• Corporate-community investment strategy
• Participatory social impact assessment
• Social development needs analysis
• Local content: training, employment, procurement and supplier development
• Monitoring and evaluation

SIDAT  (Social Investment Decision Analysis Tool)

SIDAT© is a proprietary assessment framework for community investments using integrated multi-criteria decision modeling - to ensure value is created for both business and the communities in which they operate. SIDAT assists companies in evaluating community projects based on understanding business drivers and community needs, strengths and aspirations, using a structured approach to articulate and balance stakeholder interests. The tool, developed by Dr Ana Maria Esteves through her doctoral research, has guided decision-making at companies such as BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.

Partnership Evaluation Framework

To guide the evaluation of corporate-community investments, this framework was developed by Community Insights and University of Queensland's Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining. The model was based on a review of literature and leading practice in cross-sectoral collaboration, and application to BHP Billiton social investments. The framework considers effectiveness across the following elements: portfolio impact, partnering approach, partnership organisation and partnership impact.