Some companies have gone so far as to evaluate and document their stakeholder analyses in a document called the “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) report.  These can be really valuable for Sales as well as Research Professionals.

Here’s a quick example snapshot from the GE CSR – the full report has much more detail on each of these areas and also dives into specific business initiatives where GE will be spending money to address corporate citizenship goals.

CSR analyses cover many topics including:

• Environmental impact (e.g. Pollution, Carbon Dioxide Emissions)
• Global Vendor Sourcing (e.g. Plant Safety, Wages, Child Labor)
• Social (e.g. Charitable Donations, Employee Community Involvement)
• Industry Specific Concerns (e.g. Tobacco Company Marketing, Mobile Phone radiation)

If a sales or business development rep can tie their product or service to one of these objectives, they have a strongly focused, company specific selling point (e.g. Your CEO set a 2012 goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20%, our logistics software helps…)  CSR goals can also be useful for business development directors, underwriters, lawyers, investment bankers, and consultants.

You can sometimes find a bit of this content in news releases or on corporate websites.  The glossy version of the annual report may have this information as well (you’re more likely to find it there than a 10-K annual filing).  One way to get comprehensive access to CSR information is through a business information service.