Report Contents
 Chair & President's Letter
 Sponsors
 Plenary Remarks
 Topics, Faculty & Hosts
 Recommendations
 Organizations
 Summary Report (PDF)
 
 
 University for a Night 2003 
 The Synergos Institute

University for a Night participants -- including business leaders from around the world and people from other sectors of society -- placed great emphasis on the role of business as an engine of economic growth and the need for businesses to increase the synergy between good business practice and actions to bridge social and economic divides. Here are the group's key recommendations.

Synergos Chair Peggy Dulany and Kenneth Lipper

Create widespread ownership within corporations of their philanthropic and social responsibility efforts. Strategic, long-lasting philanthropic and corporate social investment efforts require the buy-in and engagement of many constituencies within a business -- including the CEO and senior executives, the board and shareholders, employees at various levels and sometimes even clients/ customers and vendors. Business communications with employees and key constituents outside the organization can have an educational component -- informing these groups about company values and the actions the corporation takes to live up to these values. In some cases, improved approaches to measuring the social impact of corporate action are needed.
Examples of organizations working on this issue: Abrinq Foundation for Children's Rights, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Levi Strauss, Phillips-Van Heusen, World Economic Forum

Strengthen small, medium and family-owned businesses in countries in poorer communities and countries. Such businesses are often major sources of jobs. Moreover, with their deep local connections such businesses are well-placed to ensure that their corporate citizenship activities leverage local capacities and meet local needs.
Examples of organizations working on this issue: Asian Institute of Management, Family Firm Institute, International Council for Small Business, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Use information technology as a high-impact means to strengthen local development. Providing microenterprises and small businesses in poor communities with information appliances such as mobile phones and hand-held computers can have a big impact on their economic performance by offering them access to information about markets, best practices and new developments. Appropriate information technology is also proving a powerful tool to improve public health. The accompanying investment in basic infrastructure -- such as for telephony (often wireless) and electricity -- can produce large returns for society.
Examples of organizations working on this issue: Grameen Phone, Markle Foundation, NetAid, Voxiva

Use broadcast and other mass media to advance social good. Commercial use of broadcast media should be supplemented by programming that serves the public interest. This includes both educational media and news reporting to create a more informed public and promote cross-cultural understanding.
Examples of organizations working on this issue: Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption, AOL Time Warner, British Broadcasting Corporation, LoveLIFE, Sesame Workshop
 

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