Tips & Resources

*This criterion will define important areas for your entire entry

What goals, innovations or milestones has your business achieved in the last 3 years?

• Innovation – examples of new growth, products or services

  An innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (goods or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business practices, workplace organisation or external relations

• Awards
• Organisational restructures
• Changes to your costs and expenses
• Revenue generation
• Capital expenditure
• Financial achievements
• How do you measure against industry competition

Describe the sustainable & environmental practices used within your business

• Recycle, Reuse, Reduce - What do you?
• Water management plan
• Power and lighting initiatives – e.g. LED lighting project 
• Internal & external plant selection
• Water conservation program
• Environmental meetings
• Environmental committee
• Tracking of energy consumption usage audits, electricity, water and gas with a future year target to show reduction by various initiatives
• What work is done with suppliers, contractors and partners to be environmentally conscious?    
• Describe what your business has planned in order to achieve the sustainable business practices necessary for your business now and into the future
• What is your business doing to lessen the impact on the environment, carbon footprint or water saving techniques? e.g.: recycling, use of solar power, other
• Describe the processes, including training, necessary in your business to achieve the outcomes required
• Describe the benefits that have accrued to date from your operations as a sustainable business
• Describe any products or services your business provides to improve the sustainability performance of consumers and/or other businesses with respect to energy, water, materials and/or waste

NOTE: Tables/graphs are to be used to demonstrate your performance - Do NOT state actual results in $’s, use percentage (%) terms.

What is your marketing strategy and how do you promote your business and its products to your target audiences/community?

• Target markets for your products and services
• Make sure you show that you have a coordinated approach  informal/formal
• If you can show success – campaigns
• What media advertising do you do
• Sponsorship
• Donations
• eMarketing
• Online
• Plan, do, check, act

Describe the corporate social responsibility practices you engage in to support your community

• Who do your support?
• Which specific groups are you aligned with?
• Social inclusion within your workplace
• Corporate citizenship – support of local community, traineeships, apprenticeships, local suppliers purchases  

Describe your customer service policies and procedures

• What is your customer service philosophy?
• How do you/your staff do it, examples?
• How do you manage quantitative measurements?
• Show examples of improvement
• Guest surveys and feedback
• Cultivate service standards
• Effective management
• Staff recognition
• External & internal operational audits
• Handling of customer complaints
• Cultivate customer loyalty  
• Provide examples   

How do you analyse the effectiveness of your customer service policies and procedures?

• How do you seek feedback and if so what do you do with it?
• How do you measure performance?
• How do you deal with unhappy clients? Provide an example of a time you    turned an unhappy client into a happy one.
• How do you acknowledge positive feedback?

• Describe your Human Resources policies and procedures and how you promote a positive workplace culture
• If you operate a Home Based or Micro Business: What development or training do you undertake to improve your own skills

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Describe your culture – elaborate how that is embodied into your organisation
• Describe your management structure
• Communication
• Recruitment processes / Strategy
• Staff training and development, individual development. Give details – amount of training in house, external, mandated, regulatory
• Monitoring performance and performance reviews
• Staff incentives, benefits and rewards, work functions, engagement with staff
• Health and wellbeing
• Duty of care to employees, customers and neighbours
• OH&S policies, procedures, committee, meetings, bullying, harassment and privacy
• Emergency & fire Policies, procedures & training
• Hazard signage
• WorkCover strategies
• Position descriptions & employment agreements
• Real life examples more beneficial (Can be extended on at site visit if required)
• Describe the policies you have in place to support a healthy workplace. What policies are in place to support a healthy culture and leadership? How are staff made aware of them?

HEALTH PROMOTING WORKPLACE

• Describe how you communicate and model your commitment to health and wellbeing for employees
• How is management involved with health and wellbeing? How do they communicate with staff?
• Explain how your workplace provides activities to support health and wellbeing in one or more of the following areas; physical activity, alcohol, smoking, healthy eating, skin cancer, injury prevention, sexual health, oral health?
• Are resources committed to health and wellbeing programs (e.g. staffing, programs, budgets)?
• Describe how you assess the benefits to your employees and workplace
• Has your workplace assessed the health and wellbeing needs of its workers?
• Has your workplace evaluated or measured any past or present health and wellbeing programs?

• Describe your business planning policies and procedures in relation to budgeting, cash flow, stock control, profit, debt management and re-investment into your business
• Describe how you assess and minimize any potential risk to your business
• Firstly, we do NOT want to see any confidential data!
• What are your financial management procedures
• Do you meet with your accountant/financial controller regularly?
• How do you control you debtors/creditors? Do you know your lock up days?
• Budgeting process
• Cash flow management
• Stock control
• Profit
• Debt management
• Re-investment
• Capital expenditure
• Graphs in colour
• Growth of clients
• Revenue growth
• Costs reduction
• Profitability
• Employment retention  
• Achievements – Include new equipment, new contracts. *Trends over a number of years impress judges
• Minimisation of Risks – may include:
  • Personal property security legislation compliance
  • Personal credit card information
  • Market shifts
  • Supply chain loss
  • Staff skills shortages
  • Insurances (property & personal)
  • Leasing of premises
  • OH&S management

NOTE: Tables/graphs are to be used to demonstrate your performance - Do NOT state actual results in $’s, use percentage (%) terms.