Report to Members & Friends
September 1998
Ceridian CEO Larry Perlman to Speak: Next up - October 13 at 7:30 a.m. -- for the MCCR Business Leaders Roundtable is Larry Perlman, CEO of Ceridian, speaking on Centered Values in a Decentralized Corporation: New Models for Accelerating Change. To register, call MCCR at (651) 962-4120 or email the Center at mccr_ust@stthomas.edu (Registration fees apply; advanced registration required.)
MacGregor Meets with U.N. on Business Relationships: MCCR President Bob MacGregor met in mid-September with top U.N. staff to follow up on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s speech in Minneapolis last May hosted by MCCR, the Minnesota Business Partnership and the Caux Round Table. The U.N. invited MacGregor to its N.Y. headquarters because Annan wants help building partnerships with businesses.
Business Leaders Roundtable Report: Dr. Reatha Clark King, President and Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation, discussed her experience and approach to dealing with difficult and controversial funding decisions. Specifically, she reflected on the Foundation’s decision to continue funding Planned Parenthood in 1989. She emphasized the importance of having clear goals and criteria for grants, establishing an open decision-making process, and assessing your organization’s capacity for managing controversy. King spoke at MCCR’s Business Leaders Roundtable on August 12. These MCCR sessions are facilitated by Carol Pine, of Pine and Partners, and Chuck Kingsley. Chuck and Carol are private consultants assisting businesses with organizational culture and aligning corporate values and actions.
Welfare-to-Work: The Work«Life Network™ focused on employer strategies for facilitating the transition from welfare-to-work at its September 16 session. One clear, powerful message: developing a close partnership with a nonprofit organization that can provide training and case management improves retention. Dayton Hudson’s Heather Magee and Abbott Northwestern’s Wendy Niemi along with their respective nonprofit partners, Patti Kallevig of Jewish Vocational Services and Steve Studt of Project for Pride in Living, outlined the organizational links and communication that created success stories at both firms. In a tight labor market, employers find that workers coming off welfare can do the job, but paying attention to work/family issues and stepping up communication are critical. Suzanne Gaines of Hennepin County gave the Network an overview of the 12,000 families in Hennepin County, mostly women-led households, who face this transition.
Guide to Advertising on Higher Ground: MCCR’s July 15 Business Ethics Series featured Kevin Lynch, CEO of Lynch Jarvis Jones, a Minneapolis ad firm committed to creating positive social change through the power of advertising. Lynch, who regards some advertising as toxic, spelled out five dimensions of social consciousness on which an organization might operate its advertising program: tell the truth, cause marketing, sharing your values, do no harm, and advertising on higher ground. Perhaps because they are so ubiquitous, we regard ads with some indifference, but Lynch argues that ads do have an impact – positive or negative – and urges companies to pay closer attention to their ad content, messages (explicit and implicit), medium, and the context in which their ads appear. Lynch’s ideas and his challenge to advertisers to pursue the high ground can be found on MCCR’s website [ www.stthomas.edu/mccr ]. Look for Advertising on Higher Ground.
Eldercare Impacts Rise: Work & Family TREND REPORT, published by Work & Family Connection in Minnetonka reported a study by MetLife that the cost to business from absenteeism and turnover due to elder care is between $11 and $29 billion annually. MetLife offers a do-it-yourself worksheet to help employers determine dollars lost to eldercare impacts on workers. Call 203-454-5393 for the free worksheet.
Mark Your Calender! MCCR’s Annual Meeting is December 15, 1998.
A Western European Business Perspective: Business, Ethics and Culture: Experience the business culture in Western Europe firsthand during January 9-23, 1999. This 3-credit MBA course, jointly offered by MCCR and the University of St. Thomas, takes you to the heart of the European Union – Brussels, Paris and London – for a fast-paced, intensive and personal look at business from a Western European perspective. The focus will be on the unique ethical and cultural challenges facing anyone doing business in this part of the world to help you gain a deeper understanding of European attitudes towards business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Discussions will also center on political, economic and cultural issues unique to Western Europe. We’ll learn through on-site visits, cultural events, discussions and reflection. Contact MCCR representatives by E-mail at mccr_ust@stthomas.edu or call 651-962-4120 for application materials. Registration deadline is October 21.
National Study of Work/Life Practices Released: Although many companies offer work/life options to employees, 40% of human resource representatives surveyed said that their company did not make a "real and ongoing" effort to inform employees about the availability of programs. The study also found that 44 percent of employers hold supervisors accountable for sensitivity to employee work-family needs – a number that seems high to some observers. The Business Work-Life Study, a random sample of 1,000 companies, was conducted by Families and Work Institute in New York.
Social Accountability 8000 Standard: Developed in 1997 by the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) and designed along the lines of ISO 9000 or ISO 14000, the SA8000 standard covers labor practices, safety, child labor, hours, collective bargaining, supplier practices, etc. This tool allows companies to apply to be certified that they are in compliance or that they have a plan and timetable for complying. Certification audits are conducted by independent auditors. For information, call the CEP at 212-358-7697. [Source: Executive Citizen]
Collection of Global Codes Published: A collection of global codes of conduct, titled Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Benchmarks for Measuring Business Performance, has been published by three church-related organizations from the U.S., Canada and England. While the collection overlooks the Caux Principles which originated with MCCR and are said to be the most widely disseminated, it is a useful compendium of 24 different approaches to the problem. To order, call the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility at 212-870-2295. Contact the Center at 651-962-4120 – or, email at mccr_ust@stthomas.edu - if you would like to have your organization’s code of conduct posted on MCCR’s On-line Code of Conduct Library.
Ernst & Young’s Work-Life Commitment: FOCUS, Ernst & Young’s Spring 1998 employee/partner newsletter, heralded work/life programs designed to improve retention and performance and help people balance work and family commitments. Flexible work arrangements, adoption assistance, a "Saturday child care" system used during the audit and tax season, and using the company’s video conferencing system for virtual family reunions at Christmas are described.
Work/Life a Driver of Commitment: AON Consulting has released a study concluding that a company’s commitment to work/life balance is one of five major drivers of employee commitment based on a survey of 1800 workers nationwide.
Area Code Switch In Effect: MCCR has a new area code (651) as of July 10. Although the Center’s offices are in Minneapolis, the University of St. Thomas exchange, which we share, is in the new area code. For calls or faxes to MCCR, please use area code 651 from now on.
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
© 1978-2008 Center for Ethical Business Cultures. All Rights Reserved.
Business Partnering with the University of St. Thomas - Minnesota