A message from President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation
A message from the Chairman and CEO of Toshiba America, Inc.
A message from President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation
A Global Perspective Combined With Sensitivity To Regional Variations And Cultures
I have been involved in the notebook personal computer business for almost 20 years. In the 1980s I lived in Germany, as Toshiba established a successful notebook computer business in Europe. I soon found that in order to succeed in business one had to make sure one's actions reflected the environmental concerns that already were so evident in German society.
Toshiba then advanced into the American market. I made my home in the USA at two different times during this period. There, I learned that one was expected to earn one's right to membership of the community through the exercise of good corporate citizenship. Then, having secured a strong position abroad, Toshiba turned its attention to the Japanese market. Working on three continents -Europe, North America and Asia- has taught me two broad but valuable lessons. The first is that a company targeting the global market must take a global approach to the management of its business. The second is that it is vitally important to reflect the sometimes harsh light of regional requirements, rules, history and culture in our business life.
For the global enterprise that is Toshiba Group to grow sustainably, we need to earn the trust of society. We will earn this trust by being sensitive to the social mores of the countries and regions in which we operate, by complying with their laws and regulations, by protecting the local and global environment and by contributing positively to society.
Fair Business Activities And Communication Are Prerequisites For Earning Trust
To earn the trust of society, our business activities must be fair. Toshiba Group places the highest priority on "human life and safety" and "legal compliance" throughout our business activities. To put this into practice, Toshiba Group places the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the heart of business management. In this way legal compliance, human rights, the environment, customer satisfaction and corporate citizenship are all systematically managed as an integral part of our business.
The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, Toshiba Group Standards of Conduct and the Group slogan - "Committed to People, Committed to the Future. Toshiba."- are enshrined throughout the Group. Through Toshiba Group's CSR activities, we endeavor to earn the trust of society by consistently putting the Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group and the Toshiba Group Standards of Conduct into action. All Toshiba Group companies and employees are required to act in accordance with these policies in order to demonstrate that Toshiba respects people and is an enterprise of fairness and integrity.
It is important for us to be accountable. Intellectually, language is a tool for seeking enlightenment. Socially, it enables communication and seeds relationships. By deepening communication with stakeholders through dialog, and by listening to their comments and suggestions, we seek to flourish as a global enterprise that is deserving of society's trust.
Contributing To Society By Creating Value And Respecting The Environment
In 2005, as we celebrate Toshiba's 130th anniversary, we remember the example of our founder Hisashige Tanaka- Mechanical Genius of the East- who brought the world numerous inventions. Since those early days, curiosity and passion have been in Toshiba's corporate DNA. In 2004 we established the Toshiba Group Management Vision which declares that our raison d'être is to be a source of products and services that meet people's aspirations and are beneficial to society. We promote technological innovation and provide novel commercial solutions. In doing so, we are inspired by the three themes of our management vision: "Surprise and Sensation," "Safety and Security" and "Comfort."
Environmental considerations are a prerequisite for promoting technological innovation; specifically, it is essential that we reduce our environmental impacts. Recently we announced the Toshiba Group Environmental Vision 2010, which had at its core an ambitious target: the doubling of overall eco-efficiency -combining product eco-efficiency and business process eco-efficiency- by fiscal 2010 compared with fiscal 2000. We have also formulated our Fourth Voluntary Environmental Plan, which is being implemented at all of Toshiba Group sites worldwide.
We are promoting good environmental management practices across all our products and business processes, focusing in particular on the prevention of global warming, control of chemical substances and efficient utilization of resources. We intend to play a leading role in establishing a sustainable society.
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Inculcating the Spirit of the U.N. Global Compact among All Suppliers
Toshiba Group is participating in the United Nations Global Compact, an international initiative espousing ten universal principles concerning human rights, labor and the environment. This activism reflects Toshiba's earnest desire to promote corporate citizenship, so that business can play a role in enabling everyone on the planet to enjoy the opportunities and benefits brought about by globalization. In the spirit of the Global Compact, Toshiba is taking the initiative: stressing support of children's education in China and elsewhere in Asia, helping to bridge the digital divide*, promoting universal design and supporting relief efforts in areas stricken by disaster.
*)Digital divide: Gap between those who have access to information technologies and those who do not.
In February 2005, we established the Toshiba Group Procurement Policy, positioning CSR at the heart of our relationships with suppliers and requiring suppliers to promote legal compliance and operations that respect human rights and the environment. I am convinced that these efforts will amplify the impact of Toshiba's CSR efforts by inculcating the spirit of the Global Compact throughout our supplier network.
My essential guiding philosophy is "Be truthful in your thoughts, your words and your deeds." This means striving to express what one really thinks in truthful words, putting those words into action, and then taking responsibility for one's actions.
My objective in championing this philosophy throughout our operations is to ensure that Toshiba Group is an enterprise richly deserving of society's trust.
Atsutoshi Nishida
President and CEO
Toshiba Corporation
A message from the Chairman and CEO of Toshiba America, Inc.
“Think Globally and Act Locally"
"Think globally and act locally" is a key aspect of my business credo. For Toshiba America this means that as a global company doing business in the U.S., we must comply fully with all legal requirements, work to understand cultural norms regarding issues such as corporate philanthropy and diversity in the workplace, as well as ensuring that our actions reflect important environmental concerns. I believe that every company is a part of society and therefore belongs to the community in which it operates. Companies exist to contribute to society.
“Committed to People, Committed to the Future"
The Toshiba Group’s dedication to CSR is reflected in our corporate slogan "Committed to People, Committed to the Future." All Toshiba employees are encouraged to share our management vision and our core values, and the Toshiba Group Standards of Conduct and the UN Global Compact guide us in many aspects of our daily business. In addition, through the sharing of news about our CSR activities and programs with our stakeholders, we are helping to actively promote Toshiba CSR globally. I firmly believe that it is important to communicate honestly and openly, just as it is crucial to consider environmental sustainability, sincerity to our customers, and participation in community enrichment activities.
Earning the Trust of Society
In order to earn the trust of society, profit and short-term business goals must not come at the expense of long-term environmental sustainability. One thing about Toshiba that always attracted me was the company’s ongoing commitment to creating essential, life-enhancing products and services – through which we have earned both society's trust and our own survival as a company. It is also essential for a whole corporate process to aim to improve economical, social, and environmental performance by considering social fairness fully and by accepting accountability to shareholders, employees, customers, and community. Toshiba America complies with the laws, and respects American culture and history in which we operate, while always striving to be a good corporate citizen.
Sustainable Development
On a personal level, I am a grandfather myself, and I believe it is essential for all of us to work toward sustainable development for the coming generations.
Chairman and CEO
Toshiba America, Inc.
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