The following professionals have been named committee chairs for the final judging of The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.

Final judging is now underway and 2012 winners will be announced on August 15. The 9th Annual International Business Awards will be celebrated in Seoul, South Korea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Monday, 15 October.

In total, more than 100 judges will participate in this year's final judging for the IBAs. Thank you to all of our judges for their participation.

• Company / Organization Awards Categories: Dr. Adel Hamad, CEO, Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company (GARMCO), Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
• Corporate Communications, Investor Relations & Public Relations Awards Categories: Beata Rozek, Head of CSR, Tesco Poland, Krakow, Poland
• Creative Media Awards Categories: Akihito Tsukioka, President, Digitized Information Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
• Customer Service Awards Categories: Alain Meric, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Management, Etisalat, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Human Resources Awards Categories: Dr. Richard Ong, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Smart Reader® Worldwide Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Information Technology Awards Categories: Leslie Stretch, President & CEO, CallidusCloud, Pleasanton, CA, USA
• Management Awards Categories: Shaun Battleman, CEO, African Access Holdings (PTY) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Marketing Awards Categories: Vikram Krishna, Head of Group Marketing, Emirates NBD, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• New Products & Product Management Awards Categories: Jin Mu Cho, Vice President, Korea Business Communicators Association, Seoul, South Korea
• Support Awards Categories: Ian Semple, Head of Customer Experience, Everything Everywhere, London, United Kingdom

We will publish the names of our committee members shortly.

18 July is the final extended entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.

If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here. The entry kit contains all of the information you'll need to be able to prepare and submit entries to this year's IBAs.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Types of award categories include:

• Company/Organization Awards 
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards Categories
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Support Awards
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

We are also pleased to announce that the second annual People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies will coincide with this year's International Business Awards. All organizations that are honored with Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie® Award trophies in the IBAs' 34 Company of the Year categories will automatically be included in People's Choice voting, which will open to the general public worldwide in late July and run through mid-September. People's Choice winners will receive a special People's Choice Stevie Award trophy allowing for honorees in the Company of the Year categories to have the opportunity to receive a second award, as voted by the general public.

The 8^th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  Honorees included American Express, Bombardier, Inc., Etisalat, Everything Everywhere, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Siemens AG, TATA Motors, Tesco Poland, Toyota Motor Corporation, Turk Telekom, and Unilever N.V., among others.  2011 results are summarized at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/awards/408_2219_21081.cfm. 

Final results of this year's IBAs will now be announced in mid-August, with the awards presented at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, 15 October.

Need last minute help? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll direct you to categories that are right for your organization.

The final extended entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition is 18 July. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to the IBAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.

The International Business Awards honors all facets of the workplace, our award categories include: annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, public relations awards, support awards, and website awards, among others. See all corporate awards categories.

Final results of this year's IBAs will now be announced in mid-August, with the awards presented at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, 15 October.

The 2012 International Business Awards will include the Second Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite companies. Each company honored with a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award in The International Business Awards’ company of the year categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting, which will open in late July.

The 8^th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  Honorees included American Express, Bombardier, Inc., Etisalat, Everything Everywhere, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Siemens AG, TATA Motors, Tesco Poland, Toyota Motor Corporation, Turk Telekom, and Unilever N.V., among others.  2011 results are summarized at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/awards/408_2219_21081.cfm. 

Not sure where to start? All IBA entries are submitted directly online through your account. You can begin by registering here.

We are pleased to announce that video clips from the first of two award galas celebrating The 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. are now available to view on YouTube. (The second gala honoring the tech awards categories will be held on Monday, September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. Click here to order tickets.)

Watch the June 18th American Business Awards presentations here.

More than 525 entrepreneurs, executives, and their guests from around the country attended the first of two 2012 American Business Awards Banquets on Monday, June 18th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Categories celebrated at the June 18th ceremony included PR awards, live event awards, annual report awards, video awards, customer service awards, HR awards, support awards, and selected categories for company/organization awards, management awards and marketing awards.

Our American Business Awards video clips from June 18th showcase business award acceptance speeches made by individuals and organizations from around the country, including:

Kenny Rosenblatt of Arkadium, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year - Media
Kenny's speech started the night off by recognizing the team effort behind all individual awards.

MWW Group, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Marketing Campaign of the Year - Transportation
MWW Group's Account Supervisor for Corporate Communications graciously accepts the award and thanks his colleagues and partners.

Russell Sarder of NetCom, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year - Diversified Services
Russell's speech reminded the audience that the American Dream is still possible through hard work and determination.

Fazoli's Italian Restaurants, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Human Resource Department of the Year
Dave Craig, VP of Human Resources at Fazoli's Italian Restaurants, reminds the audience that small departments can achieve great outcomes.

Lisa Tener, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Marketer of the Year
Lisa's humble speech brought to light the importance of her clients and team members.

Want to see more from the June 18th celebration? Watch all acceptance speeches and view photos from the event.

Final Deadline for World’s Top Business Honors Extended to 18 July 

The Stevie® Awards, organizers of The Ninth Annual International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards competition, announced today that the final entry deadline for the competition has been extended to Wednesday, 18 July.

All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to The International Business Awards.  No additional late penalties or fees will be charged in association with the deadline extension. Entry details are available at: www.stevieawards.com/iba. 

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace.  Categories include:

• Management Awards
• Company of the Year Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

Final results of this year's IBAs will now be announced in mid-August, with the awards presented at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, 15 October.

The 2012 International Business Awards will include the Second Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite companies. Each company honored with a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award in The International Business Awards’ company of the year categories will be automatically included in people’s choice voting, which will open in mid-August.

The 8^th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.  Honorees included American Express, Bombardier, Inc., Etisalat, Everything Everywhere, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Siemens AG, TATA Motors, Tesco Poland, Toyota Motor Corporation, Turk Telekom, and Unilever N.V., among others.  2011 results are summarized at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/iba/awards/408_2219_21081.cfm. 

About The Stevie Awards:
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about The Stevie Awards at http://www.stevieawards.com/, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards. 

Wednesday, 27 June is the final entry deadline for The 9th Annual International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition

If you haven't yet submitted your 2012 entries, you can submit them directly online through your account. You can begin by registering here.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Types of award categories include:

• Company/Organization Awards 
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards Categories
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Support Awards
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

We are also pleased to announce that the second annual People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies will coincide with this year's International Business Awards. All organizations that are honored with Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie® Award trophies in the IBAs' 34 Company of the Year categories will automatically be included in People's Choice voting, which will open to the general public worldwide in late July and run through mid-September. People's Choice winners will receive a special People's Choice Stevie Award trophy allowing for honorees in the Company of the Year categories to have the opportunity to receive a second award, as voted by the general public.

Winners of the competition will be celebrated at the ninth annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. 

Don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to prepare and submit entries to The 2012 International Business Awards. Email us at help@stevieawards.com or call us at + 1 703-547-8389.

NASCAR, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Blackboard Among Winners of Gold Stevie Awards; New Product and Tech-related Winners to Be Announced at Second Event in San Francisco on September 17

NEW YORK, NY, June 19, 2012 – Shining a spotlight on the best and brightest executives, organizations and employees in America, The 10^th Annual American Business Awards^SM announced Stevie® Award Winners last night at the first of two gala award ceremonies taking place this year.

For the first time, The American Business Awards are being presented at two awards ceremonies.  The first ceremony took place in New York City last night and honored winners in categories such as customer service, human resources, corporate communications, live events, publications, and selected categories for company/organization, management and marketing.  Winners in all new product and technology-related categories will be announced at a new event in San Francisco on Monday, September 17. 

The American Business Awards honors an all-inclusive spectrum of American business people and organizations -- from non-profits, emerging start-ups, major public companies and government agencies, to corner-office executives, corporate communicators, support staff and customer service teams.

With more than 500 executives in attendance, last night’s awards banquet took place at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, and the emcee for the evening was Fox Business Network anchor Cheryl Casone. Also for the first time at the ABAs, Stevie Awards were conferred in three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Previously, only overall category winners received Gold Stevie Awards.

Notable Gold Stevie Award Winners announced last night include:

­   Best Association Event or Meeting: NASCAR

­   Best New Company of the Year: Corkcicle

­   Communications or PR Campaign of the Year – Low Budget: Verizon Wireless

­   Company of the Year - Automotive: Ford Motor Company

­   Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year: Pioneer Financial Services

­   Customer Service Team of the Year: Stamps.com

­   Executive of the Year – Hospitality & Leisure: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., Co-CEOs Steve Ells and Montgomery Moran

­   Fastest Growing Company of the Year: Dealer.com

­   Maverick of the Year: Peter Aquino, President and CEO of PTGi

­   Online Marketing Campaign of the Year: InterContinental Hotels Group

­   Support Team of the Year: Blackboard Incorporated

 MWW Group won four Gold Stevie Awards, more than any other organization last night, followed closely by Crispin Porter + Bogusky & Digitas, with three.  Winners of two Gold Stevie Awards are Achievers, BevMo!, Ford Motor Company, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, LifeLock, Makovsky + Company, MediaCom, National Association of Realtors, North American Power, Northwestern Mutual, Nutricap Labs, Overstock.com, Quality Systems, Inc., Resonate Pictures, Slack and Company, Staff Management, SynCardia Systems, Inc.,  Vertical Response, and Vivint.

More than 3,000 entries were submitted to The 2012 American Business Awards and more than 270 executives nationwide participated in judging to determine this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners. 

For a complete list of The 2012 American Business Awards honorees announced last night visit:  www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

Every new product or service nominated in The 2012 American Business Awards will automatically be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products.  Voting will open to the general public in July, and the winners will be honored at The American Business Awards ceremony in San Francisco on September 17.

The presentation was broadcast live by the Business TalkRadio Network (http://www.businesstalkradio.net), and the recording will be available online in the coming weeks.

About the Stevie® Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com, and follow the Stevie Awards on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Sponsors and partners of The 2012 American Business Awards include American Support, Business TalkRadio Network, CallidusCloud, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, iolo technologies, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, Primus Telecommunications Group, SoftPro, and VerticalResponse.

27 June is the final entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to the IBAs. If you haven't already done so, you can get your entry kit here.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Types of award categories include:

• Company/Organization Awards 
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards Categories
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Support Awards
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

The 2012 International Business Awards will include the Second Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite companies. Finalists in the company of the year categories will automatically have the opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie® Award, as voted by your peers, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as voted by your customers.

Winners of the competition will be celebrated at the ninth annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. 

Not sure how to begin? All IBA entries are submitted directly online through your account; you can begin by registering here.

The final entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, is quickly approaching on 27 June. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to the IBAs. If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.

The International Business Awards honors all facets of the workplace, our award categories include: annual report awards, app awards, company/organization awards, customer service awards, human resources awards, information technology awards, management awards, marketing awards, new product awards, public relations awards, support awards, and website awards, among others. See all corporate awards categories.

All IBA entries are submitted directly online through your account. You can begin by registering here.

The 2012 International Business Awards will include the Second Annual People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies, in which the general public worldwide will vote for their favorite companies. Each company honored with a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award in The International Business Awards’ company of the year categories will automatically be included in people’s choice voting, which will open in late July.

Winners of the competition will be celebrated at the ninth annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. 

Have questions about the 2012 IBAs? Email us at help@stevieawards.com  or call us at + 1 703-547-8389 and we'll get back to you right away.

Cisco of San Jose, California, won a Stevie® Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, in the company awards categories of The 2011 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A. (Final judging is now underway for the 2012 ABAs. 2012 winners will be announced at one of our two awards banquets: June 18th at the Marriott Marquis in New York City or September 17th at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. Click here to order tickets.) Here we profile the company’s award-winning efforts in 2010, and how Cisco’s tremendously successful CSR programs continued to expand in 2011.

Cisco’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are designed to provide long-term benefits not just to its employees, customers, shareholders, and partners, but also to individuals in communities around the world. In 2010, Cisco focused on three main areas: its employees, the environment, and social investments.  In 2010, Cisco’s corporate awards-winning CSR programs covered:

Employees

• A record 85% of employees completed Cisco's annual Pulse employee survey, up 5 percentage points from fiscal year 2009.
• Talent Connection and CareerPath initiatives were piloted to facilitate career-development opportunities for Cisco employees.
• Telecommuting and flextime opportunities have been long-standing and are used by 95% of Cisco employees.

The Environment

• Nearly 20,000 Cisco employees used Cisco Virtual Office to extend Cisco's own network into their homes, permitting high-speed access to voice, video, and data applications and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by telecommuting one or more days each week.
• To reduce air travel, Cisco installed over 800 Cisco TelePresence® units in conference rooms, customer briefing centers, and individual management offices in over 200 cities in almost 60 countries worldwide. Cisco used WebEx desktop conferencing more than 19 million people-hours in fiscal year 2010.

Society

• Cisco provided $138.7 million in corporate and foundation cash and in-kind contributions to nonprofit organizations worldwide in 2010.
• Cisco employees volunteered 148,355 hours of service with nonprofits around the world.
• The company supported the installation of networking equipment at 83 schools, hospitals, and clinics as part of Cisco's Connecting Sichuan Initiative.
• As part of its Clinton Global Initiative commitment, Cisco helped establish more than 23 Community Knowledge Centers in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Cisco Networking Academy®, Cisco's flagship CSR initiative, offered information and communications technology education to more than 900,000 students in 165 countries.

Continuing Commitment in 2011
Cisco continuing commitment to CRS is underscored in its 2011 Cisco® Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which provides details of how the company applied its expertise, technology, and partnership strategies to address environmental, social, and governance issues in 2011—and lays out the company's 2012 objectives.

The report, published earlier this year, outlines Cisco's efforts in five areas: governance and ethics; value chain; Cisco employees; society; and the environment.  Commented John Chambers: "In a time of rapid transition for both Cisco and the communities we serve, Cisco remains deeply committed to acting responsibly, operating sustainably, and contributing to the communities in which we work and live. At Cisco, we know that an intelligent network is not only a powerful tool for doing business, but also for transforming lives, building communities, and protecting the environment. Through the network and strategic partnerships, we can increase the capacity for all of us to succeed." 
Highlights of Cisco’s 2011 CSR program included:

• The company provided $295 million in corporate and foundation cash and in-kind contributions worldwide, including to its flagship Cisco Networking Academy® program;
• The Networking Academy offered information and communications technology education to more than 1 million students enrolled in Networking Academy courses at approximately 10,000 academies in 165 countries;
• Cisco employees volunteered 166,445 hours and donated more than $6.3 million to Cisco CRS programs, generating more than $5.7 million in matching funds from the Cisco Foundation;
• Cisco installed ICT infrastructure, including Cisco HealthPresence®, in 66 healthcare facilities as part of its Connecting Sichuan initiative. More than 7,000 healthcare practitioners use these facilities, which support approximately 15,000 inpatients and 280,000 outpatients per month.

In keeping with its ongoing commitment to the environment, in 2011 Cisco conserved approximately 16.9 million kWh of energy and avoided 7,400 metric tonnes of CO2e emissions by investing $1.9 million in energy-conservation projects. Twenty-six percent of Cisco's global energy use was from renewable sources.

Evolution
Cisco’s CSR reporting evolves from year to year—as does the environment in which all businesses operate. What meets the needs of certain audiences one year may not satisfy a different group of stakeholders the next year.  In response, Cisco conducts stakeholder engagement sessions to gain feedback about its annual CSR report and to stay up-to-date with emerging reporting trends.

Cisco has sought feedback from a range of stakeholders, including:

• MBA students from Georgetown University
• SustainAbility, a sustainable development think tank and strategy consultancy
• Representatives of the socially responsible investment community including SAM and the Vigeo Group
• Experts in environmental issues including Gartner, Inc.

Cisco stakeholders highlighted the need to focus on materiality and robust performance-related data, as well as the need for the company to make greater use of the web. Cisco has used their feedback as an opportunity to educate employees about the importance of focusing on the most significant issues and to track progress on its key performance indicators.

Looking Ahead
Cisco’s Chairman & CEO John Chambers recently attended the 12th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he spoke on what transformations the world will see in the coming decade.  He commented that  “solving the worlds problems takes bringing diverse people together…not just physically, but more and more through collaborative platforms.” You can view more of his comments at Cisco’s own blog, The Platform.

About John Chambers:
John T. Chambers is Chairman and CEO of Cisco. He has helped grow the company from $70 million when he joined Cisco in January 1991, to $1.2 billion when he assumed the role of CEO, to its current run rate of $40 billion. In 2006,
Chambers was named Chairman of the Board, in addition to his CEO role. Prior to joining Cisco, he spent eight years at Wang Laboratories (1982-1990) and six
years with IBM (1976-1982). He holds a BS/BA degree in business and a law degree from West Virginia University and an MBA in finance and management from Indiana University.

About Cisco:
Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate, and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com.