6. FINDINGS
6.6. Part 3: Escalating the B movement
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For the areas of “Supply / distribution chains”, “markets served” and “employee attraction / retention”, there seems to be no consensus in either country on what kind of impact the B Certification has, however, it hovers between having “no impact” and having a “positive impact”
Lastly, when it comes to “Products / services offered”, it seems that B Corps in Taiwan and Nicaragua agree on the fact that the B Certification has “no impact” on the products and/or services they offer.
6.6. Part 3: Escalating the B movement
6.6.1. Challenges faced by B Corps
Figure 15: Challenges faced by B Corps in Taiwan and Nicaragua
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Main challenges faced by both Taiwanese and Nicaraguan B Corps while getting the B Certification:
• Required Data collection: Companies encountered that they didn’t have the required data properly organized in the way that B Lab actually needed it, therefore B Corps spent a significant amount of time organizing the data to match their requests. For example, to compile a list of local vendors, they had to go through a year's worth of expense records and determine which items were purchased locally and which items were not.
Some companies, for the financial part, they didn’t have actual records, or didn’t have the culture of keeping the records, to provide the numbers B Lab needed, so it was difficult to comply.
Sometimes, suppliers’ records were the problem, because they are may be from rural areas so they don’t keep records or don’t quantify the aspects that B Lab needs to see to get the environmental part approved, yet somehow, they need to quantify those practices to prove what is stated on the BIA.
• Time devoted to the B certification: The people leading the certification efforts also had other projects ongoing and didn’t really realize the amount of time it takes to complete the BIA, collect the requested data, arrange the phone interviews, among other tasks.
This could mean that other work could be negatively impacted if one isn’t careful enough.
Main challenges faced exclusively by Taiwanese B Corps while getting the B Certification:
• Language: Even for native English speaker, some of the BIA questions could've been
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worded in a plainer English. Additionally, the BIA and B Corp approaches issues from an American perspective, and sometimes the questions, in an international context, don't quite make sense or are irrelevant.
For non-native English speakers, trying to understand the questions in English was sometimes very hard and it was easy to misunderstand many of the things even with the mandarin translation guide provided by B Lan Taiwan. The respondents said it was difficult to explain their ideas, dreams and intentions in a different language and that they know that a lot of Taiwanese companies don't go for the certification because they don't have a communicator that has the right proficiency in English to fulfill the requirements.
• Consumer lack of awareness about B Corps: The Taiwanese customers have a negative connotation towards the word "B" being associated with a company. In people's mind, they want an "A" company, not a "B" company. The challenge is, how can they explain to the costumer that “B” companies are good companies and why would the company acquire a certification that might have a bad positioning in the mind of the consumer.
Main challenges faced exclusively by Nicaraguan B Corps while getting the B Certification:
• Making the proper organizational restructuration: As B Corps are essentially purpose-driven and this purpose must be embedded in the core of each company, some Nicaraguan companies stated that it was hard to make some of the institutional changes needed to live up to what a B Corp should be, because in occasions it went against the status quo or because it was something people wasn’t used to. Basically, a mild resistance to change in some small aspects of the companies.
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6.6.2. Advice and/or suggestions from Taiwanese and Nicaraguan B Corps to escalate the B Movement
• Be aware of the effort and commitment the certification requires: Companies should realize the time and energy required to complete the B Corp certification and it should not be thought of as a side project. Companies should understand, and this is one of the B Corp values, that it requires the coordination of several departments within a company working together to achieve the certification. If a company’s information is not well organized and transparent, then completing the certification will be longer and harder.
• Spread the word: Many companies in both Nicaragua and Taiwan are active about educating people about the B Certification. Some even go to schools and peer companies to explain everything about the B movement. The more awareness there is about the new way of doing business, the better the chances of having a greater impact with the B Certification and eventually even push for constitutional legal changes to accommodate the model of Benefit Corporations. Also promoting about B Corps on websites and headhunting firms is an effective way to create awareness of the B Certification and have people (potential talent or consumers) raise the question on what it actually is and what it entitles.
• Just start doing it: Companies suggest to not overthink too much about it. The fact that the BIA is available for everyone and for free, lets companies try it and see if they can obtain a good enough score to get certified and in addition, it serves as a tool to get know how well each company is doing and what areas you can improve. Trying out the questions is a good way to know how to do good business.
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• It is all about the right attitude: Companies should not think that becoming a B Corp will actually increase your profits. It is important to seek the certification because it is a good thing to do and the company does want to do things the right way. Having the mindset that you get certified because it is part of the things you should do to become a healthy company for society and the employees is one of the most important elements companies must consider.
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