sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

More documents

Recommendations

Info

66 SAINT-GOBAIN AND THE BROAD-BASED BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA The South African government’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (3B2E) legislation is designed to enable historically disadvantaged South Africans to participate meaningfully in the country’s economy. Saint-Gobain, whose Construction Products Sector operates in South Africa, has deployed several measures to: • Offer black employees opportunities to purchase shares in the company. • Increase the proportion of black employees among the workforce, particularly at the managerial level. Moreover, the commitment to empowerment was considerably expanded in other areas during 2008: • Skills enhancement initiatives targeted to black employees, such as a Gypsum Division program to improve understanding of the Division’s products and processes. • Affirmative action programs for local suppliers, with preferential rebates granted to historically disadvantaged companies and invoices paid within two weeks. Suppliers in financial difficulty are also given preference in the selection process. • Outreach programs to support underprivileged communities. Thanks to construction materials donated by the Group, the Niall Mellon Township Trust was able to build housing for disadvantaged residents of Capetown. This commitment is part of a long-term process, with improvement objectives defined for each business. At the end of 2007, the Gypsum Division, which has made the greatest progress, stood at Level 7, indicating 45% compliance with the objectives. It advanced to Level 6 in 2008 and hopes to reach Level 4 in 2009. The other businesses operating in South Africa have set similar targets for the end of 2009, at Level 7 for the Insulation Division and Level 8 for the Pipe Division. Fair hiring practices At the Group level, every step in the hiring process, from advertising open positions to selecting curricula vitae and conducting interviews, is based on the most objective, professional criteria possible. Although specific practices may vary from one company or country to another, any form of discrimination is universally proscribed. In France, community outreach initiatives have been organized in recent years, in association with Saint-Gobain Développement, to match young people seeking employment or vocational training with potential employers. Since 2006, for example, we have helped to finance the “100 chances/100 jobs” program in Chalon-sur-Saône, which is designed to provide opportunities to struggling young adults. In 2008, Saint-Gobain coordinated the program, conducting mock interviews and site visits, and offering internships and work/study contracts. The results have been encouraging: of the more than 140 young people taking part in the initiative, 51% have found long-term employment since the program’s start in 2004. Similar campaigns are also underway in Grenoble, Chambéry, Le Havre and Rouen. In 2008, Saint-Gobain helped to found a national association whose role will be to coordinate actions undertaken at the regional level. A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT THE “100 CHANCES / 100 JOBS” PROGRAM Christian Chassan, a plant manager for Saint-Gobain Seva, served as the 2008 coordinator of the “100 chances / 100 jobs” program. “Several of our facilities played host to interns. It was a beneficial experience not just for the interns but for our employees as well, providing an opportunity for open dialogue and interaction. “The contacts we made in the local community taught us how to work together more effectively: for example, we organized a number of joint taskforces with the Areva group on safety, training and the transfer of expertise. “This type of involvement gives tangible meaning to the sometimes vague notion of ‘corporate citizenship.’“ Source: Le Mois en France, October 2008. POINT.P HELPS TRAIN YOUNG ATHLETES FOR THE WORKING WORLD The Point.P group and France’s Union of Professional Football Clubs (UCPF) are joining forces to provide training and permanent employment to young athletes who have completed vocational studies and are not pursuing a sporting career. The group is also preparing to celebrate its ten-year partnership with the French Football League Cup, and these two alliances with the world of football (soccer) serve as a vehicle for conveying some of Point.P’s core values: • team spirit, • solidarity among teammates, • the drive to surpass oneself, • competitiveness, • the ability of sports to bring people together, without regard to social or ethnic differences. Source: Le Mois en France, July-August 2008. Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report
Fostering gender balance Women accounted for 22.5% of new hires in 2008, and the proportion of women in the workforce increased slightly to 20.1% from 19.9% in 2007. Of the total, 75.3% were managers, administrative employees, technicians or supervisors. The Group is committed to achieving a better gender balance, particularly at the managerial level, with regard to both hiring and access to positions of responsibility. Currently 16.6% of managers are women. To help more women to advance up through the ranks, the Group has deployed a number of affirmative action initiatives: • The percentage of women participating in our training programs is steadily increasing, to 21% in the New Managers program in 2008, 12% in the operational management courses and 30% in the classes on the Group and its businesses. • A section devoted to gender issues is systematically included in employee reviews, which are especially important tools in managing careers and preparing succession plans. • Periodic reports and an annual assessment are submitted to the Chief Executive Officer, describing progress in enhancing gender balance at each level of responsibility (executives, managers, supervisors, etc.) and within each business process. A comprehensive analysis of the situation of women managers in the Group, addressing such issues as career planning, hiring and promotion, mobility and resignations, was presented to General Management in late 2008. In addition to corporate initiatives, local measures have also been introduced to make a targeted impact aligned with conditions in each business or country. In the United States, for example, the Women’s Network was created in 2003 by female managers in the North America Delegation. It meets on a regular basis to track and lead a number of programs, such as mentoring new employees, providing recruitment support and advice, and sharing information with networks in other countries. Supporting integration of the disabled Disabled persons represented 3.6% of employees in France in 2008, a 0.3-point increase for the year that reflected efforts by local subsidiaries to help the disabled become more integrated into the workforce. When employees become disabled, the Group is committed to retaining them whenever possible. Major steps have been taken to upgrade workstations, with the number of handicappedaccessible workstations in France increasing to 165 from 143 in 2007. During the year, French action plans for mainstreaming the disabled continued to expand in a variety of areas, including hiring and retaining the disabled, outsourcing to sheltered workshops and companies employing people with special needs, and employee sensitivity training. At the same time, a disability task force comprising Human resources managers from the various businesses meets regularly to allow members to share their practices and enhance action plans. A LOOK AT STEPS TO INTEGRATE DISABLED EMPLOYEES AT LA PLATEFORME DU BÂTIMENT STORES Some remarks by the banner’s Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs on its efforts to assimilate disabled employees into the workforce: “We’ve been taking gradual steps since 2005. With regard to hiring, we worked with “Vivre Autrement”, an organization that places disabled persons in temporary positions on a trial basis with the potential for permanent employment. During these training periods, managers are able to evaluate the employees’ skill levels, and ultimately we offered a position to three of them. Another essential component of our policy is the use of subcontractors whose workforce is made up primarily of disabled employees. We use workers from these firms to maintain green spaces, prepare and deliver meals and seal envelopes.” Source: Le Mois en France, November 2008. As in 2007, Saint-Gobain took part in several forums throughout France designed to give disabled students and young graduates a chance to meet with companies. The largest was the job fair organized in November as part of France’s Disability Week by ADAPT, an association that promotes the integration of the disabled into society and the workplace. During one of the week’s events, several Saint-Gobain teams played host to young visitors to let them experience an actual job or business activity first-hand for a day. In addition, several Group companies are members of the “Tremplin” (Springboard) Association, which assists and coaches disabled students and graduates entering the job market and provides access to a network of employers in Greater Paris. Several have already joined the Group as interns or new employees. Group companies are also encouraged to use sheltered workshops, and several Sectors have set up outsourcing agreements with sheltered employment programs and companies with special-needs employees. MANAGEMENT REPORT 67 Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report
Page 1 and 2:
2008 annual report
Page 3 and 4:
Contents 05 • Strategy and busine
Page 5 and 6:
3 STRATEGY AND BUSINESSES Jean-Loui
Page 7 and 8:
Strategy and Businesses of Saint-Go
Page 9 and 10:
Responding to recession by demonstr
Page 11 and 12:
The High-Performance Materials Divi
Page 13 and 14:
High-Performance Materials Business
Page 15 and 16:
Insulation products are made from m
Page 17 and 18: Construction Products Businesses an
Page 19 and 20: Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Pol
Page 21 and 22: ecovered glass can be recycled inde
Page 23: The “Germ-free Surfaces” progra
Page 26 and 27: 24 2008 results dampened by the fin
Page 28 and 29: holders of the parent contracted 7.
Page 30 and 31: 28 2008 business review 2008 sales
Page 32 and 33: 30 The Division also continued to e
Page 34 and 35: 32 In the Nordic countries, Dahl de
Page 36 and 37: Sustainable development 34 Sustaina
Page 38 and 39: Environment Challenges Action taken
Page 40 and 41: 38 I. Products and services contrib
Page 42 and 43: 40 Sun Saint-Gobain is a major supp
Page 44 and 45: 42 a British trade association that
Page 46 and 47: 44 Mobilizing resources to deploy t
Page 48 and 49: 46 EHS auditors are drawn from a po
Page 50 and 51: 48 Lastly, we make every effort to
Page 52 and 53: To help them to implement the plan,
Page 54 and 55: 52 Wood dust is primarily an issue
Page 56 and 57: 54 BRØDRENE DAHL’S PROGRAM FOR R
Page 58 and 59: 56 2008-2010 OBJECTIVE Saint-Gobain
Page 60 and 61: 58 warehouses and other similar spa
Page 62 and 63: product developed in 2006 by Lapeyr
Page 64 and 65: 62 Internships during a student’s
Page 66 and 67: 64 Geographical and job mobility is
Page 70 and 71: 68 Honest, open, high quality socia
Page 72 and 73: 70 Construction Products The Constr
Page 74 and 75: 72 IV. Values supporting responsibl
Page 76 and 77: 74 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE FOUNDATI
Page 78 and 79: 76 In countries facing certain soci
Page 80 and 81: 78 for example, 91% of the Group’
Page 82 and 83: ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS 2007 2008
Page 84 and 85: Trading volume since September 2007
Page 86 and 87: Trading volume since September 2007
Page 88 and 89: Changes in capital over the last fi
Page 90 and 91: 88 The decision to grant stock opti
Page 92 and 93: Information Policy and 2009 Financi
Page 94 and 95: 92 Yuko HARAYAMA Professor at Tohok
Page 96 and 97: Other directorships and positions h
Page 98 and 99: 96 Director’s name and current ma
Page 100 and 101: 98 • Committees of the Board. Thr
Page 102 and 103: 100 The Committee’s remit, as def
Page 104 and 105: • The Annual General Meeting of J
Page 106 and 107: 4. Stock options granted to the Cha
Page 108 and 109: 106 Management compensation In Grou
Page 110 and 111: Fees paid by the Group to the Audit
Page 112 and 113: 110 Related party agreements Relate
Page 114 and 115: 112 The audits are based on a 20-st
Page 116 and 117: 114 being applied. The TAS framewor
Page 118 and 119:
Statutory Auditors’ report Prepar
Page 120 and 121:
Commitment concerning the payment o
Page 122 and 123:
120 Restructuring risks The Group h
Page 124 and 125:
122 • Volumes are not material, o
Page 126 and 127:
124 or any specific illness or phys
Page 128 and 129:
The level of coverage is considered
Page 130 and 131:
Consolidated balance sheet at 31 De
Page 132 and 133:
Consolidated income statement (in
Page 134 and 135:
Statement of recognized income and
Page 136 and 137:
Notes to the consolidated financial
Page 138 and 139:
136 Non-current assets held for sal
Page 140 and 141:
138 asset’s fair value less costs
Page 142 and 143:
140 Fair value of financial instrum
Page 144 and 145:
142 Other business income and expen
Page 146 and 147:
2006 In 2005, the Group acquired th
Page 148 and 149:
NOTE 4 Other intangible assets Pate
Page 150 and 151:
NOTE 6 Investments in associates (i
Page 152 and 153:
150 NOTE 8 Inventories Dec. 31, Dec
Page 154 and 155:
Movements relating to stock options
Page 156 and 157:
The plan costs are calculated under
Page 158 and 159:
The following tables show the funde
Page 160 and 161:
Actuarial assumptions used to measu
Page 162 and 163:
The effective tax rate paid by the
Page 164 and 165:
Provisions for claims and litigatio
Page 166 and 167:
isks is hedged wherever possible wi
Page 168 and 169:
Bond issues On June 13, 2008, Saint
Page 170 and 171:
NOTE 19 Financial instruments Deriv
Page 172 and 173:
NOTE 21 Business income by expense
Page 174 and 175:
The weighted average number of shar
Page 176 and 177:
174 In addition, as of December 31,
Page 178 and 179:
NOTE 28 Related-party transactions
Page 180 and 181:
Innovative Construction Building Pa
Page 182 and 183:
Information by geographic area Fran
Page 184 and 185:
182 Principal fully consolidated co
Page 186 and 187:
II - Justification of our assessmen
Page 188 and 189:
Income statement at December, 31 (i
Page 190 and 191:
Balance sheet at December, 31 ASSET
Page 192 and 193:
Cash flow statement (in € thousan
Page 194 and 195:
Risk management/Financial instrumen
Page 196 and 197:
NOTE 5 Intangible assets Intangible
Page 198 and 199:
Changes in Compagnie de Saint-Gobai
Page 200 and 201:
Grant stock options exercisable for
Page 202 and 203:
9.4 Compagnie de Saint-Gobain Group
Page 204 and 205:
NOTE 12 Debt and payables Total deb
Page 206 and 207:
12.1 Perpetual bonds In 1985, Compa
Page 208 and 209:
NOTE 14 Investment portfolio Countr
Page 210 and 211:
COMPANIES Capital Reserves % Book v
Page 212 and 213:
NOTE 18 Fees paid to the Statutory
Page 214 and 215:
Asbestos-related litigation in Braz
Page 216 and 217:
Statutory Auditors’ report on the
Page 218 and 219:
Main subsidiaries by country and de
Page 220 and 221:
Saint-Gobain Vetrotex Deutschland G
Page 222 and 223:
Saint-Gobain Construction Products
Page 224 and 225:
Saint-Gobain Building Distribution
Page 226 and 227:
Subsidiaries: Saint-Gobain Technica
Page 228 and 229:
CHINA €1 = CNY 10.227 Saint-Gobai
Page 230 and 231:
Table of concordance 1 Person respo
Page 232 and 233:
COMPAGNIE DE SAINT-GOBAIN France He
Page 234 and 235:
Notes 232 Saint-Gobain - Financial
Page 236:
Saint-Gobain photo library ; p1 ©
show all

sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?