Companies Recognized For Leadership Roles
COMMUNITY involvement. Environmental stewardship. Responsiveness to employees. International commitment in developing countries. The Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) recently announced the winners of its annual 1994 America's Corporate Conscience Awards, recognizing companies that have taken a leading role in these areas.
In honor of its 25th anniversary, CEP will present a Silver Anniversary Award on April 21 to two companies: Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn., for outstanding attention by a large company to equal opportunity employment, community involvement, and employee volunteerism; and Shorebank Corporation, the parent company of South Shore Bank in Chicago, for leadership in a small company in development banking and commitment to renovating economically depressed communities.
The awards are ``part of our mission to enhance the incentives for better corporate social responsibility,'' says Alice Tepper Marlin, founder and president of CEP, a New York-based nonprofit research organization that evaluates the policies and practices of United States corporations.
To qualify, companies must have overall top ratings in community involvement, equal employment opportunity, environmental responsibility, workplace issues, and charitable contributions.
Winners of the 1994 America's Corporate Conscience Awards for the various categories include:
Community Involvement: Brooklyn Union Gas Company, the fifth-largest gas utility in the US, for community development programs linking volunteers and cash to small business start-ups and housing rehabilitation.
Environmental Stewardship - Large Company: S. C. Johnson & Son Inc. in Racine, Wis., a manufacturer of furniture waxes and cleaning products, for environmental policies that have resulted in significant reductions in chemical, water, and solid wastes.
Environmental Stewardship - Small Company: Stonyfield Farm Inc., Londonderry, N.H., maker of all-natural yogurt, for supporting local farmers and actively pursuing recycling.
Responsiveness to Employees: SAS Institute, one of the largest privately held software companies in the US, for outstanding employee benefits, including free on-site day care, health care and fitness centers, and flexible work schedules.
International Commitment: Levi Strauss & Company in San Francisco for commitment to nonexploitive work practices in developing countries, including paying to send former child laborers to school.
