The Responsible Business Directory
Part of
The Responsible Business Directory
Part of
151a Kings Rd
Westcliff-on-Sea
Essex
SS0 8LS
.jpg)
Whether in the private, public or charity sectors, governance may start in the boardroom but it needs to spread out into the organisation to really influence the way a business operates. Establishing a strong corporate culture is at the heart of making this happen. We work with boards and their advisers providing specialist governance services which aim to turn these simple statements into reality. Alongside this, technical expertise in company law ensures full compliance with legal obligations.
As the owner of a small business, I recognise there is a limit to the impact we can have (for better or worse) on our community and environment but that doesn't mean it's ok to ignore the issue. Like many business owners, my decisions often reflect my personal values - just like at home, in business I opt to respect the environment, give back to my community, and operate in a fair, honest and ethical manner.
So on the environment, examples of decisions that have been specifically made to minimise the impact of our business include using recycled materials (not just on the obvious stationary products but also office furnishings) minimising the use of paper by adopting a 'think before you print' attitude and printing double-sided where paper copies are necessary, and recycling waste products such as paper and print cartridges. When time and distance permits, travel is by foot or for longer journeys by public transport or a low CO2 emission car (my lovely Fiat 500!).
It's good to give something back to the community. The business makes an annual donation to charity and we email our contacts our festive good wishes rather than posting out Christmas cards. Our expert services have been provided pro bono to relevant projects in the past and this is something that I will consider again in the future for any cause which chimes with me.
All dealings with customers are on a strictly fair and transparent basis and, so as not to blind my clients with science, plain English is the norm even when dealing with legal issues. For cost-conscious clients, I will frequently offer fixed-price services. Upfront discussions about what advice might be required, the limitations of what we offer (and being honest about what's outside of our area of expertise) and using clear terms and conditions are all important principles underpinning the business. I want others to play fair by me and see no reason to think my customers will expect anything less themselves. I often seek feedback from our clients. Appreciative words are always welcome, but the main purpose of actively seeking customer comments is to discover if there's anything I can improve.
We pay our suppliers promptly and always within the standard payment period. Efforts have been made to source certain supplies ethically (for instance we have some beautiful Fairtrade coasters in our office!) but we have some more work to do in this area. I want to give more thought in future to using local suppliers, after all we are a local business, with many of our customers drawn from the local area so it seems right that we try to pay forward that favour.
My business is registered under the Money Laundering Regulations and I am aware that some of the services we offer could be mis-used for wrongful purposes. Bribery, organised crime and corruption are huge international problems so I take our responsibilities very seriously and do all that can reasonably be done by a small business to ensure that we are not unwittingly used to aid those involve in these destructive practices. I have also used my influence as a contributor to a professional magazine on a number of occasions to remind others of these issues and to highlight our collective responsibilities as professional advisers to play our part in preventing money laundering and similar problems.