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Achievements of HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 Winners Diamond Award Winner LTK International Limited Founded in 1981, LTK has demonstrated its commitment to corporate sustainability in many ways, from achieving ISO 14001 accreditation to transporting rescue and emergency relief materials from Shenzhen to Chongqing for employees affected by the Sichuan Earthquake. Implementation of energy saving and waste conservation measures in the company s operations, including the use of solar water heating and reflective roofing materials, is estimated to save approximately 2,600kWh of electricity per day. Employee welfare is also a priority for LTK, as reflected in the provision of extra benefits such as paternity leave, study leave, and scholarships for employees children. Emerald Award Winners Home of the Elderly Consultancy Limited Home of the Elderly Consultancy Limited (HoE) believes that raising environmental awareness is fundamental to changing behaviour so it organises a number of environmental awareness programmes for its staff. A learning team has been designated to arrange training, and a team event is held every month to enhance staff engagement and team spirit. Community involvement is a core element of HoE s corporate sustainability practices, and the company partners with NGOs to organise different community programmes. Kai Shing Management Services Limited Aegean Coast Aegean Coast is committed to environmental protection through managing energy and water use, and reducing waste. It also devotes great efforts to provide a safe environment for residents, guests and staff. Through mobilising staff and residents, Aegean Coast achieved over 2,000 voluntary hours in 2007 and won the Gold Award for Volunteer Service from the Social Welfare Department. Regular home visits, tea gatherings, annual surveys and a Meet and Greet Programme are organised to collect feedback and maintain close communication with residents. Linkz Industries Limited Linkz is committed to the highest standards of environmental performance and management in its operations. It applies life-cycle assessment techniques at the product design stage to minimise the overall environmental impact of its products. Linkz fosters a Learn-Learn Strategy for employee development, and a We are family initiative is implemented to promote better work-life balance. Employees are involved in providing voluntary training for various charities and social service organisations. Linkz also encourages its staff to share their knowledge and experience with the community and other companies. 1
Living smart to grow your business HSBC Living Business is a programme that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more competitive and productive by implementing socially and environmentally sustainable business practices. HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 With the support of the Business Environment Council (BEC) and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the annual award scheme HSBC Living Business Awards aims to recognise local SMEs that have demonstrated strong commitment to corporate sustainability (CS). SMEs that are committed to practising CS and pursuing excellence are encouraged to participate in the award scheme, which recognises responsible businesses that are sensitive to the impact they have on people, the community and the environment. Award categories HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 HSBC Living Business Awards Main Awards HSBC Living Business Awards Project Awards Diamond Award (One cash prize of HK$80,000) Emerald Award (Three cash prizes of HK$50,000 each) Outstanding Community Project Award (One cash prize of HK$10,000) Outstanding Green Project Award (One cash prize of HK$10,000) Ruby Award (Three cash prizes of HK$10,000 each) Two Honorable Mentions for each of the community and green project category Sapphire Award* (Up to two cash prizes of HK$10,000 each) Certificate of Excellence (Unlimited recipients) Certificate of Merit (Unlimited recipients) * Sapphire Award will be presented to the winner of the SME Community Participation Award under HKCSS s Caring Company Scheme. All cash award winners in 2009 will be entitled to display the official HSBC Living Business Awards logo for three years and also have a chance to be featured in the programme s media publicity and promotional materials. Recipients of the Certificate of Excellence will be entitled to display the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 logo for one year. Recipients of the Certificate of Merit and the honorable mention in the community and green project categories will be awarded a certificate each, but they will not be entitled to display the HSBC Living Business Awards logo. 2
HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 Main Awards Project Awards Eligibility Any SME that started business in Hong Kong no later than 1 January 2008 is eligible to participate in the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009. For the purposes of these awards, an SME is defined as a manufacturing enterprise with fewer than 100 employees or a non-manufacturing enterprise with fewer than 50 employees in Hong Kong. An employee refers to a full-time employee who is working in Hong Kong. Judging criteria (More details on page 4) Judging process (More details on page 5) The diamond award winner in any year will NOT be considered for any cash prize awards for the next three years. Applications are evaluated with due consideration to the nature and scale of their businesses and will be judged based on the following four criteria: 1. Commitment to environmental protection 2. Excellence in employee management 3. Achievements in community development 4. Overall management quality and effectiveness The judging process covers the company performance after 1 January 2008. There are five steps in the judging process: 1. Eligibility review 2. First stage preliminary assessment 3. Second stage assessment 4. Detailed assessment 5. Final round judging The projects submitted must be ongoing or completed in 2008 and demonstrate positive and sustainable impact on the communities or environment. Applicants can submit more than one entry each year for each project category. However, only the best entry in each award category from the same applicant will be selected for detailed assessment. Winning projects in any given year will NOT be considered for an award in the same category for the next three years. However, companies with winning projects are allowed to submit other projects for the same award category. Projects submitted will be assessed based on the following seven criteria: 1. Scope 2. Relevance 3. Innovation 4. Benefits to the community/environment 5. Effectiveness 6. Sustainability 7. Practicability There are four steps in the judging process: 1. Eligibility review 2. Preliminary assessment 3. Detailed assessment 4. Final judging The eligibility review and assessments will be conducted by BEC. The final judging will be conducted by independent panels of experts for the Main Awards and the two Project Awards, who will select winners for each award category. All decisions made by the judging panels will be final and binding. How to participate Further details Applicants can be self-nominated or nominated by a non-profit organisation or an HSBC Living Business Ambassador. Please complete the application form overleaf and submit it to BEC on or before 29 May 2009. Application forms can be downloaded from the HSBC Living Business website at www.hsbc.com.hk/livingbusiness. For enquiries, please call (852) 2784 3936/2822 4947 or email livingbusiness@bec.org.hk. Please refer to the HSBC Living Business website (www.hsbc.com.hk/livingbusiness) for more details about the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009. 3
Judging Criteria for Main Awards and Project Awards HSBC Living Business Awards Main Awards Judging Criteria 1. Commitment to environmental protection Including the reduction of air, water, and noise pollution; waste management and indoor air quality control; conservation of resources such as energy; water and materials; environmental training for employees, and the company s overall environmental management approach. 2. Excellence in employee management Including effective two-way communication, employee training and development, equal opportunities in employment, employee wellbeing and family care, occupational health and safety (OHS) measures and training, and the company s overall OHS management approach. 3. Achievements in community development Including employment of disadvantaged groups, employee volunteering, corporate giving, transfer of skills to NGOs, and involvement in community programmes. HSBC Living Business Awards Project Awards 4. Overall management quality and effectiveness Including measures to improve transparency, accountability, and corporate governance, responsible business practices, management of stakeholder relationships, and supply chain management. 1. Scope The type of project, its nature and extent. 2. Relevance The project aims to address a specific community need/problem/issue or achieve a certain level of positive impact on the environment. 3. Innovation The originality of the project compared with similar case studies in the industry, in Hong Kong and overseas where possible. 4. Benefits to community/environment The economic, social/environmental benefits that the project brings about, as well as the completeness, accuracy and balance of the results. (Quantifiable data should be provided as far as possible.) 5. Effectiveness The effective use of time, people, money and other resources for the implementation and outcomes of the project. 6. Sustainability The long-term sustainability of the project and/or project outcomes in relation to the community/environment, as well as the potential for further development in the future. 7. Practicability The project itself is feasible and can be adopted by other companies. 4
Judging Process for Main Awards and Project Awards HSBC Living Business Awards Main Awards Judging Process 1. Eligibility review (May June 2009) All applications will be screened for their eligibility, according to the number of employees in the company and the date of incorporation. 2. First stage preliminary assessment (May June 2009) All eligible applications will be assessed based on the criteria as indicated in the application form. 3. Second stage assessment (June July 2009) Shortlisted SMEs will be asked to fill in an additional checklist to provide more information on their CS performance. During this stage of assessment, the size and business nature of the company will also be taken into account. 4. Detailed assessment (July August 2009) Shortlisted SMEs will be asked to fill in a questionnaire to provide specific information and/or host a half-day observational visit from which a detailed assessment will be carried out. HSBC Living Business Awards Project Awards 5. Final round judging (August 2009) An independent judging panel will evaluate the results of the previous assessment stages. SME finalists must deliver a presentation to the judging panel to support their applications. 1. Eligibility review (May June 2009) All applications will be screened for their eligibility, according to the number of employees in the company and the date of incorporation. 2. Preliminary assessment (June 2009) Each eligible applicant must complete a Project Report Form to provide details of their project entry. The information provided will be assessed against a marking scheme. A maximum of five applicants from each project category will be shortlisted for detailed assessment. 3. Detailed assessment (June July 2009) The shortlisted applicants will be asked to host an observational visit and provide specific information for assessment. 4. Final judging (August 2009) An independent judging panel for each project category will evaluate results of the previous assessment stages. SME finalists must deliver a presentation to the judging panel to support their application. 5
HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 Application Form Please tick the box(es) if your company would like to enter the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 Main Awards and/or Project Awards. (You can tick more than one box.) We are interested in entering the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 Main Awards (Please complete all sections of this application form.) We are interested in entering the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009 Project Awards (Please complete sections A, D and E of this application form.) A separate Project Report Form will be sent to you by email. The report form is also available on the HSBC Living Business website (www.hsbc.com.hk/livingbusiness). For enquiries, please call (852) 2784 3936 or email livingbusiness@bec.org.hk. (A) Company profile Name of company Address (Chinese) (English) Telephone Email Date of incorporation Name of person in charge Title Business registration no. (Please attach a copy) Nature of business (Manufacturing or non-manufacturing) Name of holding company* (if applicable) Fax Company website (Chinese) (English) * Applicant with a holding company must declare involvement of the holding company in its corporate sustainability initiatives in the second stage assessment. Facilities: Offices Factory Retail shop floor Other (Please specify) Number of employees: Full-time employees* Part-time employees * Only the number of full-time employees in Hong Kong will affect eligibility. Contact details: Hong Kong PRC Overseas Name of contact person Position Telephone Email Fax 6
(B) Nominator Self-nomination (Go to section C) Nomination by non-profit organisation Nomination by HSBC Living Business Ambassador Name of non-profit organisation/hsbc Living Business Ambassador (Chinese) (English) Contact details: Name of contact person Position Telephone Email Fax (C) Summary of achievements 1. Commitment to environmental protection Please tick the box that reflects the ways in which your company has attempted to manage and reduce your environmental impact. (You may tick more than one box.) Environmental policy and overall management Employees environmental training and awareness Waste reduction, recycling and reuse Energy conservation and efficiency Water conservation and waste water management Air emissions monitoring and control Indoor air quality monitoring and control Noise pollution monitoring and control If applicable, please provide details of any additional environmental programmes/achievements within your company. You may provide information on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to this form. 2. Excellence in employee management Please tick the box that reflects the ways in which your company has implemented initiatives to help promote the wellbeing of your employees. (You may tick more than one box.) 2a. Employee management Employees training and professional development Internal communication Employee motivation and recognition Equal opportunity Employees welfare Promotion of work-life balance Implementation of family-friendly practices 2b. Occupational health and safety (OHS) OHS policy and overall management Good housekeeping Employees OHS training and awareness OHS essentials (such as first-aid box, fire extinguisher, personal protective equipment, etc.) If applicable, please provide details of any additional employee management practices within your company. You may provide information on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to this form. 7
3. Achievements in community development Please tick the box that reflects the ways in which your company has actively contributed to the local community. (You may tick more than one box.) 3a. Volunteering and giving Participation in voluntary services in 2008/09 Company policy/guidelines to encourage employees to participate in voluntary services Provide cash donation/sponsorship to social service organisations and/or charities in 2008/09 Provide in-kind donation/sponsorship to social service organisations and/or charities in 2008/09 3b. Employing the disadvantaged/unemployed Employ or offer job opportunities for the disadvantaged/unemployed Provide vocational training for the disadvantaged/unemployed 3c. Partnering and mentoring Co-organise community projects/services with social service organisations Share business expertise with social service organisations Support employees to participate in advisory committees or boards of other organisations or act as mentors If applicable, please provide details on other community development achievements that your company is involved in. You may provide information on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to this form. 4. Overall management quality and effectiveness Please tick the box that reflects the ways in which your company has actively improved overall management quality and effectiveness. (You may tick more than one box.) Measures to improve corporate governance Measures to enhance transparency and accountability to stakeholders Share best practices and experiences with other companies Comply with international standards (Please specify ) Supply chain management Honoured/awarded for industry best practices If applicable, please provide details of further management quality and effectiveness initiatives undertaken in your company. You may provide information on a separate sheet of paper and attach it to this form. If you have any difficulties completing this form, please call (852) 2784 3936 or email livingbusiness@bec.org.hk for assistance. 8
(D) Declaration I declare that my company is an SME as defined herein for the purpose of the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009. I understand that if my company is found not to qualify as an SME, my entry will be disqualified immediately. I declare that the information submitted in this award entry is accurate to the best of my knowledge and agree that the decisions made by the organiser and the judging panels are final and binding in all aspects relating to the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009. 1. In the past year, my company has upheld our business ethics and credibility Yes No** 2. In the past year, my company has been convicted of a criminal offence within and/or outside Hong Kong. 3. In the past year, my company has received warnings or been prosecuted for matters related to environmental performance, occupational health and safety, equal opportunity or business ethics within and/or outside of Hong Kong. Yes** Yes** Applicants may be requested to provide a self-declaration statement on legal compliance, complaints and warnings received for matters related to their environmental performance, occupational health and safety, equal opportunity or business ethics in the last twelve months (from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008) across all operations and sites. ** Please briefly describe the matter(s) concerned and the subsequent corrective/preventive measures taken, if any. No No Note: Any record of warnings, prosecutions or convictions will be taken into account during the judging process, but will not necessarily lead to disqualification. A brief account of the matter(s) concerned and the corrective/preventive measures taken will help demonstrate your efforts to address the problem and constantly improve. (E) Signature Nominee Position Date Signature with company chop Nominator Position Date Signature with company chop X X Please submit the completed application form together with supporting documents to: HSBC Living Business Awards 2009, c/o Business Environment Council, Room 201, Jockey Club Environmental Building, 77 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong on or before 29 May 2009. You may also fax the form to (852) 2784 6699 or email it to livingbusiness@bec.org.hk. All information submitted will be used solely for the purpose of the HSBC Living Business Awards 2009. 9
Achievements of HSBC Living Business Awards 2008 Winners Ruby Award Winners Bamboos Professional Nursing Services Bamboos has assigned staff to manage environmental issues and organise activities to raise staff awareness of environmental protection. Training subsidies and notable benefits including birthday leave and meal subsidies are offered to staff. Bamboos is passionate about using its expertise to benefit the community and voluntary training is provided for teenagers who are interested in becoming healthcare assistants and personal care workers. Relevant corporate information is communicated to stakeholders through its bi-monthly corporate magazine. California Air Limited In 2006 and 2007, California Air achieved 56% reduction in paper use, 15% in water consumption and 30% in electricity cost through various effective environmental measures. Marriage leave, flexible working hours and monthly staff activities are available, and each employee is only allowed to work a maximum of eight hours overtime each month to facilitate work-life balance. California Air also provides job opportunities for single parents and graduates from employee retraining courses. Citybase Property Management Limited Kingswood Villas Sherwood Court Sherwood Court actively involves its residents in different green initiatives to raise their environmental awareness and its efforts have been recognised in various green competitions. Sherwood Court takes the health and safety of its staff seriously and a zero accident rate has been achieved since 2000. Through partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a community programme has been organised to provide vocational training and job opportunities for teenagers. Sapphire Award Winner Conrad Management Services Company Limited Since 2003, Conrad has been providing voluntary security services to the Hong Kong Caritas Bazaar. The company co-organises retraining courses on security services and property management for NGOs as well as provides training and job opportunities for youth. Conrad s active involvement and investment in partnerships to bring positive and sustainable solutions to the community has been recognised through the SME Community Participation Award under the HKCSS s Caring Company Scheme 2007/2008. 10
Outstanding Community Project Award Winner Way To Grow Limited Project: Smart Kid Intervention Programme (SKIP) Way To Grow, founded in 2005 by former university lecturers, helps children with learning disabilities through SKIP a specially designed course which includes computer-based games, motor deficiency exercises and small group reading and discussion. Children attending the course have shown huge improvements in their learning abilities and personal development. Way To Grow is committed to helping as many children as possible through SKIP and so children whose parents have financial difficulties are given discounts or even free tuition. Almost 100 children have benefited from the programme since its launch in 2007. Outstanding Green Project Award Winner Chun Long Construction Limited Project: A Green Demolition Project Chun Long was established in 1997 and engages mainly in the demolition of buildings. A Green Demolition Project involved demolition and disposal of all existing structures at the Disciplined Services Departmental Quarters in nine locations across Hong Kong, with a total of 35 blocks and 450 storeys. Despite various environmental and social challenges posed by the size, nature and timeline of the project, Chun Long has devoted great effort to reduce 54% of construction and demolition waste for landfills, and received positive feedback from clients, business partners and the public. Issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited 11