The global reach of business is nothing new but companies are now recognizing the increasingly important role of corporate citizenship in the successful expansion of operations around the world to new countries and cultures.

One breakout session at the Boston College 2012 International Corporate Citizenship Conference, Journey of Going Global: How to Start, will focus on how companies are structuring global corporate citizenship programs, distributing oversight and authority, and determining their social, environmental and economic impact.

“For corporate citizenship to be fully valued and optimally impactful, it must be integral to a company’s business strategy and its operation,” says session panelist Bo Miller, Global Director, Corporate Citizenship, The Dow Chemical Company. He adds that corporate citizenship must be embedded in larger corporate strategies and goals in a way that ultimately it becomes “just another element about how a company operates its overall enterprise.”

When a company expands globally, this means corporate citizenship must be a part of how it invests in strategies that allocate resources and distribute authority in a manner that reflects global sourcing, production and sales, while also advancing a commitment to work in partnership with communities around the world.

Dan Bross, Senior Director Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft Corporation and facilitator of the session, warns that U.S.-based global companies that look at corporate citizenship through the lens of U.S. cultural norms do so at their own peril.

“The role business plays in society is driven by local norms, values, and forms of government. U.S.-based global companies must understand these local dynamics if they hope to be relevant in local markets,” Bross advises. “As global companies, we have a responsibility to engage globally; not only in meeting the needs of local communities and addressing locally relevant social issues but also participating as thoughtful partners in cross-sector dialogue as governments address corporate social responsibility issues.”

Session panelist Gayle Binney, manager of the Dannon Institute and manager of Dannon Corporate Responsibility, concurs that companies must be cognizant of local concerns while creating an approach to corporate citizenship that remains consistent throughout the company. “Global companies should be able to conceptualize CSR strategies so that they are tangible and relevant in all markets,” she says. “A global strategy can feel like a local strategy if company representatives are empowered to tell the global story through their own language and activities.”

Binney, Bross and Miller will be joined on the session panel by Scott Hudson, Principal Manager, Social Responsibility and Community Outreach, at the Alcoa Foundation.

Journey of Going Global: How to Start is just one of the 23 breakout sessions where corporate citizenship professionals and experts will share their experience and knowledge with more than 500 attendees, March 25-27, in Phoenix. In addition to enlightening and interactive breakout sessions, the conference presented by Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship will feature a roster of inspiring speakers from leading companies who will touch on the many dimensions of managing corporate citizenship – from the reaches of the board room to the reality of the frontline.

It’s not too late to learn from, and network with, more than 500 peers at the 2012 International Corporate Citizenship Conference representing a variety of business functions, including corporate citizenship, community relations, sustainability, communications, external affairs and human resources. Register today to claim one of the limited seats still available.

Fortunately for those who cannot attend the conference, the learning that happens in Phoenix will not be constrained by time or geography. Once the conference is under way, the Center’s blog will offer highlights from sessions and a wrap-up of each day. If you don’t already receive the Center blog, go to the News and Features page of the Center website to subscribe and get the latest news from Phoenix. And don’t forget to stay with the blog after the conference for expanded coverage.

 The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship at the Carroll School of Management is a membership-based research organization committed to helping business leverage its social, economic and human assets to ensure both its success and a more just and sustainable world. As a leading resource on corporate citizenship, the Center works with global corporations to help them define, plan and operationalize their corporate citizenship. Through the power of research, management and leadership programs, and the insights of its more than 370 corporate members, the Center creates knowledge, value and demand for corporate citizenship. www.BCCorporateCitizenship.org

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship

The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship connects professionals with research, insights on corporate social responsibility and management education opportunities. Founded by the Carroll School of Management, we help our member companies know more, do more and achieve more with their corporate citizenship programs. We engage over 400 member companies and more than 10,000 individuals annually to share knowledge and expertise about the practice of corporate citizenship through our executive education program, research, courses, and our annual conference. For more information on our courses, research and membership, visit ccc.bc.edu. Connect with Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship: Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook & Google+.

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