Global Compact International Yearbook 2009
The road to Copenhagen is the catchphrase: Climate Change is the top issue of inaugural edition, on the market since 1th of august 2009. In a very personal and exclusive foreword, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stresses the urgency of multilateral action: „One underlying message of this Yearbook is that a global, low-carbon economy is not only technologically possible, it makes good business sense“, said Ban. „We need the voice and energy of business to help us combat climate change.“ Sir Anthony Giddens adds the importance of the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit: „It is an important year, and everybody knows it because it is the year of Copenhagen. It’s a key for climate change policy. I do hope the Copenhagen negotiations will be successful, but there are reasons I have to be worried. “ Another key issue of this edition is the global economic crisis: 2008 will be remembered as the year of crises. The breakdown of financial institutions and markets and the subsequent worldwide economic downturn have put the spotlight on issues that the United Nations Global Compact has long advocated as essential responsibilities for modern business and today’s global markets: comprehensive risk management, long-term performance, and ethics. Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact, writes: „Restoring confidence and trust in markets requires a shift to long-term sustainable value creation, and corporate responsibility must be an instrument towards this end. If the crisis is any indication, it is now time to build on the advances made over the past 10 years by companies and investors in the area of ESG performance and bring this discipline to the mainstream. “
The road to Copenhagen is the catchphrase: Climate Change is the top issue of inaugural edition, on the market since 1th of august 2009. In a very personal and exclusive foreword, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stresses the urgency of multilateral action: „One underlying message of this Yearbook is that a global, low-carbon economy is not only technologically possible, it makes good business sense“, said Ban. „We need the voice and energy of business to help us combat climate change.“ Sir Anthony Giddens adds the importance of the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit: „It is an important year, and everybody knows it because it is the year of Copenhagen. It’s a key for climate change policy. I do hope the Copenhagen negotiations will be successful, but there are reasons I have to be worried. “
Another key issue of this edition is the global economic crisis: 2008 will be remembered as the year of crises. The breakdown of financial institutions and markets and the subsequent worldwide economic downturn have put the spotlight on issues that the United Nations Global Compact has long advocated as essential responsibilities for modern business and today’s global markets: comprehensive risk management, long-term performance, and ethics. Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact, writes: „Restoring confidence and trust in markets requires a shift to long-term sustainable value creation, and corporate responsibility must be an instrument towards this end. If the crisis is any indication, it is now time to build on the advances made over the past 10 years by companies and investors in the area of ESG performance and bring this discipline to the mainstream. “
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Siemens<br />
From compliance<br />
to integrity<br />
In December 2008, Siemens reached a settlement with the investigative<br />
authorities in Germany and the U.S., thus bringing to an end the legal<br />
proceedings connected with bribery allegations in those two countries and<br />
concluding one of the most difficult chapters in the company’s history. Over the<br />
last two years, Siemens has implemented one of the world’s most comprehensive<br />
compliance programs and created a company culture focused on transparency<br />
and ethical business practices.<br />
By Dr. Andreas Pohlmann<br />
In 2008, the world-renowned Dow Jones<br />
Sustainability Index gave the company<br />
top marks in the categories risk management,<br />
compliance and corporate governance.<br />
This ranking – which took place<br />
only a year after Siemens had placed<br />
last in all three areas – demonstrates<br />
the enormous progress the company has<br />
made. Siemens’ robust company-wide<br />
compliance program and the massive<br />
expansion of its internal compliance organization,<br />
which now employs roughly<br />
600 people, are just two of the measures<br />
the company has implemented. In 2008,<br />
Siemens also conducted its first employee<br />
survey devoted exclusively to the compliance<br />
issue. And here again, the results<br />
were generally positive.<br />
Siemens sent the 2008 Employee Perception<br />
Survey to 90,000 employees. In<br />
order to identify the measures needed<br />
to further change its company culture,<br />
Siemens wanted to know how firmly<br />
its compliance program had taken hold,<br />
whether the program’s messages had<br />
been accepted and how well managers<br />
were communicating compliance-related<br />
topics.<br />
The survey confirmed that compliance is<br />
an important issue for the overwhelming<br />
majority of Siemens employees. It also<br />
confirmed that company employees had<br />
understood the compliance program<br />
and recognized its appropriateness, that<br />
compliance-related messages had been<br />
accepted and that management had set<br />
the right tone in communications. It was<br />
also clear from the survey that employees<br />
had acknowledged their responsibilities<br />
and were aware that violations of the<br />
rules would have consequences.<br />
However, the survey also indicated that<br />
further measures would be necessary in<br />
some areas in order to familiarize the<br />
workforce with compliance requirements.<br />
The tone from the top is clear and, in<br />
the words of Siemens CEO Peter Löscher,<br />
“only clean business is Siemens business<br />
– everywhere and at all times.”<br />
Consequences of the survey<br />
As a result of the survey, Siemens’ individual<br />
Sectors (Energy, Industry and<br />
Healthcare) and its Regional Companies<br />
around the world have defined and, in<br />
some cases, already launched additional<br />
measures for improving compliance<br />
awareness. The measures range from<br />
specific communications plans and campaigns<br />
at the level of individual business<br />
units to projects such as intranet videos,<br />
quizzes and compliance workshops to<br />
employee events with members of the<br />
compliance organization, compliancerelated<br />
discussions in employee newsletters,<br />
the establishment of processes and<br />
platforms for identifying and presenting<br />
model behavior in difficult situations<br />
and support by compliance experts for<br />
the sales organization.<br />
These measures are intended to substantially<br />
expand and deepen employee<br />
knowledge of ethically and legally irreproachable<br />
behavior. Their rigorous<br />
68<br />
<strong>Global</strong> <strong>Compact</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Yearbook</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
Change language