[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 60 (Friday, March 31, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E750-E751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   MESSAGE OF BETTER BUSINESS BUREAUS

                                 ______


                       HON. THOMAS J. BLILEY, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 1995
  Mr. BLILEY. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet recently with 
two business leaders from by congressional district, Lee Dudley, an 
investment banker with A.G. Edwards, and Thomas J. Gallagher, president 
of the Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia. Accompanying them 
was James L. Bast, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business 
Bureaus. Lee Dudley and Tom Gallagher both serve on the board of 
directors of the council.
  These three business leaders came to brief me on the redesign of the 
Better Business Bureau system, their continued commitment to an ethical 
marketplace, and their vision for business in the 21st century.
  Because the 163 Better Business Bureaus and branches are an 
invaluable resource to businesses and consumers across the country, I 
want to share their message with my colleagues.

       The mission of the Council of Better Business Bureaus is to 
     promote and foster the highest ethical relationship between 
     business and the public through: voluntary self-regulation, 
     consumer and business education, and service excellence.
       For more than 80 years, marketplace ethics have been the 
     central thrust of the Better Business Bureaus.
       The Council is the umbrella organization for the nation's 
     163 Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) and branches--together, 
     known as the Bureau system. The Council and the Bureaus are 
     business membership organizations. They have as members 
     nearly 250,000 national corporations and local small 
     businesses. These 250,000 businesses vote with their 
     membership dues for an ethical marketplace. The Bureau system 
     serves 95 percent of the U.S. population living in 
     metropolitan areas of the country.
       Two of the most important functions of the Bureaus are to 
     issue reliability reports on business firms and to respond to 
     consumer complaints. In 1994 the Bureau system handled some 
     15.8 million pre-purchase inquiries relating to approximately 
     $44.2 billion in buying power and 1.8 million complaints.
       In addition to collecting and disseminating data on local 
     and national companies, other BBB services include:
       Consumer information/education programs that include 
     reports, public service announcements and booklets covering a 
     variety of consumer and business topics;
       A Philanthropic Advisory Service (PAS) that sets standards 
     for charities and assesses the programs and fundraising 
     practices of hundreds of organizations that solicit 
     nationally, a program paralleled by most of the Bureaus which 
     review thousands of local charities;
       Self-regulatory processes to foster truth and accuracy in 
     advertising. On the national level, the Council's preeminent 
     National Advertising Division (NAD) resolves disputes about 
     national advertising claims and the Children's Advertising 
     Review Unit reviews advertising directed at children. 
     Paralleling the NAD work, many Bureaus have local advertising 
     review programs;
       Alternative dispute resolution services for conciliation/
     mediation/arbitration programs to help businesses improve 
     customer service and resolve consumer-business disputes, the 
     [[Page E751]] most prominent service is the BBB AUTO LINE for 
     care manufacturers operating in the United States; and
       The Council's Foundation, supporting the Council's mission 
     by providing as a member service information, training and 
     technical assistance to small businesses to promote voluntary 
     compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 
     which affects virtually all members.
       President George Bush in his message to the delegates at 
     the 1990 Annual Assembly of the Council stated: ``One of the 
     greatest strengths of our free enterprise system lies in the 
     willingness of American businessmen and women to respect the 
     rights of consumers while advancing their companies' 
     interests. Over the years, Better Business Bureaus have 
     effectively promoted truth and fairness in the marketplace 
     and, in so doing, have earned the confidence and gratitude of 
     the American public.''
       From a business perspective, W.R. Howell, Chairman and CEO 
     of J.C. Penney Company, Inc., wrote recently, ``The Council 
     of Better Business Bureaus enhances public trust and 
     confidence in responsible businesses. Through a commitment to 
     self-regulation, the BBB system promotes an ethical 
     marketplace, enabling those companies that conduct business 
     fairly, in the best interests of their customers, to 
     prosper.''
       The Bureau system is moving into the twenty-first century 
     carrying its message of ethics, self-regulation and consumer 
     confidence into the information age. Last year, the Council 
     and Bureau system completed a structural reorganization and 
     adopted a banner for growth and leadership for the next 
     century. It is printed below.
                   The Better Business Bureau System


                               OUR VISION

       Our vision is to be the preeminent source of information 
     relating to ethical business and advertising practices and to 
     be a major provider of marketplace dispute resolution 
     services.


                              OUR MISSION

       Our mission is to promote and foster the highest ethical 
     relationship between businesses and the public through 
     voluntary self-regulation, consumer and business education, 
     and service excellence.


                               OUR GOALS

       Our goals include the following strategic directions for 
     the Better Business Bureau System as a team of professionals 
     and volunteers, united by our commitment to our common 
     vision, mission and values:
       We will be the most widely recognized and highly visible 
     promoter of ethical business practices.
       We will be a widely recognized and highly visible provider 
     of alternative dispute resolution services.
       We will be customer-driven, with uniformly high standards 
     of performance for core national, local and entrepreneurial 
     programs in the marketplace.
       We will have a significant percentage of large and small 
     business firms as certified members of the BBB system, who 
     proudly display their commitment to our mission and values.
       We will offer a fully integrated, accessible national 
     information and services delivery system, utilizing leading-
     edge technology and committed people to respond fully and 
     quickly to all inquiries and resolve all complaints.


                               OUR VALUES

       To accomplish our mission, we commit to the values of 
     Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork, Trust and Respect to guide 
     all of our decisions and behavior with each other and with 
     all those we serve.
     

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