11.13.2003 ET

(CSRwire) London, UK - A new website carrying the latest news and information about the commercial rationale for corporate responsibility from the UK and around the world goes live today.

The site, www.conversations-with-disbelievers.net, is a unique on-line initiative led by AccountAbility, the leading international corporate responsibility and sustainable development organisation, and the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College in the USA, in partnership with 10 other likeminded organisations located around the world.

The launch of the website coincides with the publication of AccountAbility’s report on Innovation through Partnership (“Community-enabled Innovation”, in association with Brody Weiser Burns), an analysis of companies and communities working together in new and innovative ways to improve business performance and deliver real benefit to local communities.

Both the Innovation through Partnership (ITP) report and the Conversations with Disbelievers (CWD) website feature case studies in corporate responsibility best practice from businesses from around the world. Among the companies featured are IBM, Marks & Spencer, National Grid Transco, Suez, Tesco, Timberland, Vauxhall Motors and Unilever. The case studies are included on the strength and persuasiveness of their business case, rather than simply their public relations value.

“Corporate citizenship, or corporate responsibility, describes a company’s total interaction with the community and how its actions impact employees, customers, shareholders and the communities where its employees and customers live,” said Stanley S. Litow, IBM Vice President of Corporate Community Relations. “Great companies – real leaders – have a set of beliefs that define their corporate culture and sustain a company over time. Great companies also have core values of integrity and trust which translate into actions that benefit communities.”

Business, in partnership with communities, is demonstrating a heightened interest in the issue of corporate responsibility, and some companies are emerging as new leaders in the field.

“But there is much more that can be done,” Litow continued. “All leaders need to recognise that there is a real business case for corporate responsibility. The conversations with disbelievers website and the associated ITP report are incredibly useful tools for understanding the issue and for sharing knowledge about corporate responsibility.”

The CWD website carries the latest corporate responsibility news, case studies, and issue-based research on the business case from AccountAbility and its partners. The website is an interactive learning and education tool, that is translated into five languages and has been designed to become the leading on-line “clearing house” for matching information seekers with providers of data.

Simon Zadek, Chief Executive of AccountAbility said: “The website will assist people already working within the corporate responsibility arena and those people who are addressing, for the first time, corporate responsibility issues within their workplace thrown up by the increased expectations of their customers, pressure groups, business partners, government and shareholders.”

The website builds upon AccountAbility’s original report, Conversations with Disbelievers, published in October 2000 that argued that businesses could achieve their financial targets whilst still having a positive impact on the social and natural environments of which they are a part. The website moves on from the original report by bringing an international dimension through contributions from other expert organisations from around the world.

Simon Zadek added: “The ITP report highlights how business and communities are working together to deliver tangible results, and explains how community-enabled innovation can give businesses competitive advantage, whilst the website will be available for practitioners wherever they are in the world to share their experiences – a prerequisite for new learning and innovation. If corporate responsibility is to be embedded within the global business world, it’s important that we understand the challenges that business and indeed governments face in putting theory into practice.

“www.conversations-with-disbelievers.net increases the levels of international data on corporate responsibility and helps champion the issues on a far wider geographical spread. It’s an exciting and unique on-line opportunity to share knowledge and experience from around the world.”

Notes to Editors:

1. Large parts of the CWD website are open access along with member only sections with registered participants interested in additional learning support such as “special reports”. The website has been translated into five languages: English, French, Hebrew, Portuguese and Spanish, with more to follow.

2. The Innovation through Partnership report, “Community-enabled Innovation”, report is supported by the Ford Foundation. It’s available from AccountAbility and can be ordered on-line at www.accountability.org.uk/resources, priced £50/$80/€70 for non-members and £25/$40/€35 for members.

3. AccountAbility and Boston College’s partner organisations in www.conversations-with-disbelievers.net are: African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (South Africa), Centre for Social Markets (India), Empresa (Americas), European Baha’i Business Forum (France), Imagine (Canada), Instituto Ethos (Brazil), Laufer Green Isaac (USA), Maala (Israel), US Chamber of Commerce (USA) and WWF (United Kingdom).

4. AccountAbility's mission is to promote accountability for CSR and sustainable development. As a leading international professional institute, AccountAbility provides effective assurance and accountability management tools and standards through its AA1000 Series, offers professional development and certification, and undertakes leading-edge research and related public policy advocacy. It has embraced an innovative, multi-stakeholder governance model, enabling the direct participation of its organisational and individual members who span business, civil society organisations, and the public sector from different countries across the world.

5. Boston’s Center for Corporate Citizenship (www.bc.edu/centers/ccc) is a leading resource on corporate citizenship, providing research, executive education, consultation and convenings on citizenship topics. Its mission is to establish corporate citizenship as a business essential, with the goal that all companies act as economic and social assets by integrating social interests with other core business objectives.

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