Key Criteria

Programs that are eligible must:

• Be at the "best practice" level - distinctive, innovative, and effective.
• Have a significant, measurable impact on the people they are designed to serve.
• Offer broad potential for social and economic benefits for U.S. society.
• Be sustainable and feasible within a business environment and mission.
• Be adaptable to other businesses and communities.

Choosing the Winners

Each year, the winners of The Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership are selected by a panel of judges - a diverse group of knowledgeable leaders who draw on the research expertise of The Conference Board.

To be considered for The Ron Brown Award for Corporate Citizenship, a company must show strong evidence of its engagements in projects that:

1. Significantly promote employee development and well-being, and/or
2. Notably enhance the communities where the employees work and live.

In evaluating a company's investments that benefit employees, the judges look specifically for initiatives that accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

• Fostering diversity in the workplace with programs that maximize the potential of all people;
• Developing comprehensive healthcare and pension benefits for all employees;
• Creating partnerships between managers and employees to resolve workplace issues;
• Promoting workplace safety and security as a high priority across the company;
• Supporting employees through family-friendly policies such as flexible work arrangements and expanded benefits for dependents; and
• Improving employee skills and career development through education and training programs.

When assessing a company's community-related projects, the judges look for initiatives that involve the following kinds of efforts:

• Providing support to community-based programs designed to improve people's economic potential, such as local welfare-to-work initiatives or computer literacy training projects;
• Offering community groups access to corporate resources — people, equipment, and facilities — for civic or other public activities;
• Taking a proactive role in local environmental issues by, for example, building relationships with community advisory councils or educating citizens about disaster procedures;
• Encouraging employee volunteerism in the community through such policies as flextime; or
• Participating in community outreach programs that help people learn new marketable skills or otherwise improve the quality of life.

In addition to the above criteria, a company must document a long-standing commitment to corporate citizenship as a preferred way of doing business. All candidates for The Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership will be measured by the following three core principles:

• Top management must demonstrate commitment to corporate citizenship.
• Corporate citizenship must be a shared value of the company, visible at all levels.
• Corporate citizenship must be integrated into a successful business strategy.