In your analysis, describe the products/service: the what, how much, and the who, following the IMP framework.
You must mention the direct and intended impact of the company's actions and measure how significant it is.
Learn more in the article Step 5: Assess scale and value.
Introduction
The introduction should provide background information about the importance of SMEs and the wider socio-economic impacts they have.
Read more on how to build a strong introduction in this article.
Core Analysis
This topic addresses how companies empower Small and Medium Enterprises or Businesses (SME/SMB) as well as individuals either outside of or in their supply chain.
Facilitating access to resources can be addressed through the company's core business activities, but also through philanthropic initiatives if the impact is very significant.
Regardless of the industry, the core analysis should include the following:
The number of SMEs and other businesses of all sizes that were empowered
Who are the owners of such businesses, emphasizing if the company is empowering underserved, minority, or marginalised populations, including diverse suppliers such as women, minorities, veteran-owned enterprises, etc.
How is the company making a difference for small businesses? How have they become more resilient? More competitive?
Measure the growth of such companies
Include how long they have been empowered for
Assess the long-term and profound socio-economic impacts, such as increased market opportunities, broader reach, greater employability, reduced income inequality, reduced poverty, etc.
Remain critical and nuanced. What are the drawbacks and limitations of the empowerment products, services, and projects?
Regardless of the industry, providing a service to an SME does not mean that they are empowering these businesses. It is essential to go beyond their core business impact and assess how a particular service they are providing helps SMEs increase their earnings, become more efficient, have greater access to markets, etc.
For instance, looking at the types of insurance companies are getting such as protection for businesses or a financial cushion to help them advance without a huge risk of them going out of business can be a form of empowerment.
If their product is specifically designed for smaller companies, giving tools to avoid financial losses can be considered the outcomes, and becoming resilient can be considered the impact.
It is important to remain critical and nuanced. In your analysis, make sure you add value to your readers and go beyond the company’s CSR report by not merely reporting data from the company’s report but going the extra mile of providing additional metrics, studies, and sources to make your analysis robust and the impact value and scale are clear.
Common Mistakes:
- There is no threshold but make sure the impact is significant. The impact is deemed negligible if:
Just offering a service or product for SMEs is not the same as empowering them. If the company has SMEs as customers but keeps doing business as usual with them, then they are doing nothing more than accessing a market niche. We do need robust evidence that the company is actively empowering SMEs.
Go beyond the company’s own reports/websites to avoid green/social washing.
When partnerships are discussed, try to show the company’s contribution.
Avoid making big claims that are unsubstantiated with quantitative data.
Check it is not overlapping with the CBI analysis.
How to measure the impact of SME Empowerment?
Consumer Finance
Specifically, companies in this industry can help SME/SMBs benefit from digital payment services, enabling an environment for capital to flow efficiently, and can also provide capital for these companies.
How much of the total loan portfolio was given to SMEs and other small businesses.
Assess what these businesses gained. Examples include but are not limited to tools, partner offers, digitisation of payments, credit products, digital skills, online selling initiatives, brand activation, incubators, and others.
*Caution: It should not include PPP loans, as this should be secondary to the core business impact topic: financing the economy.
Example: 96% of the US eBay-enabled small businesses get to sell their products to 17 different countries
The issue: "Providing digital tools and training to small businesses can aid in creating more jobs and improving the living standards in the communities1,4. While most entrepreneurs want to access digital tools, due to immature infrastructure, skills gaps, digital literacy, and limited access to finance they hardly reach them4."
The product or service: “The company accelerated its digital activation programs in summer 2020 to teach important digital skills, online selling initiatives, brand activation, and microtargeting to small and medium businesses6,8.”
The output of Program 1: “The program already reached 16Mn SMBs worldwide with digital activation only in 2020…
The impact: …enabling them to offer more efficient digital selling and payment services and accessing a broader reach6.”
The output of Program 2: “Since 2017, Visa also collaborates with Women's World Banking to support women-owned SMBs and provide them with access to financial tools, capital, and training3...
The impact: …By the end of 2020, the initiative had helped +837K women entrepreneurs to digitalize their businesses5;p20.”
Insurance
Specifically, insurers can facilitate fiscal planning and minimise value chain disruptions, all while securing livelihoods.
Insurance is considered a vital financial tool that helps SMEs access capital, and reduce risk and recovery time after experiencing difficult periods.
How much of the total loan portfolio was given to SMEs and other small businesses.
Assess what these businesses gained. Examples include but are not limited to:
incubators,
finance including microloans and microinsurance,
accelerator programs,
teaching about risk management and financial literacy,
consulting
How and by how much have the businesses increased their access to resources and secured their livelihoods through finance and insurance, such as:
Example: IFFCO-TOKIO, a Tokio Marine JV, insures 4.29 million Indian farmers against climate uncertainties
The issue: “A vast majority of India’s low-income households (70%) are in rural areas and belong in the agriculture sector2. […] Providing low-cost insurance to the agricultural sector facilitates fiscal planning for farmers and minimizes value chain disruptions while securing livelihoods4.”
Product 1: “The company provides low-cost microinsurance products as solutions to the issues of India's agricultural households5;p80.”
The output: “As of 2019, there were ~19,420,000 microinsurance policies in force among India’s rural poor5;p80.”
Product 2: “The company also introduced medical insurance for only INR30 ($0.40) per household as a one-time fee for comprehensive coverage of INR30,000 ($404)6;p89.”
The output: “This is affordable by the average Indian farm household which makes INR 6,427/month ($86), just enough to cover bare household necessities.”
Product 3: “Since farmers’ risks are spread over both good and bad years of the monsoon, IFFCO-TOKIO offers its own low-cost weather insurance products as well as other government-backed products (PMFBY) to about 4.29Mn rural/agricultural households per annum6;p89."
The output: “subsequent to a major drought, ~1Mn farmers were able to recoup losses through insurance claims8. 2017-18 saw a significant increase (64% and 29%) in the number of claims paid by the PMFBY for losses incurred due to the impact of weather conditions9;p6.”
The impact: “Overall, between 2014 and 2019, the company has provided protection to about 15.08Mn low-income people6;p89.”
E-commerce
Specifically, online marketplace sellers offer a platform for individuals, small businesses, and others to sell their products.
How many SMEs and others sell products on the platform, including the number of product listings, and the number of customers
By how much did these businesses grow, and how does this compare to traditional enterprises?
Whether the Gross Merchandise Value has grown over time
Example: Visa supported +16Mn small and medium business with digital activation tools and training in 2020
The issue: “As per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, at the end of their first year, around 20% of small businesses fail2. Their failure's primary causes are the inability to find customers and lead generation2. e-Commerce offers a vast platform for small businesses to sell their products over the internet3. In 2020, about 227.5 million people, or 69% of the entire population, chose to shop online4.”
The product or service: “Since 2005, eBay is one of the most prominent online marketplaces for sellers, offering a broader platform to sell their goods5. The company had more than 182 million users and 1.3 billion product listings as of 20195. Over 25 million sellers use eBay, with 7 million from the United States5.”
The output: “96% of eBay-enabled small businesses sell to 17 different countries globally6. The US traditional small businesses that export (only 1%) generally reach four international markets, whereas 60% of eBay small business sellers get to sell to four or more continents6. In the communities that are in moderate to severe financial hardship (about 100 million), eBay-enabled small businesses increased by 21% compared to 1% of traditional firms between 2011 and 20166.”
The impact: “The gross value of products sold by the US eBay marketplace reached $9.79 billion7. Over 25,000 sellers that enrolled for eBay Payments in 2019 and 2020 received $2 billion of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value)8.”
Make sure to describe the scale of the impact by taking into account:
1/ The breadth of the impact
Is the impact local, national, or global?
How many people are concerned? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
2/ The depth of the impact
Is the life of people concerned deeply affected, or does the issue just marginally impact them?
Are the changes brought by the issue profoundly changing society or the planet?
3/ The persistence of the impact
