NOT FOR PROFITS NEED YOU NOW - Narrowing the Divide Between our For and Not for Profit Companies-

In addition to the impact of the economy on for profit companies, the financial health of our nations non profit groups are rapidly deteriorating.

According to a survey of some 900 non profit leaders conducted by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, only 12 percent of those organizations expect to end the year with an operating surplus, compared with 40 percent who ended their most recent fiscal years with money on hand.

More than half of the respondents stated they need assistance communicating their financial difficulties to their boards and donors, underscoring a growing trend in the non profit world that government and the public ‘at large’ do not fully understand the important role they play addressing causes in need. This presents further challenges for stakeholder connections, mobilization and support to get ‘back on track.’

The non profit/NGO sector and heritage has been at disadvantage to the for profit sector due to society’s perceptions about growth restraints and use of dollars beyond anything other than directly to program and services expenditures. Meanwhile, the for profit sector is permitted to use all the tools of capitalism to advance the sale of its products and services to consumers, need for track record of earnings and increased revenues.

Paradigm Shift.

Not for profits are being forced to change the way they operate, eliminate silos and conduct business due to the growth of social responsibility and changing dynamics of philanthropic giving. Mere ‘check book’ philanthropy will no longer suffice, with 60 percent of corporate contributions now attributed to the donation of products, services, counsel and staff volunteering.

Now, our suffering charities need some tools of capitalism to survive and continue to fight for societies causes most in need such as poverty, health care and human rights. On a broader strategic platform:

• They need more strategic, integrated partnerships and policies to establish a social safety net for the world’s most vulnerable people. In addition to food and nutrition support for drought-ridden populations and displaced people, there is the urgent need for growing more food in food-deficit regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti and Afghanistan.
• Bridge the gaps in life-saving health care that address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
• Advocate for long term sustainability by directing global public investments to renewable energy, energy efficiency and combating climate change.

In turn, corporations have the volunteers, resources, geographical scope, products and services to help them. Yet, a divide continues to prevail in the relationship between the for and not for profit/NGO sectors that needs to be addressed to support their mutual interests for ‘Doing Good in Society,’ impact and success.

Meanwhile, we are still bombarded with fund raisers, donor appeals and volunteer opportunities – and – we have scaled back on our giving, become more skeptical, want more accountability and demonstrated results for our contributions.

And, we need to be better educated about causes in need and selections to make.

Not for profits, not only need the money, but need our time and more strategic, longer-term partnerships.

Following are some guiding principles for both for and not for profit organizations to establish stronger and more sustainable partnerships:

Not for profits:

The new rules of the ‘Ask’: Understand the corporation’s social and environmental vision and mission. Aside from the $$, assess product and services contributions, as well as developing educational initiatives and co-branding opportunities.
‘Story telling’: Do a better job at forging deeper connections with key stakeholders by telling stories, showing the work and ‘harsh’ realities of causes in need.
Brand relevance: It is really important to differentiate especially when donations are down and fight for limited dollars at an all time high. Further clarify, articulate and justify your mission, on and offline.
Stakeholder empowerment: Make donors and volunteers feel inspired about the mission, programs and beneficiaries. Reward them with acknowledgement and impact of their contributions.
Web 2.0: Embrace the tools and technologies to build media and social communities. Need I say again, the Obama campaign raised the bar on social and community mobilization.

For profits:

Selecting the cause: Poll and understand what causes mean the most to your company and key stakeholders in the context of the business value proposition – especially employees and customers – and what they want you to advocate for on their behalf.
Choosing the non-profit: Review the CEO, management, board, operations, vision, impact and resource needs of their programs and services – in addition to and beyond the $$ contribution.
‘Show and Tell’: Research and understand the cause, visit and/or see the project, programs/services, staff and clients.
Mobilizing the community: Volunteering is on the rise and to be encouraged among employees. Ensure staff are educated, provide ‘on site’ support and percentage allocation – individual social responsibility is increasingly being assessed as part of job performance.
Sustainable program development: With sponsorships down, develop longer-term cause-related marketing opportunities that include grass-roots community education and awareness campaigns.
Don’t take all the credit. Non profit/NGO partners should be included and acknowledged in the partnership, along with progress and demonstrated results.

For and non profit/NGO’s have a unique opportunity to commit and be braver establishing compelling new partnerships that we need to pull us through this crisis, have a fairer, more transparent and sustainable future.

Sam Taylor

Sources: Nonprofit Finance Fund.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THE NEW CURRENCY OF TOMORROW

--The tragic events and incompetence of the last eight years of Bush Administration will drive a new direction--

“A major course correction will prevail under the new leadership of Barack Obama with sustainable development providing the foundation for hope, change and opportunity for our future generations,” according to Sam Taylor, Founder of Reputation Dynamics.

The reckless financial deregulation and fragmentation of our economic infrastructure has undermined Americans’ confidence and trust which has impacted ‘business as usual,’ role and sense of community - as we once knew it.

• A major part of the US recovery will be driven via a nationwide social, business and community rebuilding mobilization. Sustainable development and social responsibility will provide the basis for infrastructure redevelopment upon which to reinvigorate economic development and confidence.
• The financial crisis and resultant impact on reputation and business performance, is forcing companies to further embrace sustainable program development and integration throughout their organizations.
• While addressing climate change and environmental issues remain a priority, companies and individuals need to mitigate some fundamental global social and humanitarian issues – poverty, hunger and disease – in conjunction with Obama’s plans to retool the social contract with the poor, the uninsured and unemployed.
• Continue to redefine the case and impact for sustainable development among key stakeholders, ensuring the proper alignment and positioning of the value proposition in a fragmented economic environment.
• Enhance and leverage the increasingly more popular Web 2.0 tools and social networking platforms to enhance people connections, accountability and transparency.

Philanthropic Giving: It’s No Longer about Just Giving a Check

According to a recent LBG Research Institute survey, corporations’ anticipate no change or, in fact, an increase in charitable giving for 2009. Although 42% of corporations and 37% of corporate foundations surveyed say their charitable giving budgets will decrease in 2009, the Institute predicts that the overall decrease will be far less than the 12.1% drop in 2001 reported by Giving USA 2002.

In fact, 80 percent of corporations report that their giving will be more strategic next year, directed at causes in need, with greater impact and efficiency at work.

CAUSES FOR WHICH RESPONDENTS SAY THEY WILL INCREASE THEIR SUPPORT IN 2009

Environmental -- 24%
Basic Needs (food, clothing, shelter) -- 23%
Education/literacy -- 16%
Health -- 14%
Social Services -- 12%
Arts and Culture -- 4%

Conclusions for 2009:

• Step up to the New Rules of Reputation Management: Social innovation, sustainable development, trust and transparency are the new currency for tomorrow’s companies doing business.
• Evaluate and Measure Program Impact: Continue to assess current initiatives, stakeholder relationships and impact in the community. Use this platform to design and implement sustainable programs aligned with business objectives, as well as determine benchmarks for results measurement.
• Philanthropy is an Integral Part of Doing Business: CEOs and their companies need to continue to invest strongly in their communities, responding to the growing expectations of employees, customers and other stakeholders.
• Unleash the Power of NGOs for Greater Good: Align more aggressively with non-profit social actors – NGOs, (UN Agencies, development agencies). Companies have a timely opportunity to collaborate with some competent NGOs who are already in the trenches addressing key causes such as poverty, food and shelter.
• Stakeholder Mobilization and Impact: Continue to harness the power of key stakeholders and their opinions, embrace them in community mobilization, growing influence and power of social networking platforms.

To be sure, our economy and ongoing disturbing worldwide events are unnerving, but finding solutions to these problems will entail greater support, creative innovation, and collaboration from businesses, government, NGOs/non-profits, community and academia.

Under our new administration, never will our current generation be more challenged and yet can prevail in the face of adversity and respective individual contribution(s) to ensure the course direction that the Obama administration so urgently represents.

By Sam Taylor.

Source: LBG Research Institute

SUSTAINABILITY PARADIGM SHIFT – PEOPLE AND ‘CONNECTIONS’

Despite the economic turmoil, invigorating the global economy by advancing sustainable business practices was top of the agenda at last month’s Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference.

The conference convened representatives from NGOs, academia, government and global leaders from corporations such as GE Capital, IKEA and Levi Strauss & Co, among others.

In fact, a "BSR/Cone 2008 Corporate Responsibility in a New World Survey" of 424 conference participants uncovered that more than two-thirds of the business leaders say that more responsible business practices could have lessened, or even prevented, the current economic downturn.

In parallel, the historic presidential election comes at a time of change, hope and opportunity for America which can be further embraced via sustainability opportunities.

This, in turn, will cause significant change in the business and policy environment requiring enhanced leadership from government, legislators, consumers and businesses. President-elect Obama recently announced intensifying his work on a stimulus plan that would dole out roughly a half trillion dollars to include ‘green’ projects, from home weatherization to renewable energy.

Water conservation, human rights, access to affordable healthcare, climate change and environmental issues continue to dominate top global concerns. Cause alignment and philanthropy are increasingly being linked to value in the sustainability evolution.

We cannot afford to delay or ignore pressing world issues…

The United Nations estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will face periodic and often severe water shortages.

In the midst of jolting world events, continued cost-cutting and job losses, corporations are taking a renewed approach to sustainability and embracing the opportunities as they consider it the right thing to do.

In particular, they are reaffirming their commitment by ensuring proper integration of their programs and alignment throughout their business and operations, including:

• Supply chain
• Transparancy and accountability
• Community – global to local
• Public policy/advocacy
• Employee performance

‘Back to the People’

Meanwhile, a cultural paradigm shift is also taking place. Companies and the ‘public at large’ are seeking deeper and more meaningful connections, embracing community spirit and giving as a way to demonstrate concern and individual action.

In a low trust environment, driving sustainability and its success is routed in its people, connections and regaining their confidence.

Sustainability is advancing to another level by which to engage deeper connections with key stakeholders and address social problems they most care about - particularly human rights and social justice issues.

Opportunities for America’s Volunteer Sector

In conjunction with this paradigm shift, the role and need for volunteers in America is at an all time high and poised for future growth.

According to the Volunteering in America report released by the Corporation for National and Community Service, nearly 61 million Americans volunteered in their communities in 2007 giving 8.1 billion hours of service worth more than $158 billion to America’s communities.

Community service has never been stronger, as businesses are forced to commit to their sustainability programs, colleges adopt service-learning, and our new political leaders embrace citizen service.

Establishing volunteering programs and opportunities is a powerful way to empower and motivate employees/consumers.

GE Capital: CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, reiterated that ‘while responsibility programs need to be strategic and a long term commitment towards being competitive and generating profit, it is critical to run a company with trust, proper compliance, regulation and transparency. In order to achieve this, it is critical to engage people, align with culture and values.’

Some key conclusions:

• Regain Trust and Confidence: Restore trust in the private sector by a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and help the business community regain the trust of consumers and investors – for the long term
• Commitment to Causes: Gain consensus on what causes mean the most to key stakeholders and continued focus on addressing key issues such as energy, human rights and disease
• Embrace Community Spirit: Above and beyond the trend of matching employee’s charitable giving, embrace volunteering to motivate and empower employees
• Re-evaluate Philanthropic Activities: As the year-end approaches, assess charitable contributions, accountability and impact in the community. Consider causes that can be supported deep in the communities, beyond ‘giving a check’ and aligned with stakeholders

And most importantly……………..

Stay on track

In a spiraling economy, companies and their non-profit/NGO partners need stay on the sustainability track, advance responsible business and social practices to protect and make our world a better place.

By Samantha Taylor.

Resources:
-The BSR/Cone survey fact sheet can be located at

www.bsr.org/files/BSR_Cone_2008_Survey.pdf
-The Volunteering in America report can be located at www.VolunteeringInAmerica.gov.

***

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE FINANCIAL CRISIS: IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY

With tumultuous financial markets, a terrifying real estate crisis, and the U.S. Presidential election dominating the news, trust and confidence is now at an all time low – especially among consumers and investors.

While the financial crisis is forcing policy-makers to rethink an overhaul of (and in some cases, return to) market regulation and oversight to benefit the U.S. economy and mitigate risk, businesses are cutting costs and laying people off.

It's rough out there. Peoples’ life savings are evaporating as they watch the very executives who engineered this crisis walk way with Golden Parachutes. Government and Corporate America can no longer ignore the grass roots movement of everyday citizens rejecting the hypocrisies of our existing structure. Ignoring health care, the environment, and education can no longer be accepted.

While we don’t know how long this economic fallout will endure, we can be certain that at the end a new social consciousness will prevail. The public at large is realizing that government and corporations have not been effectively self-policing.

Who Will Watch the Watchers Themselves?

Another key lesson to be learned from the recent failure of several prominent financial institutions is the realization that organizations still fail to embrace the power of practicing corporate responsibility (CR).

The Wall Street crisis is fundamentally changing the way society views sustainability and it is an opportunity for businesses to reshape the sustainability agenda to their advantage.

Meanwhile, social, economic and environmental concerns still rest on the frontlines and are not to be overlooked in the context of new crises that will continue to emerge today and tomorrow. In particular, global climate change remains a permanent threat and Africans’ life spans continue to decline owing largely to AIDS, 60% of whose worldwide victims are African. Not to mention the increasing number of people in the US infected and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Never has there been a greater ‘Call to Action’ and opportunity for businesses to re-examine their sustainability agendas, maintain a long term focus and continue to realize the benefits amidst the current economic and political changes.

They need to reflect the interests of those who have stakes in their business and realize the consequences of overlooking them. For example:

Investors: Where art thou profit?
Employees: Need to be empowered and motivated
Taxpayers: Who will now foot the bill for the bailouts
Community Power: Build, connect and align with key relationships – globally and locally
Customers: Expect transparency and accountability to support and demonstrate their favorite brands/products responsible business and social practices

Specifically:

• Businesses must continue to address key sustainability issues like energy, climate change, disease and human rights concerns
• Boost their voluntary and philanthropic efforts top-to-bottom and with participation from their employees
• Maintain their reputations and boost trust by key stakeholders – especially consumers and investors
• Embrace new tools and technologies that can assist businesses to establish connected communities, better focus their philanthropic activities for employee opportunity and motivation
• As the giving season approaches, gain consensus from stakeholders about causes in need, align cause-related marketing and charitable contributions
• Collaborate and establish partnerships with fiscally healthy non-profits/NGOs that that have the necessary resources and depth of knowledge to develop community-driven campaigns

CEOs need to stop worrying about the next quarterly report, their own compensation packages and spend more time creating a culture of responsible practices and conduct.

In conclusion, navigating this crisis effectively underscores the importance of building a truly sustainable economy for the long term – that not only requires leadership from government, but from businesses, consumers and ‘society at large.’

More later....

Sam Taylor

***

Resources:

Online giving and community building- www.ammado.com

DRIVING HOME THE REALITIES OF THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC - Perspectives from The International AIDS Conference

On the heels of The International AIDS Conference (IAC) which took place on August 3-8 in Mexico City, a plethora of news announcements and developments provided further context about the state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic which is responsible for 2.5 million people becoming newly infected each year.

Bottom line? The epidemic in the United States has not subsided since the 1990s and is apparently growing as evidenced by:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a national study estimating that in 2008 there were 56,000 new HIV infections in the US compared to 40,000 last reported in 2006
• An analysis of the 2006 National Health Survey, also conducted by the CDC, found that only 40.4% of Americans aged between 18 and 64 reported ever having been tested for HIV, which leaves about 60% who have never been tested
• A report issued by the Black AIDS Institute, 'Left Behind! Black America: A Neglected Priority in the Global AIDS Epidemic' illustrates the impact of HIV/AIDS on Black Americans, who make up 70% of new HIV diagnoses among teenagers and 65% of HIV-infected newborns
• President Bush signed into law a five-year authorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that lifts the 15 year-old HIV entry ban. The legislation removes the statutory ban on HIV-positive non-citizens gaining immigration status and travel visas originally proposed by the late Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and codified into law in 1993
• The legislation authorizes $48 billion to be spent on foreign AIDS relief over the next five years

Yet, in our own back yard, there is no comprehensive strategy, dedicated domestic funding, or plan to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The IAC conference attracted more than 20,000 researchers, doctors, activists, government officials, for and not-for-profit/NGO organizations from around the world for a week of science and strategy sessions on the global pandemic that has killed 25 million people since 1981.

Experts were echoing the need for a National AIDS strategy to bring the same kind of attention to the domestic epidemic that the US provides overseas, as well as an annual commitment of $1.3 billion to HIV prevention needed to mitigate the AIDS epidemic.

Bill Clinton, during his presentation on 'Health System Reform; Achieving Universal Coverage,' described HIV/AIDS - as follows - adeptly illustrating the difficulties navigating the HIV/AIDS complexities in search of solutions to fight the epidemic.

'The mythological dragon was slain by St. George, the original knight in shining armor. But this dragon must be slain instead by millions and millions of foot soldiers. Universal Action Now calls on all of us to make the best use of the weapons at our disposal.'

Mr. Clinton recited some of his foundation's accomplishments, including lowering the cost of certain AIDS treatments for poor children to $60 a year from the $600 they cost three years ago, as well as the 1.4 million people living with AIDS using medicines purchased under the HIV/AIDS agreements.

Yet, while there are weapons at our disposal, we need new leadership and resources to meet the goals of the 2010 deadline for Universal Access.

This requires considerable scaling up of HIV prevention, treatment and care services. While efforts have been successfully made towards HIV treatment, it is imperative to adopt efforts towards HIV prevention overall.

For example, experts cited:

• Reorient the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief to also include a US strategy and allocate funds for domestic HIV prevention and care initiatives
• Raise awareness and provide education about the importance of HIV screening, utilization of treatment and risk reduction
• Adopt new strategies to ensure more people are tested as part of routine medical care
• Focus on AIDS reduction with access to effective HIV prevention and treatment services especially among American minority populations

For and not-for-profit businesses have a timely opportunity to further mobilize action and their substantial resources to complement or extend existing human rights initiatives:

Cause Alignment: Select HIV/AIDS and develop an integrated education initiative for our youth and American minorities in local and global communities that represent business interests
Employee/Workplace Programs: Communicate with and educate employees who are key to productivity. Establish workplace programs as the basis for company engagement, as well as an extension to NGO and public-sector programs. With volunteerism on the rise, companies can impact their communities by engaging their workforce in local projects
Small Businesses: Small and medium-sized businesses are a growing sector employing about 80% of the worlds workforce and need to be engaged in programs that protect employees from global epidemics
Big Businesses: They have the marketing, resources and scale to reach the public at large with critical messages and research about prevention, treatment and risk reduction

Let's fill in the gaps between our administration, businesses and communities to further mitigate the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

**

Some useful resources and links include:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - www.cdc.gov/

Gay Men's Health Crisis - www.gmhc.org

The Lancet - www.thelancet.com

BROADWAY THEATRE PROJECT (BTP) – Musical Theatre Arts Education for Kids

I am presently engaged in my yearly pilgrimage to help out with BTP’s musical theatre arts education program in Florida which runs from July 6-27. More than 200 talented students from 28 states, as well as Canada, England and American Samoa attend an intensive curriculum to properly prepare them for a professional career in performing arts.

As a prior student of The Guildhall School of Music and Drama programs, I am an avid supporter and believer of the critically important role that musical theatre arts can play in helping young men and women learn, gain confidence and succeed in life. Education in performing arts provides a foundation to tap creativity, enthusiasm and vivid imaginations – applicable to whatever career path we follow. It is important to support and fund these training programs.

Special guests include Patrick Wilson, Ashley Brown, Ben Vereen, Terrance Mann and Christopher D’Amboise, among others.

BTP apprentices will participate in work shopping numbers from shows currently in development including:

The Imagine Project - by Terrence Mann and Christopher D'Amboise. A performance piece will be created using historical songs from culture-changing artists who have transformed and transcended generations. This original work, created at BTP, will tell a moving story to the Beatles songs “Imagine” and “Because.” Mr. Mann began work on this concept with the National Dance Institute.

Havana - by Frank Wildhorn. Apprentices will work with Mr. Wildhorn, as well as artistic director Debra McWaters, on staging numbers from the show Havana. Vocalists will be featured as well as dance with a Latin flair.

Final Show … AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

The July 2008 session culminates in a show that showcases the talents of all apprentices consisting of original works created by the BTP faculty and apprentices. The show will be held on July 26 at 3 and 8 pm in the Ferguson Hall at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased through the TBPAC box office, 813-229-7827, or through Ticketmaster.

Founded in 1991, the non-profit Broadway Theatre Project is a prestigious musical theatre arts education program for high school and college students. Under the artistic direction of Debra McWaters, students attend an intensive three-week training program focused on acting, dancing and singing, as well as the critical life skills necessary to work in the professional world of entertainment.

For more information, support and make a donation to this terrific training program – http://www.broadwaytheatreproject.com/.

Photo: Sam Taylor with Ben Vereen.

Human Rights: Narrowing the Divide between Business and Social Responsibility

In the face of western companies marketing challenges supporting the Olympics and activists linking the games to Darfur/Tibet, addressing human rights issues are top-of-mind.

Today, key global human rights issues increasingly span: Arms - Business – Children - Terrorism - Economic - Social - Health - HIV/AIDS - Labor - LGBT rights - and the list goes on. Notable issues include:

Kenya: In May, the Kenyan government launched Operation “Rudi Nyumbani” (Return Home), aimed at returning thousands of men, women, and children to their homes, which they fled in the violent aftermath of the December 2007 elections. However, the provincial commissioner for Rift Valley province recently announced that all displaced persons camps in the province would be closed within three weeks. Since the announcement, there have been reports of forced returns and inadequate services once people reach their homes.

Burma, Colombia, Angola, Burundi: In more than twenty countries around the world, children are soldiers of war. Denied a childhood and often subjected to horrific violence, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children are serving for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts.

China: The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is presented as a unique opportunity to demonstrate to its people and the world a commitment to the fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in China’s own constitution. Several obstacles have prevented freedom of movement, religion, assembly and access to information. There is a substantial increase in human rights abuses directly related to preparations for the Games such as violations of media freedom and an intensifying persecution of Chinese human rights defenders who speak out publicly about the Games.

The Role of Business: Coca-cola and GE who have allocated millions of dollars to sponsor the Olympics are being criticized for not speaking out about the deteriorating human rights situation in China and responsibility agendas are being challenged.

Globalization has led to widespread growth in commerce and the reach of businesses. It has been debated that business responsibility and policies aimed at improving corporate conduct neglect to fully consider human rights issues - and - there is no shared assessment of the extent of the impact that business practices have on human rights.

As businesses ‘license to operate’ obligations continue to evolve and change so are the implications on human rights as companies are forced to take proactive measures to prevent employee misconduct, engage suppliers, address product quality/safety issues and ensure integrity of their business relationships.

While human rights models are considered to be well developed, business alignment and implementation are being scrutinized.

This was a key topic addressed at the Global Compact US Network’s Human Rights and Business Symposium in April. Jointly convened with the Harvard Business School, the meeting drew approximately 100 corporate executives, civil society representatives, academics and other human rights experts.

Some key issues and comments brought up by the Global Compact panelists include:

• For human rights to be respected, it is important to partner with individuals and organizations who are experts in their field such as religious, community, legal and development organizations – Ms. Mary Robinson, The Ethical Globalization Initiative
• Public health is a key component and often overlooked – Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman, Anglo American plc
• Business should assess what impact business has on human rights – Christine Bader, Advisor to the UN SRSG
• Important that human rights are integrated into the business – Reverand David Schilling – Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
• Utilize specialized groups such as Dream for Darfur to influence China to pressure Sudan for change – Robert Corcoran, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, GE

Olympics-The Devil You Do the Devil You Don’t: Top sponsors of the games include Atos Origin, Coca-Cola, General Electric, Manulife, Johnson & Johnson, Kodak, Lenovo, McDonald’s, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa.

Companies expanding their business interests in China are exposing themselves to risks - politics, trade disputes, fears of unsafe products as well as being tarred by negative publicity.

Properly measuring and responding to external issues such as the Olympics, which are often larger than the company wide, is hard to navigate. Also, corporations can’t be expected to intervene in a complex cultural and political situation that will fix China, Darfur and Tibet overnight. This situation underscores a more careful approach about which ‘battle you pick to fight' in relation to long term social responsibility planning and impact.

J&J is sponsoring a medical training center for 2,000 Chinese medical personnel to treat athletes and spectators during the games. GE is providing ultrasound equipment to treat injured athletes, as well as power, lighting, water and security systems at sports venues.

Some conclusions to be made in the interests of uniting a variety of efforts to strengthen human rights in relation to business responsibility, protect individuals and communities from harm:

• Develop tools to properly assess and manage human rights issues within a company (e.g. freedom of association, right to privacy)
• CSR and human rights should be integrated within the decision-making process
• Access to food, water, shelter and education are linked to human rights, so companies already engaged in CSR are in a more favorable position to lead human rights implementation and education
• Vouch for better inclusion and enforcement in trade agreements
• Engage multi-stakeholders that represent different sectors, expertise and environments
• Gauge opinions about human rights and issues that employees/customers would like companies to advocate for on their behalf
• Communicate the standards and transparent measuring to key stakeholders such as NGOs, investors and employees

As for the Olympics sponsors, it would be fair to show their commitment by at least issuing a public statement of support for human rights which seeks to promote the ‘respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.’

We can only hope to protect the integrity of the games, all the athletes and countries involved.

**

Some useful human rights resources and links include:

Declaration on Human Rights – www.everyhumanhasrights.org - The Human Rights Compliance Assessment – www.humanrightsbusiness.org - Business and Human Rights Resource Centre: www.business-humanrights.org – UN Global Compact – www.unglobalcompact.org