference on-the-ground