Some of our clients
Ethnic Minorities Business Forum (EMBF)
COI Communications, on behalf of the Stakeholder Relations Unit, invited Focus to supply PR services to develop and implement a communications programme aimed at ethnic minority businesses. The key purpose of the campaign was to promote the EMBF and assist in the formulation of its recommendations to government, relating specifically to issues affecting ethnic minority businesses. The work included increasing the range and depth of the EMBF network and developing processes to engage other government departments and stakeholders in issues critical to the success of EM business — eg, access to finance.
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
The EBRD commissioned Focus to develop joint working arrangements between the Bank’s Small Loans Fund and a network of business support centres.
European Commission, Employment & Social Affairs DG
From 2003 to 2004, Focus worked on a major project designed to inform the future policies of EU institutions and Member States in relation to Roma integration within an Enlarged European Union. The project provided an analysis of the current situation of Roma against the background of national and EU policy in the field of social inclusion and anti-discrimination, with a view to ensuring that the basic human rights of all communities in Europe are respected. Local, regional, national and European initiatives in the field were analysed in order to identify best practice and to provide guidance on future policy developments to ensure the inclusion of Roma within European societies. A major conference was organised in Brussels in spring 2004 to publicise and disseminate the initial findings of the study, and to initiate a constructive debate on Roma integration with policy-makers and officials from across Europe.
European Parliament
Focus has been engaged by the European Parliament to deliver made-to-measure professional training to its staff in Brussels and Luxembourg. The training is being delivered in cooperation with the European Parliament’s Professional Training and Equal Opportunities Units. It covers two areas: one stream deals broadly with equality and diversity issues in all equality strands, in line with Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty and the European Institution’s Staff Regulations, 2004. The training aims to increase understanding of legislative and policy obligations in the European context, to develop new skills and strategies to prevent discrimination, to promote diversity, to create an inclusive work environment, to bring an awareness of best practice within the field, and to make the recruitment process discrimination free. The other aspect of the training addresses disability awareness in the workplace, and aims to increase understanding of disability legislation and policy obligations, to increase knowledge of disability issues, to develop new skills to help meet the needs of disabled people in the workplace, and to provide an appreciation and awareness of best practice requirements and considerations with regard to the recruitment, employment and career development of disabled people.
EU Community Health Partneriat
Funded by the European Commission, this was a collaborative project with a French NGO (GRDR) which delivered preventive health strategies for communicable diseases.
EU/TACIS
This two-year project was designed to strengthen and consolidate the Russian Network of Enterprise Agencies and to assist the transition process through the development of small businesses and local enterprise. This followed previous Focus-led projects in this field in 1994-7 and 1998-9.
Ford Motor Company
Advertising concepts were produced for Ford aimed at targeting African-Caribbean women in the UK. The project included extensive market research, both qualitative and quantitative, in the form of focus groups with the target audience as to their perception of Ford and their preferred model of car.
Gatsehead Metropolitan Borough Council (GMBC)
Focus was contracted by GMBC to appraise its performance on race equality with a view to identifying a programme and way forward that would allow the Council to operate at Level 5 of the Equalities Standard for Local Government by the year 2010. The work included an assessment of local community needs and how well they were being met, as well as an audit of the Council's policies, activities and structures.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Focus was contracted by the marketing department of GSK to conduct a survey of the use of specific pharmaceuticals in the Black and ethnic minority market.
Gleaner Group
In 2004 Focus undertook market research into the feasibility of a free weekly newspaper for an ethnic minority audience in London.
Government Office for London (GoL)
In 2003 Focus embarked on a project for the GoL designed to identify the impact of its policies and programmes on Black, minority ethnic and refugee communities and to make strategic and practical recommendations for change.
