Press Release

SCANNING THE HORIZON FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

14 February 2008

Business in the Community (BITC) along with its Company of the Year BT, present an innovative way for businesses to understand future challenges to their business at the QEII Centre London on 14 February.

Using an original approach to business modelling, delegates will be able to confront potential challenges and opportunities of the future; discuss real life issues such as carbon trading, energy scarcity, skills shortage and globalisation. Delegates will compete in teams to develop the most successful, sustainable business.

The task of creating a sustainable business is a current and crucial challenge. Business in the Community believes that strategic thinking and innovative business modelling will be a fundamental step towards ensuring that sustainability features prominently in the business landscape.

To help develop a better understanding of future trends, Business in the Community has been working with The Ledbury Group to look at how the British public's values are changing, particularly at how ethics increasingly influence behaviour and social taboos, and the implications of these values for business.

Stephen Howard, Managing Director of Business in the Community said: “Corporate responsibility has matured over the past ten or fifteen years. But in order for it to create value, businesses will need to plan, innovate and adapt their business models. The new business modelling game that has been developed by our Company of the Year BT is a management tool that will allow us to elevate the conversations we are having with our members about corporate responsibility.”

Graham Neale, Senior VP of GlaxoSmithKline said: "GlaxoSmithKline is delighted to be participating in such a forward thinking and novel conference, which manages to address corporate responsibility in a refreshingly modern context. Rather than just a label, corporate responsibility should be integral to our day to day operations. It makes good business sense - but we also know that it is the right and necessary way to do things.”