Department of State's 2011 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE)

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is delighted to announce the call for nominations for the 2011 Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE). This year marks the 13th year of this program. The Department of State will recognize U.S. firms for exemplary business practices, innovation and good corporate citizenship in their overseas operations. The ACE award formally acknowledges the important role played by U.S. businesses in reinforcing the U.S. commitment to good governance and democratic principles, human rights, raising living standards, workers' rights, combating disease and illiteracy, environmental stewardship, innovation and competitiveness, and ethical business practices. The ACE Selection Committee will be chaired by U.S. Department of State Under Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs Robert Hormats. Winners will be presented with awards by the Secretary of State this autumn at a very special ceremony with senior executives from the Administration and members of the business, diplomatic and NGO communities attending. Additional information about the ACE award and the accomplishments of past award winners may be found on www.state.gov/e/eeb/ace.

The eligibility requirements, nomination instructions, and selection criteria for the ACE award are listed below, and the embassy encourages all U.S. companies to send a nomination or any questions to Dave Moore (MooreDT@state.gov and Charles Taylor (TaylorCR2@state.gov) at the U.S. Embassy by COB June 7, 2011.

Eligibility requirements include the following:

• Firms nominated must be U.S. (for the purposes of this award, a U.S. firm is defined as a company whose headquarters are in the U.S., and includes wholly-owned subsidiaries);
• Each firm must have been operating in China for at least one year; and
• The activity for which a firm is nominated must have been in place for at least one year. return to top

Nomination Instructions:

Nominations should be limited to two pages in length, identify the company as a Multi-National Enterprise (MNE) or Small or Medium Enterprise (SME - Note that we use the OPIC definition of SME --less than USD 250 million in annual sales worldwide by the parent company), and list which of the eight criteria are being met along with a description of the company's activities and accomplishments in the host economy as they relate to that particular criterion. Specific examples and measurable results should be given to illustrate the company's impact and activities relating to at least three of the criteria

In addition, nominations should note any social, charitable and public-private partnership programs outside the work place that the company participates in such as environmental stewardship, poverty alleviation, disaster relief, health care, education assistance, etc. Nomination write-ups should note innovative corporate responsibility programs such as implementing, monitoring and auditing programs of labor conditions in manufacturing operations, greening of supply chains or engagement with non-government organizations. Nominations should note examples of American innovation and competitiveness, including R&D, educational, and entrepreneurial activities. Nominations should also include estimates of the nominee's employment levels and the size of their investment in the host economy. Please discuss any conditions within the local economy that complicate the business environment and what the company does to manage them. Note outcomes/effects/metrics of exemplary corporate citizenship on the local community. return to top

Selection Criteria:

To fully qualify, the accomplishments must relate to three or more of the following criteria:

1. Maintaining good corporate citizenship by engaging in ethical business practices, maintaining the integrity of the company, encouraging volunteerism, and dealing with consumers in accordance with fair business practices.
2. Displaying exemplary employment practices -- within the company and encouraging such practices in the company's supply chain -- to include observance and promotion of the ILO-recognized fundamental worker rights.
3. Creating a safe and healthy workplace environment for all workers.
4. Conducting business with an astute consciousness of local, national and global environmental concerns. This includes the collection and ongoing monitoring of useful information regarding the environmental, health and social impacts of operations. It can also include increased efficiencies in the use and management of natural resources, or working with local, national and international officials to inform the public about potential environmental and health issues without compromising the business's integrity and ability to operate successfully.
5. Contributing to the overall growth and development, both economically and socially, of the local society. This includes work-specific skills training, general academic improvement and opportunities for personal self-improvement, as well as other programs, services and philanthropic endeavors for the local public, all aimed at providing a base for growing and sustaining an increased quality of life.
6. Development of competitive and innovative activities with measurable results, including educational and entrepreneurial programs.
7. Endeavoring to ensure that business activities are compatible with the science and technology policies of the countries and, as appropriate, contribute to the development of local innovative capacity.
8. Developing and maintaining a healthy respect for local, national and international authorities. This includes rejecting the practices of bribery, extortion, illegal tax exemption and favoritism in favor of creating a fair and open marketplace beneficial to all.
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