LONDON - Business in the Community’s annual ‘A Better Way of Doing Business’ conference took place at the Hilton London Metropole, Edgware Road on Thursday, July 10. It debated how the issues for business that emerged from the first Corporate Responsibility Index should be addressed and show how responsible practice adds value to business.

The Conference was addressed by The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

The Conference was sponsored by Marks & Spencer plc, whose chairman Luc Vandevelde delivered the keynote speech. He emphasised the need for businesses to ‘internalise’ corporate social responsibility, integrating it into everything they do. He described Marks & Spencer’s progress in this area, including how the company has re-examined its CSR priorities in line with its commercial recovery.

In the plenary discussion, Mr Vandevelde addressed one of the three issues highlighted by the Corporate Responsibility Index – the impact of marketplace issues on business. He answered two central questions:

• Most of the issues around social responsibility in the environment, workplace and community have clear owners within the business and it is therefore possible to see how these are managed. Social responsibility issues in the marketplace go right to the heart of the business, but is there a lack of clarity on who owns these?
  
• Every company that took part in the Corporate Responsibility Index cited supply chain management as a key issue of concern. As an active member of the Ethical Trading initiative, what is Marks & Spencer doing in this area, and what changes are having to be made in supply chain management to meet stakeholder expectations?

At the breakout session later in the morning, ‘Tapping a unique talent pool’, Ed Williams, Head of CSR at Marks & Spencer, interviewed two participants in the company’s ‘Ready for Work’ initiative. Through the programme, so far 200 homeless people have either started or completed two-week job placements, of which around a quarter have found work with Marks & Spencer or other companies. The session also heard from a Marks & Spencer ‘buddy’ – a member of staff who supported some of the trainees during the placement.

The facilitator at plenary sessions throughout was BBC Radio 5 Live’s Guy Ruddle.

David Varney, Chairman of mmo2 and Chairman of Business in the Community, took part in the final session of the conference. In this session, Richard Lambert of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee presented ‘Indicators that Count’, the report published on July 7 on indicators found useful and measurable as a base line and starting point for measuring and reporting social and environmental impact.

The event was preceded by the publication of Business in the Community’s annual research. This year’s research examines the role played by responsible business practice in the attraction and retention of a talented and diverse workforce.

The Conference concluded with the Annual Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner in the presence of Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Energy and e-Commerce, compered by Jim Naughtie and with entertainment by Matthew Parris. The Dinner was sponsored by ScottishPower, Business in the Community Company of the Year 2002.

David Varney, said: ‘The importance of responsible practice in building corporate reputations has been widely and well demonstrated over the past year. The conference shows how responsibility is more than a risk-management tool. It includes developing relationships with society outside your business, and these relationships are the lifeblood of innovation – the lifeblood of business.

‘It’s more than a case of ‘innovate to survive’ – it’s ‘innovate to thrive’.

Notes for Editors

1. Business in the Community is a unique movement in the UK of 700 member companies. Our purpose is to inspire, challenge, engage and support business in continually improving its positive impact on society. Together, our member companies employ over 15.7 million people across 200 countries. In the UK, our members employ over 1 in 5 of the private sector workforce.
Membership of Business in the Community is a commitment to action and to the continual improvement of the company’s impact on society. Our members commit to:

• Integrate responsible business practice throughout their business
  
• Impact through collaborative action to tackle disadvantage
  
• Inspire, innovate and lead by sharing learning and experience.

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