1995-1996 Annual Report

Thank You Members:

The 1995-96 year has been a busy and productive one for the Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility. This report outlines our programming and services for the past year and gives you a preview of what lies ahead.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our member companies for their financial support and for their active involvement in the Center's program. Your continued goodwill and support will enable us to become even stronger in the coming year and provide useful services to you and your stakeholders.

James J. Renier, Chairman

Robert W. MacGregor, President

Completed 1995-96 Programs and Activities

Executive Management Committee -- Organized a fifteen member group of company executives to advise the MCCR Board of Directors, provide guidance on priorities and implementation strategies, and strengthen working relationships with member companies.

Work and Family Task Force -- The Center's member company task force has developed recommendations focused on making the "business case" for Work and Family policies, practices and providing guidance on implementation. Regular networking and events are planned to further implementation of effective work/life strategies.

• Assisted in planning UST Stakeholder Dialogue Get a Life/Lose a Job.

• Ford Foundation Research Roundtable with Lotte Bailyn of MIT and Rhona Rappoport of Ford discussing research findings from Xerox Corporation on changing work practices to enable employees to balance work and family.

• Assisting planners of Vice President Gore's National Family Policy Conference on Work and Family to identify and recruit a strong Minnesota delegation.

• Presented paper and led discussion on Work and Family for Caux Round Table Interim Meeting in New York and the plenary meeting in Switzerland.

Families That Work! -- MCCR offers member companies customized, in-house workshops and seminars designed to enhance training and development. Programs can cover effective communication, positive discipline, child and teen development issues, etc. In 1995-96 Families That Work! delivered over 25 workshops at six corporate sites.

Parent Involvement in Education -- Conducted member company survey to identify education and parenting related initiatives that are underway, collected information from national experts, and met with metropolitan area school superintendents.

CHARACTER COUNTS! -- Convened exploratory meetings and organized a steering group to launch a CHARACTER COUNTS! (values education for youth) program for Minnesota, gathered information on programs in other cities and states, and participated in national meetings.

Values and Leadership -- Speeches organized by the UST Management Center and Co-sponsored by MCCR included:

• Theory R: The Slumberland Spirit with Ken Larson, CEO of Slumberland.

• Servant Leadership: A CEO's Perspective with Ken Melrose, CEO of Toro.

Aligning Values and Performance Roundtable -- Member company discussion focused on practical way to align values-related systems in companies. Pilot program.

When Corporations Rule the World -- Seminar featuring author David Korten.

Leading Consciously -- Seminar featuring Fullbright Scholar Debashis Chatterjee.

The Battle Over Corporate Responsibilities -- Annual Meeting program featuring noted columnist and co-founder of the Economic Policy Institute, Robert Kuttner.

Executive Summaries -- Essays written by CEOs and published monthly by MCCR.

Resource Center -- MCCR distributed numerous MCCR initiated articles from local and world executives on business values to members and interested parties worldwide. The Center is developing a national and international reputation as a valued resource on corporate responsibility and business ethics.

International Principles for Business -- The Center pursued a variety of activities to promote interest in the Principles for Business for the Caux Round Table and the challenge of creating a common international business ethical standard. The Principles originated with MCCR's Minnesota Principles.

• Fortune 1000 Survey presented Principles for Business to the CEOs of the Fortune 1000 firms and included a survey asking them for copies of their Codes of Conduct and the degree to which their codes are consistent with the Principles for Business.

• Making Progress on Global Business Ethics featuring Harry Hammerly of 3M, Win Wallin of Medtronic, and Robert Wahlstedt of Reell Precision Manufacturing.

• Positive Leadership from Business featuring Neville Cooper of the Institute of Business Ethics in London.

• Useful Strategies for Business Ethics from South Africa featuring David Lapin of The South African Institute of Business Ethics.

• Staff support for Caux Round Table and participation in discussions with leaders in Washington, at the United Nations, and in Switzerland.

• Speeches on MCCR activities and the CRT's Principles for Business delivered in various venues worldwide including: UN World Social Summit in Copenhagen, Fetzer Institute, Pathways to Peace Business Forum, Superior Business Round Table in Washington, Toronto Business conference, International Anti-Corruption Conference in Beijing, National Conference on Applied Ethics in Long Beach, AARP Older Worker and Corporate Responsibility Conference in Washington, Council for Ethics in Economics in Ohio, Boston College, University of Wisconsin, Connecticut College, Marquette University plus many local groups.

• Exploration of creating a global Fifth Level Club of companies practicing corporate responsibility at the highest levels in collaboration with Canon Corporation Chairman Kaku.

• Media coverage and articles citing the Center and its affiliation with the University of St. Thomas appeared worldwide, including the Japan Times, China Daily, European, Canadian, and Minnesota papers, the US Chamber of Commerce Television Network, Nations Business, Business Ethics, and Personnel. This generated numerous requests for copies of the Principles for Business.

Programs In Progress

Creating High Performance Organizations: A Work Family Perspective -- Regional conference organized by the Work and Family Task Force and featuring Brad Googins, director of the Center on Work and Family at Boston University, and Frederick Reichheld, author of The Loyalty Effect, and a Minnesota Business Panel on Work and Family implementation, June 12.

Vice President Gore's Work and Family Conference -- Participate in the June 23-24 in Nashville with others from Minnesota and return with recommendations for local action.

Redefining Diversity -- Author Breakfast featuring R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., leading authority on diversity and business strategy, June 27.

Work and Family Task Force Report -- Publication of recommendations for business.

History of Corporate Citizenship in Minnesota -- Research and interviews are completed for this history commissioned by MCCR and funded by friends of the Center. Completion is planned for late 1996.

Aligning Values and Performance Roundtable -- Organize a series of three Roundtable discussions among member companies focused on practical strategies.

The Case for Corporate Responsibility in Media and Advertising -- Organize a meeting focused on how to cope with the impact on youth and society of violence in the media.

Families That Work! -- Summer workshops on-site at Twin Cities corporations are planned covering: Generation "X" and Baby Boomers, The Sandwich Generation, Raising Self-Reliant Teenagers, The Art of Listening, Developing Capable People, and Lifestories.

International Business Ethics Programming and Activity will include:

• UN Habitat II Summit in Istanbul -- Presentations on the Principles for Business.

• Cophenhagen Conference on Using Business Ethics to Open Africa to Investment.

• Caux Round Table discussion of Corporate Role in Global Society and of work/family at plenary meeting in Switzerland.

Programs Under Construction

Leadership and Values seminar series featuring CEOs.

Work and Family business networking conferences, Autumn '96 and Spring '97.

Positioning MCCR as the Global Center for Corporate Responsibility and Business Ethics.

Caux Round Table -- Staff support and participation in meetings to promote Principles for Business in the US and worldwide. Further work surveying the Fortune 1000 firms.

Fifth Level Club -- Continuing discussion of organizing a global association of responsible firms.

The Environment and Corporate Responsibility seminar.

Energizing Corporate Philanthropy.

Executive Summaries by CEOs on salient issues.

Author Breakfasts on a variety of timely issues.

Submitted: May 21, 1996

Center for Ethical Business Cultures

1000 LaSalle Avenue, TMH 331 ▪ Minneapolis, MN 55403-2005 ▪ USA

Phone: 651 962 4120 or 800 328 6819 Ext. 2-4120 ▪ Facsimile: 651 962 4042

Email: mail@cebcglobal.org

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