FAQ’s - Business All-Star Accreditation

Registered businesses based in Ireland who have been in operation for at least 2 years are eligible to apply. It is open to all sizes and industry categories.

REGISTRATION -Interested companies first register their interest with the Foundation. The Foundation undertakes preliminary research on each company to determine their suitability for the Accreditation.

APPLICATION - Companies that successfully get through the registration process are passed to a member of the adjudication panel and are invited to complete the online application form.

REVIEW (30 Points)

The application form is reviewed by the adjudication panel and arrangements are made for a telephone interview between a member of the adjudication panel and a founder, owner or director of the applicant company. Your application is worth 30 points, a minimum of 22.5 points from this stage are required to go to the next phase. You will be informed at the end of the telephone interview on how you have scored and your eligibility for the next round.

VERIFICATION (40 Points)

Companies that successfully navigate the application and review stage qualify for the verification phase in the process. During this phase, your application will be reviewed which will include;

• Further scrutiny of the application
• Reference Check (20 Points)
• Incognito Contact: A potential customer will interact with your organization anonymously (20 Points)

Your company will be contacted by a member of the adjudication panel to discuss and share the results of your performance in the verification round. A minimum of 30 points of the 40 available are needed to progress to the final round. You will be informed at the end of the review on how you have scored and your eligibility for the last round.

PANEL REVIEW: (30 Points)

In this round, your performance in total will be reviewed by the accreditation board. You will need to achieve enough points to exceed the 75 points required for accreditation.

You will be informed at the end of the review on how you have scored and whether or not you have been approved to receive Business All-Star Accreditation.

ACCREDITATION PRESENTATION

Successful companies on receiving confirmation of their accreditation and paying the applicable fees, will be invited to a Virtual Accreditation Ceremony. The ceremony will see the induction of the next group of companies that have successfully navigated the All-Ireland Business Foundation audit.

You will receive your Business All-Star Commemorative Medal and Certificate by courier in advance of the ceremony.

MEDIA

We will provide you with your official picture and citation from the judging committee. The citation will detail the reasons for your accreditation as an All-Star and is designed to prompt you to give a reactionary statement all of which will form part of your press release. Accredited Business All-Stars are encouraged to send their Press Release to all media within their respective verticals.

Accredited Business All-Stars will be provided with a bespoke ‘Business All-Star Accredited Artwork Suite’ specific to your accreditation title. The accreditation logo, in particular, is ideal for your website, email signatures, social media etc.

Accredited Business All-Stars are licensed to use the accreditation artwork for the period of one year. Our marketing team will promote your accreditation on our social media channels.

The accreditation process to finalise a company's score typically takes 6-8 weeks. Once you have entered the process you have three weeks to complete your application. Once the application is completed – four weeks to go through all rounds.

The Accreditation fee structure is based on annual turnover and is calculated as follows:

1. One To Watch Accreditation - €1750
2. Up to €1 million - €1950
3. From €1 million to €3 million - €2450
4. Over €3 million - €2950

Best In Class

1. County - €2450
2. Regional/Province - €2750
3. All-Ireland Champions - €3450

Award of Excellence - €3500

All fees are exclusive of VAT

ACCREDITATION PRESENTATION

Successful companies on receiving confirmation of their accreditation and paying the applicable fees, will be invited to a Virtual Accreditation Ceremony. The ceremony will see the induction of the next group of companies that have successfully navigated the All-Ireland Business Foundation audit.

You will receive your Business All-Star Commemorative Medal and Certificate by courier in advance of the ceremony.

MEDIA

We will provide you with your official picture and citation from the judging committee. The citation will detail the reasons for your accreditation as an All-Star and is designed to prompt you to give a reactionary statement all of which will form part of your press release. Accredited Business All-Stars are encouraged to send their Press Release to all media within their respective verticals.

Accredited Business All-Stars will be provided with a bespoke ‘Business All-Star Accredited Artwork Suite’ specific to your accreditation title. The accreditation logo, in particular, is ideal for your website, email signatures, social media etc.

Accredited Business All-Stars are licensed to use the accreditation artwork for the period of one year. Our marketing team will also promote your accreditation on our social media channels.

The All-Ireland Business Foundation is the national body responsible for identifying and accrediting best-in-class Irish businesses as Business All-Stars. The Foundation believes in a marketplace where Best-in-Class companies are clearly identifiable and where consumers can purchase with confidence from All-Star Accredited businesses.

The Foundation promotes its accredited businesses to Irish consumers, giving them confidence and reassurance when making their purchasing decisions.

The 2019 Judging panel is Chaired by Dr. Briga Hynes of the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick and assisted by Deputy Chair Kieran F. Ring of the Global Institute. The Chairs are supported by a panel of industry experts.

The accreditation program has been developed under the guidance of Dr. Briga Hynes, Kemmy Business School and Kieran Ring, CEO of Global Institute.

To date over 300 Irish companies have received Business All-Star Accreditation from the Foundation and have joined our TRIBE – The Register of Irish Business Excellence - here is a sample of some of these organisations.