BOSTON, MA - The multi-day international conference "Integrating Social Initiatives and Marketing Strategy," hosted at Boston University School of Management on September 17-19, 2003, exceeded its initial limit of 150 registered participants, while the keynote address, open to the public, drew over 400 people. The conference was co-chaired by Professors C.B. Bhattacharya of Boston University School of Management and Craig Smith of the London Business School. It was co-sponsored by BU School of Management, London Business School, The University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business, the Business and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, and the Marketing Science Institute. Gary Hirshberg, President and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, gave the keynote address, entitled "The Only Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It."

The conference was designed to stimulate discussion on the growing trend of integrating social initiatives into corporate marketing strategies. As co-chair C.B. Bhattacharya explained, "Given the increasing resource commitment by companies to launching CSR initiatives, it was necessary to create a forum for dialogue on the pros and cons of viewing CSR as an integral part of business strategy, rather than as an add-on.” The conference's launching point grew out of a number of popular consumer surveys attesting to the positive role a company's social initiatives play in influencing consumers' purchase behavior. At first blush, these surveys suggest that mere involvement in social initiatives could be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. But one of the conference's goals was to suggest that accepting this insight without further scrutiny might not be prudent, given the complex and contingent nature of the link between a company's engagement in social issues and stakeholder response. C.B. Bhattacharya noted, "if market orientation guides a company's involvement in social initiatives, a host of other questions need to be addressed, such as what types of initiatives to participate in, how to communicate such participation to stakeholders, how to measure its effectiveness, etc."

Bhattacharya addressed this very topic in his panel entitled "Measuring the Effectiveness of Corporate Social Initiatives: A Customer-Centric Perspective." Other discussion topics included "The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Consumers' Attributions and Brand Evaluations after a Product-Harm Crisis," "Social Responsibility at Starbucks," "Understanding Social Alliances: A Model of Company/Nonprofit Collaboration," and "Integrating Business Strategy and Global Citizenship at HP."

Participants consistently remarked on the success and relevance of blending the scholarly and the practical. Farron Levy, a principal at Cost Benefit Systems, a Boston-based consultancy specializing in CSR measures, noted a "great balance of academic and practitioner experience that was consistently fresh and provocative" a balance referred to by Sherrie Terry, Vice-President of Marketing for Chiquita Fresh North America, as "a unique blend of academic analytical modeling and practitioner reality." The conference offered "engaged exchanges and highly relevant learning for all participants. Clearly the topic of integrating and measuring CSR activities is of primary concern in industry," explained Terry, who added that "the research and tools presented spurred some additional thoughts about how to assess our own CSR activities at Chiquita."

Keynote speaker Gary Hirshberg noted that the confluence of academic and practical input spurred discussion on issues at the epicenter of his company, Stonyfield Farm's, business strategy, as well as many consumers' shopping ethos. He also noted the link between these issues and practical implications underlying much of the current trend in social entrepreneurship that has been inspiring enthusiasm in many new MBAs and entrepreneurs, as well as scholars. To both consumers and practitioners, Hirshberg stressed, "Much of what many people call social entrepreneurship just boils down to common sense. If you don't pollute, then you don't get fined and you can invest your profits in your business. If you care about the environment, then you need to 'vote' with each purchase you make at the grocery store -- and you will be sending corporate America a strong message. Trust me, they are listening. In fact, they are spending millions of dollars each year just to tally your votes."

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Founded as the College of Business Administration in 1913, Boston University School of Management develops leaders and builders for the network-era, emphasizing management as a system of interdependent functions, decisions, people, and technologies. It is the only business school in the world offering the unique MS∙MBA, a dual degree, next-generation MBA fusing a traditional management curriculum with expertise in the information technologies that are transforming companies today. The School’s other offerings include undergraduate degrees in business administration; full- and part-time MBA and Executive MBA programs; a Master of Science program in Investment Management; a Doctoral program; International Management Programs; and executive education. More at http://management.bu.edu.

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