Sojitz Group CSR Report 2009 [PDF : 4.1MB]

Special Feature 1: Employee Round-table Discussion
Putting CSR into Practice
in Our Work
Employees organized a round-table discussion to
reexamine what CSR means to them and to the Sojitz
Group and to give CSR more thought. The lively
discussions that took place are reported below.
The round-table discussion was held over two days, June 3 and 4, 2009.
What CSR Means for the Sojitz Group
The round-table discussion was held for the purpose of having all
employees think of what CSR means for Sojitz. Ten Group
employees from various departments participated. Their first topic
of discussion was why CSR is an important issue for the Sojitz
Group today. Many participants commented on the change in
attitude among customers and society overall, among which “it is
now considered unacceptable for enterprises not to be aware of
CSR.” It was clear from the discussion that employees broadly
share the awareness that “no company can survive nowadays that
is interested only in pursuing profit.”
Practicing CSR through Business: The Issues
Discussions then moved on to the main theme—“how to put CSR
into practice through each employee’s daily activities.” Many
agreed with one participant’s comment that “the very work of a
general trading company, which can contribute to local growth
through its business activities, is a form of CSR.” Several participants
also noted that each individual’s attitude is important for
making CSR a reality—“in the end, everyone has to be conscious
that the work we do should ultimately be something that people
are grateful for” and “first, it’s important to take the other
person’s view into consideration.”
CSR for Making the Sojitz Group Statement a Reality
On the other hand, participants pointed out that compared to
manufacturers whose CSR initiatives, such as developing
environment-friendly products and the like, make their products
more competitive, it is difficult for a general trading company like
Sojitz, which has relatively little contact with individual customers,
to get a real feeling of the significance of CSR. Even so, they
indicated that they had a renewed awareness of the importance
of CSR, saying “unless local communities closely connected to our
business activities can grow, we won’t have opportunities for new
business” or “The Sojitz Group Statement talks about ‘producing
new source of wealth.’ CSR is one way of making that possible.”
Coexistence, Mutual Prosperity and Sustained Growth for
All Stakeholders
But several people noted that it is hard to strike the right equilibrium
between corporate profit-seeking and CSR and all agreed
that it’s important to run business affairs with awareness of coexistence,
mutual prosperity and sustained growth for the sake of all
stakeholders. After the round-table discussion had ended, several
participants remarked that the discussion had helped them focus
their minds on CSR once more or that it provided a good opportunity
to learn about CSR. The Sojitz Group intends to continue
similar activities in the future, holding discussions or training
seminars to heighten awareness of CSR among all employees.
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Sojitz Group CSR Report 2009