Hitachi Foundation Feed

Faces of Energy: Andrew Butcher and GTECH

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:17:37 +0000

2010 Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneur Andrew Butcher is featured in Pop City article.

Mental Health Weekly Highlights Workforce Needs

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:13:22 +0000

The April 11, 2011 edition of Mental Health Weekly highlights findings from a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s study about training low-wage workers. The report, “Improving Access and Quality: The Role of Frontline Staff at Behavioral and Mental Health Centers,” finds that mental healthcare facilities that train their frontline staff can benefit from reduced turnover as well as greater access to quality treatment and care. The study illustrates findings from the $15 million Jobs to Careers program that was supported by the Hitachi Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Aspen Institute Study Highlights Hospitals Gains By Investing in Workers

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:51:15 +0000

A study by the Aspen Institute, made possible in part by funding from the Hitachi Foundation, details financial and other gains made by the Temple University Hospital-Episcopal Campus in Philadelphia through its work-based learning program for mental health workers. Read more about the Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative study here.

Good Samaritan Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital Support Entry-Level Worker Investment in Modern Healthcare Magazine

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:41:07 +0000

Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland's Larry Beck and Johns Hopkins Hospital's Pamela Paulk are featured in April 2011's Modern Healthcare magazine's on training entry-level healthcare workers to improve the bottom line. Beck and Paulk's joint commentary is available here (pdf).

Youth Entrepreneurship Programs: A Landscape

jharms@hitachifoundation.org (Jenny) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 15:37:02 +0000

The Hitachi Foundation shares Youth Entrepreneuership Programs: A Landscape.

Yoshiyama Entrepreneur Jessamyn Waldman featured in NYT

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:46:27 +0000

2010 Yoshiyama Entrepreneur Jessamyn Waldman of Hot Bread Kitchen was featured in this weekend's New York Times in an article called "Holiday Gifts That Give Back." View the full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/dining/08charity.html?_r=2. (December 15, 2010)

Opportunity Knocks with Jobs to Careers

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:37:56 +0000

Philadelphia Inquirer article "Opportunity Knocks with Jobs to Careers" looks at how health care employers in Philadelphia are working with the District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund to identify frontline workers who have leadership potential and invest in building their skills. The result is a more skilled workforce and opportunities for advancement for employees like Terrant Morrison, who used to commute from his home in Delaware to a day job and move on to work a second shift at The Bridge, a residential facility for troubled adolescent boys. Now, Terrant is a residential coordinator supervising 25 employees and overseeing day-to-day activities and scheduling. Morrison's training goes on. His previous work put him on track for a Bachelor's degree in behavioral health, which he now is pursuing at Philadelphia University.

Are you an MBA student or faculty member?

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:16:07 +0000

Are you an MBA student or faculty member? Videos from The Hitachi Foundation and Net Impact's Pioneer Employer Case Competition explore best practices for driving curriculum change as well as lessons students can learn from inner city business owner Al Fuller of Integrated Packaging Corporation (IPC).

New: Employer Perspectives Series: Assisted Living in Portland, OR

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:19:53 +0000

New: Employer Perspectives Series: Assisted Living in Portland, OR. One of the best ways to increase market share is to do a better job training frontline caregivers. That’s what David Kohnstamm, Administrator of the Rose Schnitzer Manor assisted living facility in Portland, Oregon, and his colleagues figured out. Read more in the latest installment of The Hitachi Foundation's Employer Perspectives Series.
November 9, 2010

University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business Team Wins Pioneer Employer Case Competition

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:19:43 +0000

The Hitachi Foundation and Net Impact announced the winners of the 2010 Pioneer Employer Case Competition: “Raising Wages, Increasing Profits,” which culminated at the 2010 Net Impact Conference at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business on Saturday, October 30, 2010. The winning MBA student team included Sean Elder, Bill Grau, Hans Strommen, and Kelsey Luers (pictured left to right in this photo) of the University of St. Thomas’ Opus College of Business in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Second-place winners were Tayo Akanni, Dale Prentiss, and Nick Theisen from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.

Pioneer Competitors Pave The Way

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:53:32 +0000

The Hitachi Foundation and Net Impact are delighted to announce the winners of the 2011 Pioneer Employer Competition, which culminated at the 2011 Net Impact Conference at the Portland Convention Center on Friday, October 28, 2011. This year’s teams brought their A-game to the conference, and truly earned their spots on the podium.

The first round of the Pioneer Competition challenged MBA students from 27 schools to analyze case study “Integrated Packaging Corporation: Struggling to Do the Right Thing,”* which focuses on the story of inner city business owner Al Fuller of Integrated Packaging Corporation (IPC), who successfully revitalized failing corrugated box plants in New Brunswick, NJ and Detroit, MI while dramatically improving the standard of living for his employees. In a twist on the traditional case competition, these teams were also challenged to devise and implement a strategy for integrating cases involving improved economic opportunities for workers into their MBA core curriculum. Teams were asked to work with faculty at their university to incorporate cases on these Pioneer Employers into their core curriculum in order to introduce business students to the possibilities of this powerful model.

Of the 27, five finalist teams showed remarkable integration, including more than a dozen letters of support from faculty stating their progress, while also providing an excellent case analysis. The five teams convened in Portland for the finals at the end of October.

The finals of the Pioneer Employer Competition involved analyzing a Harvard Business Review Case about Pioneer Employer QuikTrip, a convenience/gasoline retailer in the Southern U.S. with an extraordinary workforce training and retention model, and industry-leading customer service, productivity and profitability per square foot. The case was written by Professor Zeynep Ton of MIT. Teams had two weeks to develop their case analysis, and presented their findings to judges at a lively session at the 2011 Net Impact Conference.

Here at The Hitachi Foundation, we can’t help but be inspired by the hard work these teams put into working for a sustainable business model that will positively affect lower-wage workers and businesses as the competition continues. Thank you and congratulations to all of our finalists!

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland | Curriculum Change Winner and Case Competition Runner-up

Congratulations to Stephen Huie, Luisa Fernanda Lopez Gordillo, and Lacey Nguyen! They demonstrated the most solid integration of Pioneer Employer cases into their business curriculum, allowing students to learn about these models for years to come. As one judge put it, they had a “great understanding of faculty challenges and constraints, as well as program view.” In the case competition, judges were most impressed by how effective these three were at communicating their points – both on paper and in person.

Yale School of Management | Case Competition Winner

Julia Otis, Emma Pollack-Pelzner, Julia Rozovsky, Matt Schmitt, and Jason Zahorchak showed the highest quality analysis, but where they really shined was in their ability to defend their recommendations for the case. Congratulations to Yale!

MIT Sloan School of Management | Curriculum Change Runner-up
The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University | Curriculum Change Runner-up
Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis | Finalist

The Hitachi Foundation awarded $10,000 in prize money to the top teams at the competition, including $4,000 for first place in the curriculum change plan, and $3,000 for first place in the case analysis.

The Pioneer Employer Case Competition is a part of The Hitachi Foundation’s Business and Work Program, which seeks to advance the fields of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate citizenship by discovering sustainable business practices that strengthen the bottom line and create pathways out of poverty for low-income workers. Specifically, The Hitachi Foundation works with several partner organizations to identify and build a compelling set of case studies demonstrating how investment in frontline workers can result in increased returns to not only employees, but also communities and investors.

Download the QuikTrip case.

Download the Integrated Packaging Corporation case.

November 9, 2010

The Hitachi Foundation Names 2011 Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:29:43 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC (October 19, 2011) – The economy seems stuck, going nowhere. Most Americans do not believe our country’s leaders can fix it. Where are the solutions? In part, the answers are found in the entrepreneurial spirit that has always been this country’s foundation. Today, The Hitachi Foundation presents seven examples: young men and women selected as the Foundation’s 2011 Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs.

Celebrating 10 Years of Corporate Voices for Working Families

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:20:42 +0000

On June 15-17, Corporate Voices for Working Families (CVWF) held its 2011 Annual Meeting and 10th Anniversary Celebration – marking a decade of success in shaping corporate and public policies affecting the lives of working families. Over 100 leaders from the business, public policy, non-profit and research communities gathered at this convening to discuss issues critical to the future competitiveness of American business– including workplace flexibility and the role businesses play in helping workers obtain college degrees and helping disadvantaged youth integrate into the workforce.

Seven Outstanding Behavioral Health Employers Selected as Pacesetters

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:39:54 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC (April 29, 2011) -- Seven behavioral health organizations with outstanding business practices have been selected by the Annapolis Coalition on the Behavioral Health Workforce and the Hitachi Foundation as the 2011 National Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award Winners and Programs of Merit.

The Hitachi Foundation Names Tides CEO Melissa Bradley to Board of Directors

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:36:42 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 15, 2011) -- The Hitachi Foundation announced the addition of Tides Foundation CEO and social entrepreneur Melissa Bradley to its Board of Directors. Bradley brings extensive experience in financial services, socially responsible investing, and philanthropy to the Foundation.

Supporting Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts

SGoto@hitachifoundation.org (Shihoko Goto) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:20:25 +0000

The thoughts and prayers of all at The Hitachi Foundation are with those who have lost their lives and are suffering as a result of the earthquake that struck the Tohoku region on March 11.

The Hitachi Foundation has worked closely with Hitachi Group companies across North America to identify agencies that are on the ground to provide much-needed immediate relief, as well as long-term reconstruction assistance. For those interested in making a financial donation, The Hitachi Foundation suggests contributing to the following agencies:

The Japanese Red Cross Society

Peace Winds Japan

International Medical Corps

Japan Center for International Exchange

Further information on Hitachi Ltd's efforts to provide assistance is also available.

The Hitachi Foundation Awarded Two Council on Foundations’ Wilmer Shields Rich Gold Awards

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:06:32 +0000

WASHINGTON DC (March 17, 2011) -- The Hitachi Foundation has been named the recipient of two gold awards for excellence in communications by the 2011 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs.

Six Communities in South, Southwest to receive $1.8 Million to Develop Innovative Approaches to Training and Career Development

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:30:26 +0000

Awards Represent Distribution from Federal Government’s Social Innovation Fund

Boston, MA (February 15, 2011) – The National Fund for Workforce Solutions today announced grants totaling $1.8 million to cities in the U.S. South and Southwest to support innovative approaches to job training and career support. The awards represent the second step in implementation of the grant awarded to the National Fund and its implementation partner, Jobs for the Future, through the federal government’s landmark Social Innovation Fund.

Hitachi Foundation Board Member Maurice Lim Miller Named to the White House Council for Community Solutions

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:53:44 +0000

Hitachi Foundation Board Member Maurice Lim Miller has been named to the White House Council for Community Solutions. The below press release was issued by the White House Office of the Press Secretary:

President Obama Announces Members of the White House Council for Community Solutions

WASHINGTON (December 14, 2010) – Today, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Council for Community Solutions. The Council will provide advice to the President on the best ways to mobilize citizens, nonprofits, businesses and government to work more effectively together to solve specific community needs.

10 Communities to Receive $5.5 Million to Strengthen Unique Approaches to Workforce Training

eleggat@hitachifoundation.org (Hitachi Foundation) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:04:15 +0000

Awards Represent Distribution from Federal Government’s Social Innovation Fund

BOSTON, MA (December 2, 2010) – Ten communities are receiving a total of $5.5 million in new funding to expand innovative approaches to job training and career support, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions announced today. The awards represent the first step in implementation of the grant awarded to the National Fund and its implementation partner, Jobs for the Future, through the federal government’s landmark Social Innovation Fund.

"What makes the approach of the National Fund unique is the strong focus on two customers: the employee and the employer," said Damian Thorman, National Program Director at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Chair of the National Fund. "While implementation varies from community to community, all 24 of our local sites forge a close working relationship with employers. This ensures that we are supporting training and career programs that will prepare jobseekers and workers for the jobs that will exist in each community as the economic recovery takes hold."