Disability Online for CSR Practitioners The Strategic Business Case
An Employers' Forum on Disability Briefing for CSR Practitioners
In association with AccountAbility with the support of Cable & Wireless
Trust and commitment between businesses and their stakeholders will underpin tomorrow's successful companies. Intangible assets make up a high and growing proportion of a company's market value. These assets include reputation and value with key stakeholders, internal and network-based knowledge, and the capacity of management to compete and navigate through increasingly complex environments.
Managing diversity is increasingly seen as a key factor in determining efficiency, productivity and overall business success. Businesses that embrace diversity will be able to:
- Access untapped reserves of talent
- Open up new markets
- Improve operational efficiency: reduce costs, lower turnover, improve efficiency and service delivery, minimise litigation
- Promote new sources of ideas, creativity and problem solving
- Enhance reputation and loyalty both internally and from external stakeholders and customers
- Build brand loyalty and distinctiveness by valuing all customers and employees
Globalisation accelerates the significance of diversity
Globalisation accentuates the need to define common values and to build business relationships that embrace increasing levels of diversity, in terms, for example, of location, culture, religion, language, gender, age and ethnicity, and disability. Diversity is increasingly recognised as a business benefit. Knowledge of the needs and expectations of a growing sector of the market combined with enhanced morale and people management systems are tangible benefits for the companies who are good employers of disabled people.