LONDON - Corporate Responsibility is a step closer to becoming a core part of the learning experience for business students today. Business in the Community and the Association of Business Schools (ABS) have announced a new partnership that will enable business schools to enjoy a special membership status of Business in the Community. This will create the opportunity to strengthen corporate responsibility as a key topic within modern business teaching and open new doors for further learning and research opportunities. The announcement of this new development was made today (Wednesday 04 February 2004) by HRH The Prince of Wales, President of Business in the Community, at St James's Palace.

Business in the Community will provide a direct link for the business schools to its seven hundred corporate members, covering areas such as marketplace issues, environmental management, responsible workplaces and community impact. In addition, the business schools will be linked to local and regional, business-community partnership networks, student placement opportunities, access to latest case studies of good practice and the opportunity to participate in research programmes and events.

Several business schools are set to join, these include: Durham, Manchester Metropolitan, Derbyshire and Oxford Brookes.

Upon joining each business school will agree to Business in the Community's membership commitments. These are to: integrate responsible business practices throughout their business, collaborate with business to tackle disadvantage and to inspire and lead by sharing learning and experience.

In addition, Business in the Community and the ABS have committed to working collaboratively at the national level, for example by creating a new sponsored award to show best practice for Business Schools that have integrated issues of responsible business practice within their mainstream teaching. This award would be incorporated within Business in the Community's Annual Awards for Excellence. This will be complemented by incorporation of a new Business in the Community award within the ABS Annual Student Awards.

Professor Sue Cox, Chair of the ABS and Dean of Lancaster University Management School: "I am delighted that all members of ABS will now be able to share the benefits that my own school has already derived by being a member of Business in the Community. I look forward to combining the strengths of both our national organizations in the Corporate Responsibility arena".

Peter Davies, Deputy Chief Executive of Business in the Community commented: "Business in the Community is delighted to be part of the growing movement in educational corporate responsibility teaching. We believe that our relationship with the Association of Business Schools will bring exciting new opportunities to our members and bring together academic teaching with business practice."

Notes to Editors

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. For further information visit: www.bitc.org.uk.

Association of Business Schools is the national representative body of over 100 business schools across the UK. Our purpose is to promote the interests of our members and the business and management education, training, research and development they provide nationally and internationally, so as to improve the quality and effectiveness of management, entrepreneurship and leadership for the benefit of society at large.
For further information visit www.the-abs.org.uk.

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