2008 I 2009 Sustainability Report - Econsense

Hands-on team spirit –
adhering to rules, assuming responsibility
Corporate governance
As is underlined in our mission statement,
our vision and our corporate identity, responsible,
transparent action geared towards
long-term success is a core element of
the corporate culture at EnBW.
In order to ensure that these values are
firmly rooted in our corporate culture, we
have developed and implemented an internal
Group-wide monitoring system called
"IKS" to help us to promote the sustainable
development of our company. The key
elements are:
› A system of objectives including minimum
requirements for sustainable value
added, the way we handle key corporate
risks, our adherance to compliance guidelines
and the prevention of illegal business
dealings.
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› The "IKS" system defining all responsible
employees, roles and duties throughout
the Group; this system is closely tied in
with the risk and compliance management
systems in terms of both organisational
structure and processes.
› A monitoring system that is integrated in
the value added phases as well as in the
management and support processes; this
system is designed to ensure the permanent
presence of key success factors
geared towards sustainable management
practices.
› Regular reports to the Management Board
on findings, new goals and necessary improvements.
The IKS system puts the management in a
long-term position to identify and evaluate
the full range of key issues for all the companies
in the EnBW Group and its stakeholders
and then to implement appropriate
measures. The integration of areas of responsibility
and topic areas in the organisational
structure and in key processes in this
way paves the way for an ongoing dialogue
on target achievement and system improvement.
The EnBW management optimises our IKS
system on an ongoing basis and adapts it
where necessary to new conditions or requirements.
The flexibility of the system
enables us to integrate existing and new
(legal) initiatives and corporate goals. It is
controlled and updated by a unit in the
Group Controlling department set up
specifically for this purpose and which
reports direct to the Management Board.
Every year, the efficacy of the IKS system is
reviewed by the Management Board, and
the findings of this review are presented to
the Supervisory Board as part of the annual
reporting process. This enables us to also
comprehensively address the current Corporate
Governance requirements laid out
in the German Accounting Law Reform Act
(BilMoG).
We also fully support the values expressed
in the German Corporate Governance Code
and follow all its recommendations. They
serve as a yardstick and as guiding principles
in our efforts to underpin and maintain
the confidence of shareholders, customers,
employees and the public at large
in the long term.
2008 Annual Report, p. 200 et seq.