Colgate-Palmolive publishes global HIV/AIDS policy statement
Colgate-Palmolive Company announced on December 1 the publication of a Global HIV/AIDS Policy Statement that details the company’s commitment to confronting the HIV/AIDS epidemic to minimize its impact on its global workforce, their families and the communities where they live and work. In 2006, Colgate became a member of the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, which is comprised of over 200 international companies dedicated to combating the AIDS epidemic.
Contact: Colgate-Palmolive www.colgate.com
Panasonic ties managers’ compensation to CO2 emission targets
Panasonic has recently identified CO2 emissions as one of the company’s key indices to evaluate business performance, along with more traditional factors such as profit and sales. A management system to measure CO2 emissions has been put in place in all of the company’s 297 factories in order to inform the company as a whole of emission progress. Where emissions are reduced, that reduction will be reflected in employees salaries, across all business domains. The extent to which emission reductions will affect salaries across the Panasonic Group varies according to position, and generally, will increase with seniority.
Contact: Panasonic www.panasonic.co.jp
Corporate responsibility has been rising up the agenda for the best part of a decade. We are now at a stage where most major companies publicly cite corporate responsibility as a key priority; something that is embedded into the DNA of the business. What clearer evidence that this is indeed reality than the news that Panasonic are now linking employee pay to environmental targets?
With corporate governance structures now outlined in most annual reports, it is noticeable that the Board or a senior committee usually has overall responsibility for performance on corporate responsibility. With corporate responsibility given ever more importance, it would be contradictory if the remuneration of directors were not, at least in part, also linked to company performance in the area of CR. Therefore, if a company fails against corporate responsibility targets, should director compensation not be readjusted to reflect this? As the world continues to be held in the throws of economic arrest, this is a question which is going to crop up more and more.
The global financial problems have resulted in the finger being pointed at companies, particularly in the financial services sector, with many accused of being irresponsible. 2009 will see companies trying to win back trust but, to achieve this, stakeholders will be demanding greater levels of transparency, especially around director remuneration. This will put some companies in a difficult position. If corporate responsibility has been stated as a business priority, how can a company justify large director bonuses if it has seemingly failed in its responsibilities? If director compensation is not affected by poor performance, a company’s commitment to corporate responsibility could be called into question.
It looks set to be an absorbing year ahead, and it will be interesting to see how companies tackle the issue of transparency and director pay as they try to win back stakeholder trust.
Change4life launches 2009: the year of healthy living
On January 2 the Department of Health’s Change4life initiative launched an advertising campaign as part of a communications strategy to halt the rising tide of obesity. Under the banner Change4Life, the Government wishes to galvanise support from everyone in the country from grass roots organisations to leading supermarkets and charities. The ad campaign signals the start of the Change4Life lifestyle revolution which involves the participation of many organizations such as Unilever, ITV, ASDA, Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation
Contact: Department of Health www.nhs.uk/change4life
The Government launches new Employer Taskforce
On December 11, a new top-level Employer Taskforce was launched by the Government to spearhead a fresh drive to boost education by bringing more business expertise into the classroom. The new taskforce will have senior business figures including representatives from CBI and the Chamber of Commerce and will be chaired by Bob Wigley, the Senior Vice President and Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Anthony Salz, Executive Vice Chairman of NM Rothschild.
Contact: Business in the Community www.bitc.org.uk
Talent must be as high a priority as climate change in the UK
On December 16, The All Party Parliamentary Group on Corporate Responsibility (APPG CR) published the results of its inquiry into the UK’s ‘talent challenge’. The inquiry, launched in February 2008, has found that there is a pressing need to raise awareness of the scope and urgency of the talent challenge facing the UK, so that it becomes as familiar an issue as climate change. Alongside basic literacy and numeracy skills personal skills such as self-motivation and determination and will equip young people for a work environment that is continually evolving.
Contact: The All Party Parliamentary Group on Corporate Responsibility
Download the Inquiry Report at: http://www.bitc.org.uk/media_centre/news/talent_priority.html
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