Four weeks is both a very long time and a blip when your world flips upside down. In May of this year, four of us from FedEx joined a team from IBM in Salvador, the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil. With the support of IBM and CDC Development Solutions, an organization that designs and manages international corporate volunteerism programs for companies such as FedEx and IBM, we tested the concept of an International Corporate Volunteer program for developing FedEx’s future leaders and determined the best approach was to launch a similar program. For me, it was the experience of a lifetime – to live and enjoy the unique culture of the area, to work with passionate people on their mission to raise people out of poverty, and to interact with some of the great talent within IBM and FedEx. And the self-awareness that came with it has truly changed me in ways both deep and permanent. Read the rest of this entry »

Center member Tyco International has found a way to fully utilize its people, products, services, and funding support in a new philanthropic global partnership with Action Against Hunger / ACF International. Together they have formed the Clean Water Access Initiative, which will bring safe drinking water to some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Publix Super Markets earned the No. 1 spot followed by Google and UPS in the 2011 ranking of the 50 companies with the best corporate citizenship reputations among the U.S. public as compiled by the Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Index (CSR Index) was developed by researchers at the Center in conjunction with the Reputation Institute to understand how companies’ reputations are affected by public perceptions of performance related to citizenship (the community and the environment), governance (ethics and transparency) and workplace practices. Rankings in the 2011 CSR Index are based on a survey conducted in January 2011 of 7,790 online consumers in the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

Center member Abbott Laboratories made news recently, earning well-deserved praise in a Fast Company story on its work with Partners in Health to fight malnutrition in Haiti.

“All too often, corporate philanthropy involves dropping a wad of money on organizations that are doing work on an issue that the corporation ‘cares’ about, and then saying goodbye,” wrote Fast Company Assistant Editor Ariel Schwartz. “But sometimes, corporations actually bring their know-how and human capital to bear on a problem, in addition to just giving money. The global pharmaceutical company Abbott is taking the second path, focusing on long-lasting initiatives that can grow local economies in struggling areas. Case in point: Abbott’s work to combat severe malnutrition in Haiti.” Read the rest of this entry »

Longtime Center member Prudential Financial recently earned distinguished praise from an organization that honors “companies that represent the pinnacle in corporate citizenship.”

Commonly known as the Nobel Prize for public service, the Jefferson Awards‘ central tenet is that each and every citizen shares a responsibility to work toward the betterment of their communities through economic participation, public service, volunteerism, and other such efforts to improve life for all. In receiving the 2011 Jefferson Award for Outstanding Service by a Major Corporation, Prudential Financial is the first corporation to receive this award in the 39-year history of the program. Read the rest of this entry »

Boston Mayor Tom Menino recently joined the State Street Foundation and Boston teens to recognize 14 local foundations, corporations and individual donors for their commitment to funding youth employment. As members of the Youth Violence Prevention (YVP) Funder Learning Collaborative, the private funders donated $800,000 to provide 450 teens with meaningful jobs at local community organizations this summer and school year.

This success comes on the heels of the mayor’s jobs rally in May, as the city faced cuts to all federal funding — the equivalent of 1,600 jobs. Thanks to the efforts of Boston’s business community and local foundations, the city expects to have employed nearly 10,000 teens this summer. Read the rest of this entry »

“U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable calls for a review of U.K. equity markets and executive pay as part of his drive to end the ‘quick buck’ focus on short-term profits in business and investments…”
– Dow Jones Newswire, June 22, 2011

“Chinese executive is sentenced in bribery case”
– Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2011‎

Unfortunately, headlines like these are becoming commonplace as ethical issues arise at every level of business. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, the Quarterly Corporate Fraud Index climbed 3.3 percent from the previous quarter in reported corporate fraud-related incidents. That was the highest level for the first three months of any year since the index compiled by The Network Inc. and BDO Consulting began in 2005. Read the rest of this entry »

As the public comment period approaches for the new generation of Global Reporting Initiative guidelines, or G4, the GRI is garnering increased attention from the investment world. Two recent stories – in the National Association of Corporate Directors Directorship magazine and the NYSE magazine – highlighted efforts by the GRI to promote corporate sustainability reporting.

The NYSE magazine reports on GRI Chief Executive Ernst Ligteringen’s speech before more than 200 sustainability professionals at the NYSE in January at the kickoff of GRI’s Focal Point USA, which aims to encourage more U.S. companies to get on board. And a story in the most recent issue of NACD Directorship magazine headlined “Investors Seek Focus on Non-financial Issues”, cites GRI efforts to expand reporting by U.S. companies as the number of shareholder resolutions on social and environmental issues grows. Read the rest of this entry »