Corporate Advice

Corporate Advice includes the following programs:

Corporate Governance
The program provides advice to companies and banks on how to introduce and strengthen corporate governance practices based on international standards. Activities are targeted at improving board practices, shareholder rights, internal and external controls, risk management, transparency, and reporting. We also help build capacity and provide support so that institutions can be sustainable by working with regulators, corporate governance institutes, director institutions, educational institutions and the media to support adherence to corporate governance practices at the country and corporate levels. As a result, companies are more likely to attract capital, improve their performance and weather financial crises. More...

Inclusive Supply Chains
The program helps to maximize the efficiency and productivity of the supply chains of IFC clients to the benefit of all participants in the chain. To achieve this, we facilitate access to finance and improve compliance to standards by building the capacity of suppliers/distributors through business and technical skills training.

Local Sourcing Platform
The program creates a platform of well-trained competitive Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that have been selected based on our extractive industry clients’ procurement requirements to provide local income generating opportunities by localizing procurement to the greatest extent possible. These programs leverage our clients’ expertise to bring sustainable benefits by incorporating SMEs into their supply chain.

Community Investment
The program provides strategic planning advice and tools to help client companies improve their community investment practices. As a result, clients are able to better manage risk, gain access to land, improve their reputation and competitiveness. In addition, the local communities realize long term improvements in quality of life.

Sustainable Strategy
The program provides tools specially designed to help IFC clients establish a strategic approach to sustainability, aligned to their business priorities. This advisory service has three components: (i) A diagnostic of the company's environmental and social activities and benchmarking against leaders in the same sector and region; (ii) A plan to address the gaps and sustainability issues; (iii) Key performance indicators and ways of reporting to stakeholders, including shareholders, local communities and employees.

Revenue Management
The program helps companies maximize the effectiveness and accountability of the payments made to Government and Local Representatives and that are earmarked for investment in local development. Sponsored by IFC clients, we work with local/national authorities and representatives to promote the adoption of tools and practices to improve investment management, and with civil society organizations on monitoring receipts and investments and making a citizens' “voice” mechanism available.

SME Management Solutions (SMS)
The program assists SMEs in developing countries to become more competitive by providing them access to practical management skills, development solutions and information. Development of SMS is done by selectively using and combining IFC’s SME Toolkit and Business Edge™, which provide on-line access to localized information and tools as well as non academic, interactive, class-room training and self-study workbooks.

o Business Edge™: We offer our clients applicable management training solutions through a comprehensive set of study books and training modules adapted to the local business context, delivered by a network of local franchised providers and certified trainers. To date, Business Edge™ has been launched in frontier markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean and selected by key international companies to train their SME clients, suppliers and distributors in the IT, Telecom, Pharmaceutical and Banking sectors. More...

o SME Toolkit: We leverage the latest information and communication technologies, through a global partnership with IBM and a network of local distribution partners, to provide SMEs access to on-line business management information, interactive tools, and training resources. To date, the SME Toolkit has been launched in 16 languages in more than 30 markets. More...