The next ebbf international event will take place at Selsdon Park, London

from the 11th to the 13th of May 2012.

This year the theme of the conference will be Excellence in Business.  Much has been published on how we can achieve excellent employee relations, excellent product creation, excellent marketing, excellent accounting and excellence in a wide variety of other areas in business.  We want to build on all of this and take it further to ask: How can we nurture excellence as an attitude across a business, not only in each individual area but also in the connections between different areas of the business?

We want to look at excellence as more than just how businesses can make a greater profit.  We will discuss extending the striving for excellence that we have seen in business seeking to improve their financial bottom line to such aspects as the sustainability of the business, the contribution of that business to wider society and the ability of the business to provide their employees with meaningful work.  We also need to examine how the process of striving for excellence can itself be made sustainable, how we can incorporate an attitude of constant learning into our businesses.

You can find more information at the event's make it meaningful website.

ebbf UK will be communicating shortly the details of this high level event offering the opportunity to explore and interact with two distinguished experts Dr. Steven Fawkes and Dr. Ramin Khadem who will be opening new boundaries in the future of energy and space.

The event will take place in London on February 22nd, starting at 18:15 until 20:00

Verso nuove opportunità.


La crisi economica e sociale che stiamo vivendo non è uno stato di fatto immutabile ma uno straordinario momento di cambiamento, trasformazione, evoluzione e “guarigione”, che aprirà un ventaglio di nuove possibilità.

La terra é un solo paese e l'umanitá i suoi cittadini

16 – 19 FEBBRAIO 2012
Hotel La Panoramica – Acuto, Fiuggi 

Relatori:

Arthur Dahl               Presidente del Forum Internazionale per l’Ambiente                                         
Beppe  Robiati          Presidente gruppo SCAC - co-fondatore di ebbf                        
Sandra Luschi          Rappresentante nazionale ebbf - Operatrice risorse umane nella pubblica amministrazione
Naim Abid                 Imprenditore dell’arte e della musica – Dottorato di ricerca
Denise Cumella        Direttore LUSH Italia
Enrico Giraudi           Counselor
 - Business Development Director & Senior Planner – JWT Italia
Saba Mazza              Imprenditotre dell’energia alternativa - CEO WIND NRG
Mehry Robiati            psicologa
Lorenzo Solimene     Senior Manager at KPMG Global Climate Change and Sustainability Services
Eleonora Ferrero       Consulente e coacher
Luca Albrizio              Imprenditore - Proprietario: S.C.M. Plastic Injection Moulds

Alcuni dei Temi che si tratteranno:

- La crisi come “motore” creativo.  Il ruolo della “crisi” nella genesi di un’opera artistica. Testimonianza personale.

- Come gli ecosistemi affrontano le crisi e cosa possiamo imparare da loro. L’ambiente e l’eco-sistema che ci circondano e nel quale siamo “immersi”, sono “bio-intelligenze” che già da tempo si stanno confrontando con la crisi che oggi investe anche le nostre vite. Per questo possiamo fare tesoro dei loro comportamenti e dei loro insegnamenti.

- La crisi come opportunità: la visione Bahai sulla transizione economica, sociale ed individuale che l’umanità sta attraversando e sulle sue opportunità. Qual è il meta messaggio del quale la crisi è portatrice? Qual è la nuova direzione di sviluppo che ci sta indicando?

- La chiave di volta in qualunque crisi, siamo noi. Ogni uomo è stato creato per portare avanti una civiltà in continuo progresso e possiede le risorse per farlo.

- La crisi come fonte di ispirazione. Creare la propria impresa lasciandosi ispirare dai grandi mutamenti che avvengono in tempi di crisi. Testimonianza.

- Se non vuoi che la crisi governi la tua vita, decidi di essere tu a governare lei. Come sviluppare la giusta mentalità per fare in modo che la crisi sia un’opportunità di crescita invece di un limite.

- Da “grandi problemi” possono nascere “grandi cose”.  Casi di aziende che hanno trasformato momenti di crisi in nuove opportunità. Key learnings.

Per maggiori informazioni, scrivere a events@ebbf.org

 For our next breakfast we have a fascinating, world-encompassing, extremely participative project. We all want to be part of a:

Global Dialogue

You are invited be part of a global Initiative to accelerate action towards sustainable development by taking advantage of the Rio+20 Conference.

Take a moment to have a conversation with your family, friends, colleagues or leaders about the future we are creating, the investments that you are making towards the future.
What questions should we be asking to ensure that we are heading in the right direction?
What practices should we be adopting to create the right foundation?

Your conversations and actions will be captured through an online platform to inspire others and communicate your message to global leaders.


Come to our breakfast and let us organize a Geneva group to respond to this wonderful challenge of being part of the Global Dialogue!


WHEN:
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
from 07:45 am to 08:45 am.

LOCATION:
Le Pain Quotidien, 24 Blvd Helvetique, Geneva

Please RSVP to:
geneva@ebbf.org

Organized by the Geneva Chapter of the European Bahá’í Business Forum – www.ebbf.org

Wanneer: dinsdag 13 december 2011 Tijdsduur: 18.30 uur (ontvangst met soep en broodje) tot ca 21.30 uur
Locatie: Seats2Meet Utrecht, Moreelsepark 65 (Hoog Catharijne, Kantoren Hoog Overborch, 2e etage)

For more information on the event, click here to visit the event website.

You are warmly invited to the following "ebbf breakfast" conversation:

The present crisis is forcing many organizations, public or private, to restructure.

- Are there any lessons to be learned from previous experiences?

- Can we apply any of those lessons to the present situation?

A conversation with George Starcher (Former McKinsey senior partner, currently Founder and President of ebbf)

Between 2000 and 2003, the EBBF and the ILO produced a joint paper and sponsored a series of workshops, all on the topic of “socially responsible enterprise restructuring.” Many of the workshops have been held at the ILO Center in Turin, and many have featured the participation of ebbf’s Founder and President, George Starcher. °° We will explore this topic in a conversation with George Starcher, the member of ebbf responsible for the joint ILO-ebbf publication.

WHEN:

Wednesday, 7th December 2011 from 07:45 am to 08:45 am

LOCATION:

Le Pain Quotidien, 24 Boulevard Helvetique, Geneva

Please RSVP and find out more information about ebbf activities in Geneva here:

geneva@ebbf.org | Tel: 079 342 3467

 
Cristina Manzano, editor of the Foreign Policy magazine invites you to this evening with ebbf board member Arthur Dahl.

GOVERNANCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

A CONVERSATION WITH : ARTHUR DAHL
.

Our future is threatened by the gap between the environmental realities of accelerating climate change and resource destruction, and the political realities of sovereign nations at the mercy of an unregulated global economy. Present systems of governance are paralyzed, but the Rio+20 conference provides an opportunity to act. How can we find a way forward?

WHEN: Friday 2nd December - 19:30

WHERE: C/Condado de Treviño, 2, portal 3, 5o L (Zona Pinar de Chamartín) Madrid

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE and we will send you more precise indications on how to reach the location. EMAIL: cmanzano@fp-es.org

Every year ebbf members from Finland offer their experience and insights to the young leaders at AIESEC.

During AIESEC Finland's "Discovery Camp" weekend (26th - 27th of November)

ebbf board member and ebbf national representative for Finland Mika Korhonen and Kimmo Vesajoki, will offer a number of workshops with the following objectives.

"We want to help the participants in discovering the leader within themselves and concentrate on the concepts "I & team" and "I & world".

We want to discuss the difference of management and leadership to emphasize that management of things - however effective, can never yield the results and make the difference that good leadership has the potential to archieve, especially when based on sound values & ethics.
We want to help the participant to understand the crucial role of integrity (staying true to ones values and acting on them) in finding meaning in one's occupation and purpose beyond profit, discuss on how they will drive the change through their values that will define the values for the winning companies of this century and how the business
environment will embrace this change as the new people of generation Y and Z enroll themselves in the work environment. Moreover, we will stress the importance of creating alternatives to age old traditions, not lending impetus to the old game of business but rather building a new game, that will inevitably win.

We will also discuss how to empower and support the growth of those working with you or for you, how to lead with your example and building on trust rather than trying to micro manage things and finally how to contribute to the process of building a better civilization."

Last year's event was published in thousands of world media sites e.g.:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/22/idUS46437+22-Mar-2010+BW20100322

See the event details here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=308216272538143

You are warmly invited to the following evening conversation:

The Outlook for the Global Economy: From Crisis to Prosperity.

A conversation with Augusto Lopez-Claros

When: Sunday, 20 November 2011

Light refreshments will be served at 17:30 With the talk starting at 18:00

Location: Khamsi residence, chemin de Buclines 1 bis, 1223 Cologny, Tel. 022 349 0288

Please RSVP to: geneva@ebbf.org | Tel: 079 342 3467

About the speaker:

Augusto Lopez-Claros is currently Director, Global Indicators and Analysis at the World Bank.

He was previously Chief Economist and Director of the Global Competitiveness Program at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. Before joining the Forum he was Executive Director with Lehman Brothers International (London) and Senior International Economist. He was the International Monetary Fund's resident representative in the Russian Federation (Moscow) during 1992-95. Lopez-Claros was educated in England and the United States, receiving a diploma in Mathematical Statistics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University. Before joining the IMF, he was professor of economics at the University of Chile in Santiago. He has written and lectured extensively in South America, the United States, and Europe on a broad range of subjects, including aspects of economic reform in transition economies, economic integration, interdependence and cooperation, governance, peace, and the role of international organizations.

Organized by the Geneva Chapter of the European Baháí Business Forum – ebbf.org

You are warmly invited to ebbf's breakfast meeting, organized by ebbf Geneva.

WHEN: 08:00 to 09:00, 21st September

WHERE: Le Pain Quotidien, Boulevard Helvétique, Geneva

The perfect opportunity to meet like-minded innovators, values-driven entrepreneurs and directors, members and friends of ebbf with whom to share new ideas and share challenges you may be confronted with in your work place.

- sharing of outcomes and ideas for a "new paradigm of work" that came from the recent ebbf annual conference

- introducing an interesting  framework to develop meaningful work and life path - the Natural Step partnership

- a third part where you can share the issues you are facing in your working life, in the trusted and passionate values-driven environment of people who share a desire to find ways to contribute to a more prosperous, sustainable and just civilization, through their work.

RSVP: victoria.visser@ebbf.org

25 Ottobre 2011

09:30 - 12:30

Camera di Commercio - Bari

Corso Cavour 2

Sala Convegni

ebbf in collaborazione con

Università degli Studi di Bari.

Oratore Ing. Giuseppe Robiati (co-fondatore - ebbf)

Introdurrà Prof. Giovanni Girone

TEMA:

"Etica ed Economia": Verso un Nuovo Ordine Mondiale

Saturday, October 15, 2011  17-19 hours

ebbf informal discussion event come and meet with

Ali Noroozi, the Australian Government Inspector-General of Taxation

who will speak on 

“Challenges of Taxation Systems in a Global Economy”

where: At home of Concetta and Dale EMERSON, 8 avenue de la Jonction,
1060 Brussels (St.Gilles)  
bus 60 Georges Brugmann stop or bus 54 or tram 92 to stop Ma Campagne avenue Brugmann/Parking right handside on avenue Brugmann or av. de la Jonction/nearby streets  

On 18 September 2008, the Hon Chris Bowen MP announced the appointment of Mr. Ali Noroozi as the new Inspector‑General of Taxation for a term of five years. Mr. Noroozi is a qualified engineer and lawyer. He also has a Masters of Laws degree in taxation from the University of Sydney. Prior to becoming the Inspector-General of Taxation, he had gained over 15 years experience in Australian and International taxation. He has worked for approximately 12 years at major accounting and law firms, namely: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young, Minter Ellison and Linklaters. He has also worked for almost 5 years as the Tax Counsel at the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Mr. Noroozi will discuss key issues, practical challenges and opportunities concerning global taxation issues currently being addressed by global policy makers.  He will briefly touch upon ethical values and approaches to global taxation, such as corporate social responsibility and taxation, dynamics of tax avoidance/evasion, lack of trust between revenue authorities and taxpayers, and questions of redistribution of wealth at a global level.

Entrance free  (bring your friends or colleagues !)

Informal discussion, followed by quiche and cakes for those who can or wish to stay.

Pre-register at dale.urgent@archibel.com   Tel:  02 345 16 00  Mobile/GSM : 0475 28 58 54 or 0477 40 64 35

(we need a show of hands to prepare for this promising discussion evening ! Thank you for your interest and response !)

Fwd by daniel.schaubacher@skynet.be  www.ebbf.org  0478 87 29 29  Brussels

ebbf aims to repeat this year's very successful open annual conference, at the same location in Portugal.

You can get a feeling for what happened in this last annual conference:

viewing images from the event here on ebbf's facebook page event album

viewing highlights from a couple of presentations in the following blog posts:

Pieter Van Osch: Mindful Marketing 0% fat 100% meaningfulness

Carrie Freeman: sustaining sustainable companies 

Michael Karlberg: reinventing the corporation

You can download a couple of the keynotes offered there going to ebbf's SlideShare channel

You can view the event website here. 

You are warmly invited to ebbf's breakfast meeting, organized by ebbf Geneva.

WHEN: 08:00 to 09:00, 21st September

WHERE: Le Pain Quotidien, Boulevard Helvétique, Geneva

The perfect opportunity to meet like-minded innovators, values-driven entrepreneurs and directors, members and friends of ebbf with whom to share new ideas and share challenges you may be confronted with in your work place.

RSVP: victoria.visser@ebbf.org

Kimmo Vesajoki starts on the 20th of September a series of "evening discussions with ebbf members".

This first evening meeting will see a number of AIESEC members meet and interact with Aram Aflatuni, the CEO of Tarinatalo production house who creates programs for Finnish prime time television.

You can click here to view  one of their programs, where two ebbf members were interviews Laura Jansson and Kimmo Vesajoki - subtitled in English.

Nächstes Treffen of ebbf berlin:

Wann: Sa. 30. Juli, 15 – 18:00       

Wo: Alex-Treff • Lesestube und Vortragsrau

Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 18 • 10178 Berlin-Mitte

http://www.alextreffberlin.de/

Grundeinkommen: Fragen an einen Experten

For more information please contact Stephan Pernau: ebbf-pernau@gmx.org

Wann: Sa. 25. Juni, 15 – 18:00    

Wo: Alex-Treff • Lesestube und Vortragsrau
Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 18 • 10178 Berlin-Mitte

http://www.alextreffberlin.de/

Materieller Wohlstand steht in Zusammenhang mit der Art und Weise wie Entscheidungen getroffen werden. Je kooperativer, desto größer die Lernchancen für alle Beteiligten und für die Organisation selbst.Kooperatives miteinander Beraten und gemeinsames Entscheiden bietet sich an als eine wirtschaftlich interessante Sozialtechnik für den eigenen Arbeitsalltag.

Mit ihr kann man sozusagen ‚Entwicklungshilfe’ leisten, auch in der eigenen Organisation. Und wie mache ich das bei mir im Betrieb ?

Wir werden uns mit Abläufen, Haltungen und Prinzipien des kooperativen Beratens bekannt machen.

Leitung: Stephan Pernau (Berater, Trainer, Coach für das Zusammenarbeiten)

For more information please contact Stephan Pernau: ebbf-pernau@gmx.org

ebbf member, François Couillard will be giving the keynote address at the upcoming

Rendez-vous des entrepreneurs sociaux

in Montreal, Canada on June 7th.
The event brings together 300 social innovation actors from North America and Europe.
For more information or to register, click on their event website here.

DATE: 26 May 7:30 pm,

WHERE: Haz Restaurant St Paul's

34 Foster Lane, St Paul's, London, EC2V 6HD

Tel: 020 7600 4172 / 020 7600 4173

http://www.hazrestaurant.co.uk/haz_st_pauls.htm

To have you enjoy more of the very inspiring conversations that happened during the ebbf "a new paradigm of work" event, the team of ebbf UK has organized a dinner / conversation event for you.

Zarin Hainsworth will tell us how she started her business from her garage with no capital, turning it into a successful training and consultancy company applying ebbf values.     

Following the presentation you will be able to exchange ideas around some of the questions that will assist you to make your work more meaningful, purposeful and satisfying.  

Please RSVP to ebbfuk@gmail.com 

The next in the series of sold-out ebbf international events will take place near London in the simply beautiful location of Selsdon Park from the 6th to the 8th of May.

Umair Haque of Harvard Business Review described the economic environment in which we operate as "a radically interdependent, increasingly transparent, tightly hyperconnected, brutally hypercompetitive, and viciously volatile world".

We therefore believe that a new way of doing business is required and we would like to offer you - a new paradigm of business - : a weekend event that celebrates the success of leaders who are thriving in this environment.

You will be able to interact with them and with an international group of international professionals to learn:

- a redefinition of common business terms and practices that brings about successful and purposeful companies

- paths and tools to allow you to navigate these changing times

- from practical examples of leaders and companies "who did it", who created meaningful and successful companies

You can find here more information about the event. 

Eine ebbf-Regionalgruppe haben sich viele gewünscht und sie ist auch für die europäische ebbf-Organisation bedeutsam. Im öffentlichen Diskurs werden Stellungnahmen von ebbf bereits vernommen, weil der Input von Mitgliedern diese voranträgt.

Hier ist eine Einladung, die frühere regionale Bemühungen zu Nähe, Austausch und miteinander Lernen fortsetzen möchte.

Aus Datenschutzgründen kann ich den verwendeten Verteiler nicht offenlegen. Aber er ist sehr bescheiden. Bitte reichen Sie daher den unteren Teil dieser E-Mail mit der Einladung an potentiell Interessierte gerne weiter.

Und hoffentlich bis zum 30.4. oder 25.6.

Herzlich willkommen

Stephan Pernau

.......................................................................

Regional-Programm BERLIN    1. Hälfte 2011

Sa. 30. April, 15:00 – 18:00:  

Ethik und  Arbeitsleben: Mit dem Widerspruch arbeiten

Sa. 25. Juni, 15:00 – 18:00:   

Entwicklungshilfe: Die Mechanik der Entscheidungsfindung

Ort: Alex-Treff,  Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 18, 10178 Berlin-Mitte

Im Fokus der Treffen: Fortschritte im eigenen und im Arbeitsleben der anderen, Netzwerken für Aufträge und Job-Gelegenheiten, Lernen und Entwickeln.

Das europäische baha’i business forum (ebbf) ist seit 1990 ein ehrenamtliches Netzwerk von Angestellten ebenso wie von Managern, Unternehmern und Studierenden.

Die über 700 Mitglieder veranstalten jährlich ca. 250 Events für rund 10.000 Besucher, um sich in die Dimensionen der Thematik Nachhaltigkeit und damit verbundener nützlicher Haltungen im Berufsleben und Geschäftsalltag einzulernen.

Von Veranstaltungen und Präsentationen in MBA und Universitäts-Workshops bis hin zu Trainings-Kursen und lokalen Treffen, kommen Menschen zusammen, um eine große Auswahl wertebezogener Themen zu entdecken. ebbf Lernfelder sind

1.    Ethische Geschäftspraktiken  

2.    Soziale Verantwortung  

3.    Wertebasiertes Führungsverhalten  

4.    Nachhaltige Entwicklung  

5.    Ein neues Verständnis von Arbeit         

6.    Partnerschaft zwischen Frauen und Männern in allen unternehmerischen Feldern          

7.    Kooperative Entscheidungsfindung in Beratungen

Wir sind eine von geistigen Werten inspirierte NGO, engagiert darin, ethische Werte, persönliche Tugenden und moralische Führung in die persönliche Arbeitswelt hineinzutragen.

Wir wollen dazu beitragen eine Zivilisation zu entwickeln, der es gut und zugleich nachhaltig und gerecht zugeht.

Wir tun dies, indem wir unsere Arbeitswelten positiv beeinflussen, angefangen bei dem, was unsere eigenen Mitglieder tun. Wir sind eine Stimme im öffentlichen Diskurs. Und wir entwickeln zusammen praktische Werkzeuge die wir in unserem täglichen Arbeitsalltag anwenden können.

Kontact: Stephan Pernau, ebbf representative Berlin
ebbf-pernau@gmx.org
Pho + Fax  office +49 (0) 3212 999 19 19

WHEN: Thursday, April 7 commencing at 7:00 pm

WHERE:  Toronto Baha'i Centre, Toronto Baha'i Centre, 288 Bloor Street West
RSVP by email to wesley_gee@yahoo.com

Please join CBBF for our final event in this season's speaker series with Mr. Gordon Naylor.

The focus of this discussion will be on Moral Leadership.

Gordon has over 25 years of experience as the Executive Director of his privately-owned social services agency for residential treatment which now employs more than two hundred employees. He has been instrumental in creating, developing and successfully implementing programmes for the education and empowerment of youth and families in North and South America. The development of human potential has been the focus of his work for more than thirty years. He has completed graduate studies in International Education, Clinical Psychology and Educational Administration.

He has lectured extensively throughout the world on education and moral leadership. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute (NCCI) which opened in the fall of 1994 in Stratford, Ontario as a private, international, co-educational secondary. Mr. Naylor is president and C.E.O. of several other family-owned and run companies managed through his Holding Company, which include real estate development, service sector businesses, and philanthropic charities. Gordon is a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada and served as a representative to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.

Faramarz Ettehadieh has been one of the pioneers of ethical banking in Europe offering one of the first ethical funds back in the 90s when very few were available.

He will be offering a presentation on the 27th of March in Vienna introducing ebbf and then focusing on the topic of Economy and Ethics.

For more information contacts events@ebbf.org

THE POWER OF ONE

ONE PERSON, ONE NETWORK, ONE HUMANITY 



Come innescare un cambiamento nel vecchio modello economico globale

partendo dai valori, dalle scelte e dai progetti di un singolo individuo

CUANDO: 24 - 27 Febbraio

DOVE: Hotel La Panoramica, Acuto, Fiuggi

Passare ad una produzione e ad un consumo sostenibile è parte di un’impresa mondiale che metterà in grado tutti gli individui di soddisfare il proprio duplice fine, ovvero quello di sviluppare le proprie potenzialità innate e quello di contribuire al miglioramento della comunità globale.  

Ciascun individuo deve offrire il proprio contributo all’instaurazione di un ordine sociale pacifico e più giusto, si deve quindi permettere che ognuno possa svolgere il proprio legittimo ruolo come membro produttivo della società.

Produzione e consumo sono sostenibili se provvedono ai bisogni materiali, sociali e spirituali dell’umanità nel corso delle generazioni e se permettono a tutti i popoli di dare il proprio apporto all’inarrestabile avanzamento della società.

Occorre un dialogo pubblico – tra abitanti dei centri urbani e delle zone rurali, tra  poveri e ricchi; uomini e donne e parimenti tra i giovani – sui fondamenti etici necessari per il cambiamento del sistema.

Un ordine sociale sostenibile si distingue infatti anche per un'etica di reciprocità a tutti i livelli dell’organizzazione umana. Un’analogia pertinente è quella del corpo umano, in cui milioni di cellule collaborano per rendere possibile la vita. La sbalorditiva diversità di forme e funzioni le mette in connessione in un processo di dare e ricevere che dura per tutto l'arco della vita.

Interverranno:

Arthur Dahl - president IEF ex vicesegretario UNEP

Beppe Robiati - Presidente Gruppo SCAC - co-fondatore ebbf

Enrico Giraudi

Sandra Luschi

Alessio Brusemini

Naim Abid

Elena Codeluppi

Mirry Anayati

Sabá Mazza 

Daniel Truran - direttore generale ebbf

Per informazioni e prenotazioni:

tel: 0775 - 56061

email: hotellapanoramica@alice.it

INSTITUTIONS FALLING APART: An Extraordinary Opportunity Cleverly Disguised as a Crisis

When: February 24, 2010 @ 7-9pm

Where: Toronto Baha'i Centre, 288 Bloor Street West

RSVP by email to wesley_gee@yahoo.com

There is a fundamental flaw in managing organizations. As the pace and complexity of change increase, its disabling effect is spreading across the institutional landscape. The buckling in intelligence gathering, health care, education, and emergency response capability has been reported in detail. We also have witnessed breakdowns in the internal controls of corporations, accounting firms, regulatory agencies, and the media. Domestic automakers have hit the wall, and the global economy is still reverberating from the 2008 meltdown in financial services. As Toyota recently discovered, this basic gap in management poses a serious threat to business performance.

However, this is more than an economic issue. We live in a world of organizations: we are born in hospitals; we enter the educational system in childhood; we spend most of our waking hours working in companies; and for many, religious institutions are central to spiritual life. Correcting this flaw in management is not only vital to business performance, but it is also central to the quality of our lives. Once the wheels of institutions begin to turn at the speed of change, we will look back at this crisis and see it for what it is: an extraordinary opportunity to advance our understanding of management and create a more sustainable way of working and living.

In this dialogue, Tom Tavares will help make sense of the patterns underlying the increasing frequency of institutional breakdowns, and he will a share a blueprint for retooling management. He will talk specifically about his 30 years of research distilled in his book, THE MIND FIELD: What's Missing in Running Our Organizations, published recently by Carswell.

About the speaker

Tom is an organizational psychologist with 30 years experience. He has managed in large corporations undergoing major changes, consulted across a wide range of industries, and assessed and coached senior leaders. He serves on the leadership committee of the Strategic Capability Network and is a member of the Canadian Psychological Association.

He specializes in helping leaders identify gaps in the everyday management of their companies. His approach is designed to generate better results strategically and operationally by improving the way organizations are managed internally.

TO RSVP PLEASE EMAIL WESLEY_GEE@YAHOO.COM

EBBF will offer and sponsor a number of workshop receptions within the framework of the next and 55th session of the Commision on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York.

- Tuesday 22 February - 10.30 - 12.00 - BIC offices

Youth voices: Education +Training = work?

A young person's round table asking searching questions and giving their views on access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, and whether this enables them to find full employment or decent work.  An interactive seminar with presentations and questions.

Co-sponsored by the Baha'i International Community and National Alliance of Women's Organisations (UK).  Supported by Widows Rights International, EBBF, ADVANCE, Chipua, UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women)

- Tuesday  22 February - 13:00 - 14:45 - BIC offices (big room)

Creativity and the economy

A highly interactive and creative workshop looking at creativity and key issues of how to transform economic structures and processes.

Co-sponsored by the Baha'i International Community and Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity.  Supported by Widows Rights International, EBBF, ADVANCE, Chipua, UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women)

- Wednesday 23 February - 11:00 - 12.30 - BIC Offices

Girls, education and work

An interactive round table with a panel of youth asking questions and voicing views on key issues relating to the priority theme.

Co-sponsored by UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women) and the Baha'i International Community.  Supported by NAWO, Widows Rights International, ADVANCE, EBBF, UNA Congo, NAWO, Women of Purpose.

- Wednesday  23 February - 16:00 - 17:30 - BIC offices

Micro science - macro economy

An interactive panel with experts and activists from the field, in science and economics.

Co sponsored by the Baha'i International Community and Women of Purpose (Uganda).  Supported by Widows Rights International, EBBF, ADVANCE, Chipua, National Alliance of Women's Organisations (UK), UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women).

- Thursday 24 February - 10.00 - 11.30 - BIC offices

Violence against girls in conflict

Sponsored by Global Justice Centre, Women's Alliance for a Democratic Iraq, UNA Congo.  Supported by, Widows Rights International, ADVANCE, EBBF, UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women)

Panel with interactive discussions.

- Thursday  24 February - 13:00 - 14:30 - BIC Offices

Say no now

A dramatic presentation of key issues relating to violence girls, followed by an interactive session.

Sponsored by BIC and NAWO.  Supported by Widows Rights International, ADVANCE, EBBF, UNA Congo, Women of Purpose, UNIFEM UK (part of UN Women)

- Thursday  24 February - 15:00 - 16:45 - BIC Offices

Art attack: The Power to change

A highly interactive and creative workshop looking at creativity and key issues of how self-knowledge can lead to capacity building and transformation.

Co-sponsored by the Baha'i International Community and Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity.

Supported by Widows Rights International, EBBF, ADVANCE, Chipua.

- Friday 25 February - 15:00 - 16:30 - BIC Offices

Boys speak out: the role of men and boys in advancing towards equality

An interactive round table with a panel of young men asking questions and voicing views on key issues relating to themes of CSW.

Sponsored by the Baha'i International Community and Violence against Women caucus.  Supported by Widows Rights International, ADVANCE, EBBF, UNA Congo, NAWO, Women of Purpose.

ebbf Geneva (Mahmud Samandari, Françoise LeGoff and Arthur Dahl) invites you to a  meeting where the Natural Step concept will be introduced and the opportunity to co-create a Natural Step chapter in Switzerland explored.

The Natural Step is an international non-profit research, education and advisory organization that uses a science-based, systems framework (The Natural Step Framework) to help decision-makers in organizations, corporations, municipalities and their broader communities take meaningful steps toward sustainability. The mission of The Natural Step (TNS) is to act as a catalyst to bring about systemic change, by making fundamental principles of sustainability easier to understand and effective sustainability initiatives easier to implement. It now has offices in 11 countries and 15 years of experience in sustainability education and planning with hundreds of organizations around the world. There are more than 400 collaborators globally.

The convener Stanley Nyoni states "The opportunity to introduce The Natural Step in Switzerland has arisen with my recent move to Switzerland.  It is my vision that together we create a unique service that will deliver sustainable products and services to improve wellbeing of people and planet."

For more information please contact: events@ebbf.org

CBBF Speaker Series: Spearheading 'Green' from the Workplace to the Marketplace

BOOK THIS DATE IN YOUR CALENDAR AND RSVP TO ATTEND

Speaker: Debbie Baxter, Chief Sustainability Officer, Loyalty One

In her role as Chief Sustainability Officer, Debbie is responsible for developing and maintaining a formal program of Corporate Social Responsibility at LoyaltyOne. She spearheads a range of initiatives to "green" all business operations, helping the global leader in loyalty marketing take the lead on environmental issues as well. Debbie recently led the project to build a double gold LEED certified call center that features the largest rooftop solar panel installation in Canada.

Prior to joining LoyaltyOne, Debbie was Chief Operating Officer with Green Rewards, an innovative, eco-conscious loyalty business that is now integrated into the AIR MILES Reward Program. Debbie has been trained by former US Vice President and Nobel laureate Al Gore to help raise public awareness of the impact of climate change.

Debbie is a member of Partners in the Project Green steering committee, the Greening Greater Toronto taskforce and sits on the board of both the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Stewardship Ontario.

When: Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 7:00 p.m.

Where: Toronto Baha'i Centre

RSVP on the Facebook CBBF event page or email Wesley Gee

Join an emerging Community of Practice in Indicators of Sustainability and Values

16 - 18 December at the University of Brighton, UK

ebbf is one of the co-organizers of this International Conference seeking to provide a unique 3-day arena for discussing unmet needs of a wide range of organizations - including businesses, civil society organizations (CSOs), social enterprises and funders - to measure aspects of their work at the project level, and especially those which are based on human values.

A major driver for the initiation of this conference is the ESDinds EU research project, which has exciting results to report on the development of values-based indicators, trialed in the field with CSOs and businesses, and remotely by a further 50 organisations, some of whom will report at the conference. It was during this project that the need for such a conference to bring together workers in the different but overlapping fields of Indicators, Sustainability and Values became apparent. Benefits of such interdisciplinary approaches are already emerging; several groups wish to report on them and learn from each other. It is hoped a new Community of Practice will emerge from these interactions.

Key themes

Values - The relevance of values to the success of businesses, CSOs and other organizations, even when they are not themselves values-based, is becoming increasingly recognized, and a theme of the conference will be the usefulness of values-based indicators in that context.

Useful indicators for CSO projects - The development of useful indicators for any type for civil Society (CSO) projects have always been problematic. At this conference speakers from CSOs, funders and researchers will give updates on challenges and emerging ideas.

Co-design and partnership in research - The importance of co-design and the involvement of Communities of Interest for the success and appropriateness of a research project will be explored.

Ethics and Sustainable Development - Major advances have been made in developing indicators, but challenges still exist at the project (or local) level, and in linking to ethical values.

Click here for more information and to register for the event

FROM CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO SOCIAL BUSINESS:

Social discourse and action in the business world

Pursuit of the triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, sustainability, social innovation, social entrepreneurship... They all have the same goal: making organizations responsible corporate citizens. Can businesses play a part in addressing our social and environmental challenges?

In this presentation, François Couillard will help make sense of all these trends and share emerging best practices. He will talk specifically about Social Business promoted by Nobel Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus, and founder of the Grameen Bank.

About our speaker

François has served organizations aiming at improving health and social well-being for over 25 years. He has held executive positions at Johnson & Johnson and at MDS and is past COO of both the Canadian Red Cross and VON Canada.

He now owns a consulting firm specialized in strategy and business development. His practice seeks to improve the performance of businesses and non-profits by embedding social innovation into their strategies and operations. He serves on various bodies, including Canada’s Advisory Council on National Security, the Canadian Baha’i Business Forum, and the Comité Canada-Belgique.

Recently he has been exploring the concept of Social Business with Nobel Prize recipient Prof. Muhammad Yunus' Grameen Lab.

More on our speaker can be found at www.strategies-direction.com

WHEN: 07 December · 19:00 - 22:00

WHERE: Toronto Baha'i Centre - 288 Bloor Street West

INFO: you can confirm your participation on the event's Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132930356761200

or you can email the organizer Wesley Gee.

Universitá di Bari - Facoltá di Economia

Sono ormai piú di 15 anni dal primo di questi corsi che ogni anno ebbf offre presso la facoltá di Economia dell'Universitá di Bari. Quest'anno piú di 200 studenti riempono la sala e sono affascinati dagli innovatori concetti che Beppe Robiati presenta.

Per avere una idea dell'impatto che queste lezioni hanno sugli studenti, leggi la "lettera aperta" che gli studenti hanno spontaneamente voluto scrivere e consegnare a Beppe Robiati al termine di una delle sue ultime lezioni dell'anno.

Le ultime due lezioni copriranno i temi di

Mercoledí 24 Novembre - La responsabilità sociale delle imprese.

Mercoledí 1 Dicembre - Verso un nuovo paradigma del management.

El próximo 25 de noviembre podrás asistir a un nuevo Workshop organizado por Club Comillas Postgrado, que será impartido por Pedro Alonso Pereiro, Co-fundador de Sector Cuatro y Director financiero de la Fundación World Vision y que llevará por título “Todos podemos cambiar el mundo: Emprendimientos Sociales”.

En esta primera jornada, conoceremos qué es el emprendimiento social, cuáles son las características de algunos de estos emprendedores sociales y compartiremos en una mesa redonda visiones distintas del emprendimiento en España.

PROGRAMA

- Qué es el emprendimiento social.

- Características del emprendedor social.

- Casos de emprendimiento social en España:

Ashoka fellows

The Hub

ebbf

- Mesa Redonda:

Distintas visiones del emprendimiento

- Anita Seidler, CEO de Creative Impact y Co-Fundadora de Hub Madrid.

- Carlos Cortés, Socio Director de Sector Cuatro y Experto en RR.HH.

- Conchita Galdón, Co-Fundadora de Puentes Global y Directora de España

- Daniel Truran, Director General de - ebbf -

Para  mas informaciones haz click aquí.

Ethics and Entrepreneurship - Alex Rawhani

Venue: National Baha’i Centre, 209 Bellairs Drive, Northriding

Date: 24 November 2010, Wednesday

Time: 19:00

Entrance: R30 non-members, R10 members

RSVP: infoabbf@gmail.com

Publications for sale!!!

We hope to se you there.

The ABBF Team

Directions:

From the N1 S take Malibongwe Drive and turn Right. (Turn left if going north)

Go over the highway and skip the first traffic light after the bridge and then skip the next large intersection (President Fouche Str)

Skip one more traffic light at Mahogany Drive

Turn Right at the next large intersection at Bellairs Drive (the same road to the left is Olivenhout)

Skip the first traffic light and turn into the large white gate before the second set of traffic lights.

About the presenter

Alex Rawhani has always been a multi-faceted entrepreneur.  From childhood he has been involved in some business form or another; from buying and selling marbles to out of the back pack businesses in primary and high school like selling clothing,  having a Mural Business, customizing and tailoring clothes for certain retailers, cutting hair, etc.

In 2008 he created his own brand, Aliwali, designing exclusive leather cell phone covers for Apple and Blackberry, as well as sandals and wrist bands.

Being a model, amongst other things, he is also one of the finalists in the “Face of Markhams” competition, and does continual work for television and print media. He is brand ambassador for Vuzu TV.  This followed after having worked for 6 years for South Africa’s leading youth marketing agency, H.D.I, from 2003 to 2009, serving on the Junior Board of Directors of the company, and as Chairman for 4 of those years.

In 2008 and 2009, he was selected as 1 of 5 youths to serve on the "COOL2CARE" board of the Dischem Foundation. This was in line with his year of service that he spent in Greece, working as an all-round volunteer, translator, Doctors assistant, cleaner, and assisted in refugee rehabilitation, secretarial and administrative work for organisations such as Doctors of the World- (Medicines du monde) (Greece), UNICEF, The Medical Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, the South African Embassy and the National Baha’i Centre Of Greece.

Alex won the national prize and represented South Africa in the students’ international Aesthetic dentistry case contest (2010). He represented Wits University at a national student research competition.

He currently animated a group of junior youth from Windsor East, using a programme designed by Baha’is to assist youth to navigate through their adolescence years, build good moral character and mould them into responsible, well-rounded individuals who will contribute towards the betterment of their society.

CBBF Speaker Series:

You are warmly invited to a presentation on

“Money & Bling: Rethinking Prosperity”

by Nousha Ram

Wednesday November 17, 2010, 7:30 PM

Ottawa Baha'i Information Centre (top floor), 211 McArthur, Ottawa

This event is free and open to all

The recent financial crisis brought the world’s most powerful nation to its knees. Unbridled capitalism, the lack of regulation, the greedy accumulation of wealth, and the take-no-prisoners flavour of competition all became topics in the world’s mainstream press. While it is common for extreme countermeasures to result from such severe a crisis, the Baha’i perspective on capitalism, the accumulation of wealth and competition is refreshingly balanced.

Nousha Ram is a Senior Manager at Deloitte.  Nousha takes a lead role in delivering and managing consulting services to high growth organizations, within the public and private sector, with a diverse team of consultants in Canada and the US. She is a highly experienced management consultant with a focus on Enterprise Transformation, evaluation of IT processes, systems and methods and determination of their alignment with business strategy; and IT governance. Her educational background is in Mathematics (BSc.) and Mechanical Engineering (BESc.). Nousha has developed training materials and facilitated sessions on topics such as "Improving Employee-Employer Relationships: Motivation, Compensation & Benefits”, “Beyond Servant Leadership”, and “Redefining Success: Applying Spiritual Values in Business”. Nousha is currenlty a member of the Board of the Canadian Bahá’í Business Forum (CBBF), a professional non-profit association practicing and promoting moral and ethical values in business.

What is the CBBF?

Can business help to create a better world? Can individuals effect social change through the practice of their chosen profession?

The Canadian Bahá’í Business Forum (CBBF) endeavours to explore these types of questions by convening like-minded professionals who  aspire to perform meaningful and fulfilling service to society in both their personal and professional lives.

Drawing on the knowledge and experience of its members and networks, the CBBF’s mission is to promote ethical values, personal virtues and moral leadership in business, as well as in organizations of social change.

Through your participation you will not only assist in the process of healthy social and economic development, but will also find ways to lead a more satisfying and productive career. Your professional skills and perspective will be the key to CBBF’s success.

Through presentations, networking events, seminars, and social and economic development projects, CBBF provides an environment where like-minded professionals can network, draw inspiration from each other and explore how ethical perspectives can be applied to business and professional issues.

NCR Chapter of CBBF

·         To learn more about this event or CBBF fcouillard@rogers.com

·         Group home page: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/NCR_ CBBF

·         Group email address: NCR_CBBF@yahoogroup s.com

Other Resources:

1. www.ebbf.org

2. www.ebbf.org/canada.html

3. Facebook Group: Canadian Baha'i Business Forum (CBBF)

4. Facebook Group: EBBF - European Bahá’í Business Forum www.ebbf.org

5. GTA-CBBF Chapter: Yahoo Group -- Canadian Baha'i Business Forum (CBBF) (canadian-bbf@yahoogroups.com )

You and your colleagues are cordially invited to the Informal EBBF  Discussion Evening and to meet with

George Starcher,  President,  EBBF

Topic: Mindful Business – Meaningful Work: Some Thoughts on CSR in 2020

When: Wednesday, October 27, 2010   20:00 h.

Where: private home of Myriam and Daniel Schaubacher,  347 avenue Louise, 7th Floor, 1050 Brussels (Tram 94 or bus 60 or 38 to Vleurgat stop)

Free Entry - Refreshments and snacks will be served

Come and listen to  our President,  the Co-Founder of EBBF.  EBBF is a business ethics network of + 500 socially responsible business people in 70 countries.  George is  a highly-respected professional.  He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree,  Magna Cum Laude,  from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School,  with Distinction (Baker Scholar).  After 20 years with McKinsey & Company,  the leading international management consulting firm where he was Senior Partner in the Paris and Milan offices,  he founded his own consulting practice.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of,  and consultant,  to,  the European Centre for Continuing Education in Fontainebleau, F,  since 1972,  and a member of the International Advisory Council  of AIESEC International.  He is well known as an author of several papers and publications on business ethics,  CSR,  and entrepreneurship.

George Starcher will share with us preliminary findings on the EBBF research on how CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) will affect business and our societies by 2020.

Come and contribute your thoughts & make it a lively EBBF discussion evening !

Info/RSVP (we need a show of hands in order to plan for this meeting) :

Daniel & Myriam Schaubacher,  Tel :  0478 87 29 29  or  02 649 99 28 or 0478 871 271 ebbf@skynet.be

ebbf is offering a 30 hour MBA course at the European School of Economics in Madrid titled "Managing for Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility".  Next Monday we will be offering a class that focuses on the responsible behaviours that drive sustainability in companies, specifically vis a vis the relationship with what is possibly the most important of the stakeholders in a well executed Corporate Responsibility strategy: the employees.

Covering areas of focus such as the way consultation between the company and employees should take place, the importance of involving employees in the creation of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility strategies, and most important of all broadening the purpose of organizations to their influence on the growth of the limitless potentialities and wellbeing of its employees.

We will be showing cases of how the correct and holistic application of these principles then brings about more motivated, driven and effective employees that ultimately also brings about higher returns for the organization: both financial and positive impact returns.

AIESEC Access in Jyväskylä, Finland on 29.-31.10.2010 with theme "Achieving Impact".

EBBF workshop on "Purpose Beyond Profit" with focus on practical examples regarding sales, by EBBF Finland External Affairs Kimmo Vesajoki.

ebbf in Romania offers its annual event dedicated to exploring how values, spirituality and even love can be the foundations for  most successful companies.

Because it is often said that the current crisis is a crisis of values as well as one of cultural and spiritual identities, our aim is to converse with your soul, with the spirit behind the manager. We would be honoured to have you as our guests.

Date: 21st of October

Time: 14:30 until 19:45 - Dinner will follow

Conference Location: Unirea Medical Center Baneasa

5b Ion Ionescu de la Brad Street, Sector 1, Bucharest

For more information and to please confirm your presence use this email: della.marcus@cmu.ro

EBBF UK presents a series of conferences to take place in October 2010.

Speaker: Michael Winger, Author of ‘The Innovation Imperative: Creating a Strategic Future’ and ‘Journey of Ascent’

To purchase tickets you can email : ebbfuk@googlemail.com

1. London:

“Politics or differences? How to manage co-worker relationships"

Thursday 14th October 2010,

Coffee served at 6.30pm, Talk at 7pm

London Metropolitan University, 84 Moorgate, London EC2M 6SQ

Cost: £10

2. Oxford:

"Ethics of Innovation”

Friday 15th October 2010,

7.30pm

Kellogg College, 62 Banbury Road, OXFORD OX2 6PN

Free Entry

3. Cambridge:

"Go Far Go Together: Creating an Innovation Environment"

Sunday 17th October

2pm

Harrods Rm, Queens Building

Tickets in advance: £8

Tickets at the door £10

Students £5

Limited spaces.

For tickets please send an email to: ebbfuk@googlemail.com

More information coming soon, so watch this space !!

Products:Politics or differences? how to manage coworker relationships:

In the arena of innovation and change, individual differences often accentuate an already tense situation. In this talk and discussion, we will explore the influence that our individual biases contribute to understand the process of innovation development and how to manage our working relationships

Ethics of Innovation:

Revolutionary innovation causes a tidal wave of change within an organization. What is the organization’s and individual’s responsibility to responding to the change? How does an organization take care of the people who are affected? What is the responsibility of employees to align themselves to the new paradigm? This talk and discussion will take on these questions and explore the ethics of innovation both for the individual and the organization.

Go longer, go together, Creating an innovation environment:

Without innovation, an organization will perish. With innovation, an organization will be disrupted. This talk and discussion will explore the environment necessary for facilitating innovation while facing the challenges of disruptive change.