“Amway was founded on the belief that, by helping people improve their lives, they could make the world a better place.”

So begins the message from our Chairman Steve Van Andel and our President Doug DeVos in the Amway 2012 Global Corporate Social Responsibility Report released today.

The annual report highlights the many ways our company, its more than 21,000 employees and more than 3 million distributors make a difference in the lives of others.

That includes building homes in Latin America, providing water filters in Haiti, building libraries in China and adopting schools right here in the hometown of our World Headquarters.

Corporate Social Responsibility is built into everything we do: our people, our products and our performance.

 Steve and Doug credit their fathers for recognizing the potential in this business for making a difference.

“They made it their mission to be more, do more, give more. And more than a half-century later, we’re still emulating their powerful example. … We’re awed by how far we’ve come and inspired to keep becoming more, together.”

Read the full report here.

300 films.  70 countries.  One leading lady of beauty. 

Amway Korea in partnership with Amway Japan recently announced ARTISTRY Skincare and Cosmetics as the official Diamond Premiere sponsor of the 17^th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) – among the most prestigious international film festivals in Asia, attracting celebrities and entertainment industry professionals from around the globe.

Renowned for introducing new films and emerging directors — especially from Asian countries — film festival winners will receive an originally-designed award conceived by Olivier Van Doorne, French-born President and Worldwide Creative Director of the New York based ad agency for the ARTISTRY brand.

The festival takes place October 4-13, 2012 in Busan, South Korea. We’ll share more news live from the Red Carpet where Australian actress and ARTISTRY Global Face, Teresa Palmer, will take the spotlight on behalf of the brand.

For centuries, the tea house has been a key element of a Japanese garden.

It’s a tranquil place. Before you enter, you cleanse your face and hands to symbolically check your cares and worries at the door. 

It’s a harmonious place, where you meet with friends, receive special tea and cake, and enjoy your time together. 

It’s also a familiar place for our recent guests at Amway World Headquarters, who participated in the Georgetown University Leadership Program, supported by Amway Japan and The Japan Times.

They were excited to learn that a tea house is planned for the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, as part of The Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden. Construction for the project begins in 2013.

During a preview and personal tour of the future garden site, they shared their stories and suggestions for the first official tea ceremony with David Hooker, president and CEO at Frederik Meijer Gardens.

Already new friendships are starting to blossom.

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Did you know that Amway employees and distributors have volunteered more than 2.5 million hours to make the communities where they work and live a better place?

Read about our ongoing efforts around the world in the 2011 Amway Global Corporate Citizenship Report published today, or in the Amway One By One blog.  That blog, by the way, was recently honored as the “Best Corporate Social Responsibility” blog by PR News.

From Bangkok to Hanoi, we have several reasons to celebrate this month.

Recently, we posted about Amway Thailand’s 25^th anniversary celebration. Today, we’d like to share news about a special event that’s particularly signficant for our distributors and customers in Vietnam. 

Amway just opened a new office and training center in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi.  Distributors in northern Vietnam now have a common place to learn about our company, bring their prospective customers to the Amway shop that opened last year, and share news about our brands, products and business opportunity.

Amway President Doug DeVos proudly joined Amway Vietnam’s executives, distributors and employees in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As the newest Amway market, Amway Vietnam has achieved great milestones in just four years. We are proud of their strong sales, growing distributor network and attractive facilities that showcase the power of our brand.

That’s indeed another reason to celebrate.

Three Amway leaders recently shared their experiences and tips on what helped make their markets successful.  Responding quickly to the needs of a specific market is a common thread, but what that looks like in different markets is, well, different.

At Amway Russia, it meant quickly expanding the support network – stores and staff included – to provide distributors with products as their businesses grew exponentially when this market opened, general manager of Amway Russia Richard Stevens told The Voice of Russia.

For Amway Malaysia, where more than 60 percent of distributors are age 35 or younger, success required providing them with meaningful ways to interact with the company and its products, said Amway Malaysia’s Paul Yee in an interview with the radio station BFB 89.9. For example, Amway opened experience centers and stores so distributors could get the “touch and feel” experience they prefer.

Amway Vietnam has focused its efforts in educating the public, government officials and the media about the direct selling business model, which until recently was largely unknown in that country, general manager Kam Chiong told BaoMoi.com. The market also has provided continuous training to its distributors to ensure they have the best tools to successfully build their business.

Leveraging these differences supports active entrepreneurs and helps our businesses grow stronger together. How has innovative thinking helped your business transform?

A company that wants to be successful operating internationally might heed the same advice given to a bride and groom, writes Amway Korea President Se-joon Park in The Korea Times.

“It is sometimes necessary to put ‘our needs’ before ‘mine,’” he writes. “The same is true for corporations.”

In the article Park cites examples of companies that have developed “glocalization” strategies that pursue global expansion while accommodating the local culture – including Amway.

Amway Korea’s strategies include consistent corporate citizenship activities and “One for One,” a program that means Amway launches a Korean-made product for every product it imports.  The program has given Korean companies access to new domestic and overseas markets for their goods.’

Doing good locally while expanding globally is the “secret” to glocalization success, according to Park.