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Examples |
| Institutional
Initiatives:
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Corporate Leadership: Thirty-five years ago, Mr.
Marvin Bower, who transformed McKinsey & Co. into a global
consulting powerhouse, and a strong advocate for the
performance of personal obligations, walked into the office of
a young management consultant in the New York office of
McKinsey & Co., Mr. Louis V. Gerstner. “What are you going to
give back [to your society],” Mr. Bower asked Mr. Gerstner.
“Come with me,” Mr. Bower urged him. “We went together to a
meeting on public school reform, something I am still
interested in,” Mr. Gerstner, former chairman of IBM, recently
recalled.—Business
Week, February 10, 2003, p.38 |
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Corporations Offer Recycling for Environmental Protection:
Hewlett Packard (HP) and Dell Inc. announced programs to encourage US customers to recycle computers and electronics, which
often contain toxic chemicals and metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and flame-retardants. HP and Office Depot have
teamed up to offer consumers the opportunity for free recycling (through Labor Day) of any make of computers, monitors,
digital cameras, fax machines, cell phones, and other electronics. HP also has a mail-based recycling plan that costs consumers $35.
For its part, Dell will offer free recycling to US customers who buy a new Dimension desktop or Inspiron notebook computer.
In addition, IBM Corp. has a similar mail-in recycling program as HP, which costs $30. Currently, only about 11 percent
of electronics are recycled. Robin Schneider, executive director of the Austin-based Texas Campaign for the Environment,
lauded HP and Dell’s announcements because it gives consumers and small businesses some recycling options that “don’t charge
you to do the right thing.” (http://www.msnbc.com/id/5437079/)
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| Individual Initiatives:
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| Good
Samaritan:
Moments after his wife, Atara, gave birth in the backseat of their
car en route to the hospital, Mr. Binyamin Sasoon lost control of
the car and crashed into a utility pole. Mr. Sasoon died instantly
and Mrs. Sasoon was thrown to the side of the road. As the baby
remained in the car struggling to breathe, Mrs. Sasoon flagged down
passing motorist Mr. Patrick Schlagenhaft. Mr. Schlagenhaft
immediately called 911 on his cell phone and resuscitated the baby
with the guidance of the 911 operator. Shortly thereafter, the
emergency paramedics arrived. According to the New York Times (April 16,
2004, p. B5), Mr. Schlagenhaft “dismissed talks that he had done
more than others might have.” He said that “when God has you driving
by for a reason and has you there, you better do what you’re
supposed to do.” The New York Times also reported
that the accident “struck a particular chord with him because his
wife, Amy, is seven months pregnant with their child.” This performance of civic
responsibility took place on April 14, 2004, in Brick Township, New
Jersey. |
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A
Volunteer Makes an Impact: About a decade ago,
Jim Couts was running a summer arts program for children and
teenagers in Marietta, Ohio, when one of the instructors came to him
with a problem: “I have
this kid who’s great. He has so much talent,” the teacher said. “But
I think he’s hungry.”
Couts did not ponder the situation
long. At 10 a.m. the next morning, he knocked on the child’s door.
The father answered, drunk. “I’d like for you to sign this paper,”
Couts told him. “I want to feed your son.”
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Maybe that counts as a
seminal event, and maybe not. Like any true do-gooder, Couts has
trouble identifying precise moments of inspiration, largely because
there are so many. He’s pretty sure, however, that the experience
nudged him away from a few other perfectly respectable avenues of
social progress and set him on a most basic path: “Feeding children has got to
be the least controversial thing in the world.” Clouts, a 60
year-old former lobbyist, bureaucrat, clergyman, community activist,
and stay-at home husband, currently works as an Americorps VISTA
(Volunteer in Service to America) on behalf of the Hunger
Alliance. His
initiative inspired many to begin a major “Feed Hungry Children”
program with the help of the government in the state of Ohio. —The
Columbus Dispatch, February 1, 2004,
p.A6
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An Employee's Initiative: On October 11, 1982, an
employee in the Legal Department of the American Council of
Life Insurers (ACLI) invited some of his fellow immigrants
from his native country to his home and urged them to give
back whatever they can to their adopted country, the United
States of America. They formed an educational forum and urged
all immigrants to get involved in the relevant affairs of
mainstream America. It soon became a national movement,
attracting immigrants from other countries to work together.
Later their performance of civic responsibility through
political education in encouraging their fellow immigrants to
be responsible US citizens came to the attention of the White
House. As recognition for this initiative and succeeding
activities, on May 4, 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated
the former ACLI employee to an important national commission
in a White House function. His appointment was unanimously
confirmed by the US Senate in a short time. According to him,
“I was one of the luckiest people to get national recognition
for my humble service. But there are a number of unsung heroes
among immigrants around the nation. We have to search for
these great leaders who already performed their civic
responsibilities and we have to follow them to build a better
society around us.” |
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Other
Examples: |
1. Maintain sanitary and
hygienic environments in public places.
2. Register and vote in local, state, and national elections.
3. Volunteer to help poor and disadvantaged members of our
community through established non-profit groups.
4. Maintain higher standards of work ethics in our employment
places.
5. Strictly obey traffic rules to avoid accidents--give vehicle signals a few seconds before you change lanes or turn
from one road to another.
6. Enthusiastic and efficient customer/client/membership services by executives and employees of all institutions, including government and business entities. |
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(ATTENTION READERS: Please
send us similar examples that you are familiar with to be
included in this website.)
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