Socially Responsible Business Conference 2007

Moving into the 21st century, the number of businesses around the world has greatly increased. With this fact arise two questions: what makes a successful business and how do their profits interact with their social and environmental impacts? Companies such as Adidas and Starbucks net millions of dollars in profit annually. They have ensured profits, so should they care about the environment and about places in the world that do not use their products? These and other challenges for companies were addressed in this year's Socially Responsible Business Conference where numerous companies, students from colleges and universities from around Boston, and members of the Tufts community were present. Sponsored by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC), the Tufts University Alumni Association, and the Tufts University Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies Program, the conference was able to bring representatives to campus that showcased what active citizenship is all about. Taryn Miller-Stevens, conference chair and senior at Tufts, helped put together an event that shed light on what it means for a company to have complete success and have a global positive impact.

The keynote speaker was Jonathan Greenblatt, co-founder of Ethos Water and Tufts alumnus from the class of 92. In creating Ethos Water, Mr. Greenblatt blended the quality of consumer experience and an ethical message. He listed what he considered to be five key dimensions essential to ethical products: mission, authenticity, commitment, information, and engagement. Together, these keys help make a product that conveys a message to consumers, engages them in their message, and maintains the highest possible quality in order to satisfy consumer demand. Because of his hard work and determination to build a company and still create social change, Ethos Water is projected to invest more than $10 million through 2010 to bring clean water to needy communities throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. After selling the company to Starbuck in 2005 its message reaches nearly 40 million consumers visiting Starbucks stores weekly and educates them about the world water crisis. Through creative marketing and clear display of the ethical message on each of the water bottles, the company encourages consumers to spread the word on the crisis. The purpose of the company was not only to make a profit, but more importantly create awareness of a global crisis and compel its consumers to react. As a keynote for this conference, he truly exemplified the ideal socially responsible entrepreneur who has made an impact on underprivileged people's lives around the world.

Another part of this conference was a panel that included Mr. Greenblatt, as well as Professor Ann Rappaport (urban and environmental policy and planning program at Tufts University), Marianne Voss (head of program operations, social & environmental affairs at the Adidas Group), and Moneer Azzam (President & CEO of SolarOne). All of these speakers focused on the importance of companies' ethical integrity, which they defined as how they can make a profit and at the same time positively impact social and environmental issues around the world. As Mr. Greenblatt had previously mentioned, consumer satisfaction is a priority, but not at the sake of social responsibility. For large companies such as Adidas, this becomes a tougher issue to reconcile, but one of the ways they handle it is through codes of conduct that prevent labor abuse in their factories. These rules must be followed in order for continued production, which helps ensure that the company follows ethical guidelines. On a similar level of importance is environmental responsibility, which Professor Rappaport and Mr. Azzam mentioned can be achieved through more efficient energy strategies that keep our air clean and our planet healthy. This is essential to our society, so it is something that companies must understand as they expand. Social and environmental responsibility must be priorities for companies in order to maintain their success and show consumers that they care about the world and the underrepresented communities in developing countries.

Another important aspect of the conference was the idea of non-profit companies. James Weinberg, CEO and Founder of Commongood Careers talked about how companies that do not make a profit must be socially responsible. His company helps people find non-profit companies for which to work, which means that he has extensive knowledge on how these companies function. He mentioned that these companies must, "Do well by doing good as opposed to doing well and in the process doing good." He gave people tips on how to apply for these companies and how to find one that deals with an issue of interest to an applicant. Social responsibility has become a hot trend with GAP's RED campaign to help fight AIDS in Africa, Bill Gates donation to help needy people in developing countries, and most recently Ethos Water with its aid in the water crisis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. More people are becoming involved in non-profits and want to help on social issues. This trend makes it easier for companies to be socially responsible since they can rely on their consumers being interested in their ethical messages while they can simultaneously make a profit.

This conference was a great resource for undergraduates and anybody else interested in how companies interact with social dilemmas. Each speaker was knowledgeable in their field and the panels allowed the audience to ask questions and learn more about what companies do to be socially responsible. While maintaining product quality and consumer satisfaction, businesses are increasingly able to uphold their responsibility to global problems and showcase that with the power they have, they can make changes in places where change is desperately needed. They can also inspire their consumers to make a change and become actively involved.