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World Inquiry Presents
3rd Annual International Online Conference
UN Millennium Development Goals as Business Opportunity
May 4th – 5th 2006
“Let us choose to unite the power of the markets with the authority of universal ideals. Let us choose to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations.” - Kofi Annan, Secretary General, The United Nations
In September 2000 one hundred and eighty nine United Nations Member States gathered together to envision the future of human kind at the cusp of the Millennium. The resulting Millennium Declaration challenged the world to reach seven diverse goals, spanning across such issues as poverty, health, education, ecology, gender equality, and cooperation, by year 2015.
In the five years since this historic declaration, much work has been done by various organizations and agencies to move towards the targets. However, little attention has been paid to the role businesses can successfully play in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The 2006 International Online Conference seeks to shine the light on this issue by exploring of the many ways business can and does contribute to achieving prosperity, equity, and peace as proclaimed by the Millennium Declaration – all while creating unique business advantages and opportunities. Driven by the question, “What is the best possible role that private enterprise can play in the realm of human history and progress?”, we seek to bring together change makers from around the world who strive to develop the best business leadership for the present and the future. The conference is also envisioned as a precursor to the October 2006 Global Forum, Business as an Agent of World Benefit: Management Knowledge Leading Positive Change, uniting the Academy of Management, United Nations Global Compact, and Case Weatherhead School of Management.
The conference is sponsored by the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, and is FREE to all participants. Registration closes May 1, 2006.
Conference Highlights & Features
Featured Multimedia Presentations
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Jane Nelson is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and Director of Business Leadership and Strategy at the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF). Jane is a primary resource for the Conference Board, the World Economic Forum, the UN Global Compact, and Business for Social Responsibility.
Co-author with Ira Jackson of the 2003 best seller 'Profits with Principles', Jane has also co-authored recent publications such as: ‘Business and the Millennium Development Goals’; ‘Building Partnerships’; ‘The Business of Peace’; and ‘Building Competitiveness and Communities’ and is an expert on business and society in emerging markets. |
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C.K. Prahalad is
the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, specializes in corporate strategy. His books include 'Multinational Mission: Balancing Local Demands and Global Vision' (1987), co-authored with Yves Doz; 'Competing for the Future' (1994), co-authored with Gary Hamel, printed in fourteen languages and named the Best Selling Business Book of the Year in 1994; 'The Future of Competition: Co-Creating Unique Value with Customers' (2004), co-authored with Venkatram Ramaswamy, described by Business Week as “provocative” and “an important book full of disruptive ideas”; and 'The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profit' (2004) which was selected as one of the best books of the year 2004 by The Economist, Fast Company and Amazon.com. |
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Featured Live Chat Sessions
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David Cooperrider is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Director of the Center for Business As An Agent of World Benefit, at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
David has served as researcher and consultant to a wide variety of rganizations, using the Appreciative Inquiry methodology which he pioneered. He is also the past President of the National Academy of Management's Division of Organization Development, and a co-founder of The Taos Institute. He has lectured and taught at Stanford University, MIT, University of Chicago, Katholieke University in Belgium, Pepperdine University, and others. |
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Ronald E. Fry is an Associate Professor of the Weatherhead School of Management’s Department of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University.
Ron was one of the co-creators of Appreciative Inquiry at Case and heads the Institute for Advances in Appreciative Inquiry. He also directs the Case Masters in Positive Organization Development and Change Program, which focus on development of
sustainable enterprises that enable human flourishing, economic prosperity, ecologic advancement, and contribute to uniting the strengths of markets with universal ideas.
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Nadya Zhexembayeva heads up the World Inquiry on Business as an Agent of World Benefit while working on her Ph.D. Nadya's interest and expertise is in the 'best practices' of sustainable business. This year she also serves as the Director for the 3rd Annual International Online Conference. |
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Workshops |
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Realia Group is the developer of Transformation: The Business Strategy Laboratory and the Personal Sustainability Leadership Assessment. Focused on experiential or action learning, Realia Group has worked with companies, universities and NGOs to enable their staffs to test the plausible and theoretical in order to determine the true, useful and profitable. The goal has always been to make the business case for sustainability, stakeholder involvement, collaboration and team building, innovation and ethical leadership. Based on a long collaboration with Stuart L. Hart (SC Johnson Professor of Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell), Realia Group uses the Hart Strategy Portfolio to benchmark project progress and anchor learning. Whether dealing with issues of positive change from within or outside a business organization, it‘s important to speak the language of business effectively if action for world benefit is to be achieved.
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Susan Belagard has been a practicing attorney for many years, hoping to improve the world through judicial and legislative systems. Because progress was slow, Susan began searching for ways to help people “be the change they want to see in the world” and find their “root causes of success”. During this quest, she became a certified Co-active Coach™ (The Coaches Training Institute), mediator (Appropriate Dispute Resolution Applications), and group facilitator (Community At Work), all of which allow people to be heard, dream big and implement their wishes and desires through partnership and collaboration. |
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About the Online Environment |
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Using a collaborative virtual space created by the Center's technology partners at iCohere, Inc., the conference offers a unique environment where participants can attend from their homes or offices around the world as their schedules permit. Attendees to the conference are able to access and download keynote and workshop presentations to view at their convenience. Additionally, keynotes and workshop speakers are often available for questions & answers via a live chat feature. Within the conference space, attendees are also able to enjoy many features commonly associated with traditional conferences, including "hallway" conversations, where participants can engage in threaded dialogue with others, visit the conference exhibition hall, network with others, as well as have the opportunity to create their own "poster" sessions, convene live discussions, and more. |
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