Monitor of the vicinity: indispensable for a socially responsible enterprise
A company's image, as perceived by local residents, associations, local government and the press, can greatly impact its activities. If an enterprise neglects its vicinity or fails to inform groups properly, conflict can arise. If concerns for safety are generated, local residents may band together and draw out permitting procedures endlessly by submitting complaints.
Government, too, may decide to halt company activities if these are not considered environmentally responsible. Good communication between the organization and its vicinity can, however, keep this problem from arising.
Monitor of the vicinity
Good communication between a company and its vicinity is the basis for a socially responsible company and starts with an overview of what constitutes the vicinity. In order to achieve this overview, a monitor of the vicinity is advisable: a study method that shows how the company scores with respect to factors that concern the vicinity, both in the eyes of those parties who live there and in actual fact. In this study, social factors (living satisfaction), environmental factors (noise prevention) and economic factors (company profit) are reviewed according to the 'triple P approach': people, planet and profit.
Risks, image and the socially responsible enterprise
A monitor of the vicinity is of interest if you wish to avoid the risk of community resistance in the case of new construction or company relocations, but also if you wish to develop a positive image as a socially responsible enterprise. The monitor of the vicinity can also be used if you wish to know which factors in the vicinity are most important from the community perspective or when you want to introduce a socially responsible approach within your organization. Government institutions can also use this monitor to make decisions with respect to major projects or for environmental impact reports.