10.03.2006 - 05:16pm ET

(CSRwire) San Francisco, CA - In today's workforce, it is not just the corporate social responsibility (CSR) professionals - it may be the human resources administrator or the assistant to the president - who are looking for ways to improve his or her company's social and environmental impacts. That is why, for the first time in its 13-year history, the annual Net Impact Conference will offer separate workshops for business professionals looking to effect change in their workplaces through responsible business practices.

The 2006 Net Impact Conference: "Navigating Global Change," will take place on October 27-29, 2006, and offer insights from leading Fortune 500 companies and global NGOs on the growing importance of integrating social and environmental concerns into business practices. Among the highlights of the professional curriculum is a session on "Impact at Work," designed to equip attendees with CSR tools and innovative thinking to bring to their businesses. The conference also will offer educational seminars on CSR for graduate students.

"Corporations today realize that social and environmental responsibility is critical to sound business decisions. The Net Impact Conference is a forum for companies to share what they have learned, and for attendees to enhance their knowledge of responsible business practices," said Elizabeth Maw, Net Impact's Executive Director.

The conference, which was designed for business graduate students, is now targeting early and mid-entry career level professionals. The annual conference will offer the 1,400 graduate business students, professionals, and thought leaders on responsible business attendees keynotes, panels, case studies, simulations, and special events that will focus on topics such as global labor relations, alternative energy sources, and the role of corporations with disaster relief.

Keynote speakers will include Andy Locke of Herman Miller, who will address how corporate social responsibility motivates and retains employees; Bobbi Silten of the Gap Foundation, who will speak about corporate philanthropy; and Maria Otero of Accion, who will focus on how business plays a role in developing economies.

"When you add up the impact of any large corporation you can see how they can make quite a change in the world. Going to the Net Impact Conference and seeing 1,300 people who're the next wave of leadership, running companies and being passionate about these issues is really inspiring," remarked Says Kyle Schott, Net Impact Conference participant and manager of environmental and social responsibility at McDonalds Corporation.

Net Impact's 2006-2007 corporate sponsors include:

Executive Level

Booz Allen Hamilton
Hewlett-Packard
Starbucks Coffee Co
The Coca-Cola Company

Associate Level

Cherokee Investment Partners
Chiquita Brands International
Gap Inc.
The Home Depot
Timberland
United Way

Supporting Level

McDonald's
Microsoft
The Walt Disney Company
United Technologies Corporation


Conference Details

Registration fees range from $315-$525. Participants receive a $50 discount if they register before October 4, 2006. The conference is expected to sell out for the third year in a row and interested participants are encouraged to register early. Sessions will take place at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and other locations in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

For more information on the 2006 Net Impact Conference, "Navigating Global Change", visit www.netimpact.org/conference.

The Annual Net Impact Conference is designed to help attendees expand their vision of the possible as they set their course through the world of business. It mobilizes students and professionals through an exciting array of keynotes, panels, case studies, simulations, and special events. Participants leave with a fresh perspective on the role of business in society, a new appreciation for their individual role as an emerging business leader, and a strong connection with a network of like-minded colleagues.

Net Impact: Net Impact, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is an international nonprofit membership organization and comprised of new leaders who are committed to using the power of business to improve the world. Its network spans the globe with more than 125 student and professional chapters on 4 continents in 80 cities and 80 graduate schools. Members believe that business can both earn a profit and create positive social change. Net Impact offers a portfolio of programs to help members transform this ideal into measurable results. For more information, visit Net Impact's web site at www.netimpact.org.

Contact:

Liz Maw
Executive Director
Net Impact
(415) 984-3300 x 306
lmaw@netimpact.org

Andrea Davids
Marketing and Communications Manager
Net Impact
(415) 984-3300 x 313

The Kellogg School of Management: The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University was founded in 1908 and is home to a renowned research-based faculty and MBA students from around the globe. The Kellogg School includes the Full-time, Part-time and Executive MBA programs and the non-degreed Executive Education Program. The school offers three joint degree programs: the JD-MBA, MD-MBA and MEM-MBA. Additionally, the Kellogg School of Management has alliances with business schools in Europe, Asia and Canada. In 2004, BusinessWeek magazine ranked the Kellogg School the number one graduate school of business in the United States, an honor it has achieved a record five times since the biennial survey began in 1988.

Contact:

Tara Prasad
Kellogg School of Management
Northwestern University
(847) 491-5446
t-prasad@kellogg.northwestern.edu