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[Date : 2014-07-25 22:19:54 ]   
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POSCO News - Siemens - Global CSR Leadership

Ms. Angela Joo-Hyun Kang, Founder and Executive President of Global Competitiveness Empowerment Forum (GCEF) was invited by POSCO PR Group to contribute CSR column series about global companies famous for their CSR leadership. The following column was about Siemens.

POSCO News - Thursday, September 1, 2011
* Web link: http://www.posco.co.kr/homepage/docs/kor2/jsp/news/posco/s91fpdf001l.jsp?onload=Y (Page 14)

Global CSR Leadership - Siemens

"The ‘Power of education’ will create a world without corruption"

By Angela Joo-Hyun Kang, Founder & Executive President of GCEF (Global Competitiveness Empowerment Forum)

[Siemens Integrity Initiative]

A 15 year anti-corruption program investing USD100 million. Efforts to make clean business world with business leaders, government officials and university students through education and training in the areas of anti-corruption, business ethics and compliance.

Conducting poverty elimination programs through private-academic collaborative education and technology training for African university students preparing for their national exams.

* A 15 year anti-corruption and business ethics education and training by investing USD100 million.

* Conducting poverty elimination programs with private-academic collaborative education and technology training for students in Africa

Himalaya’s K2 is the second highest mountain in the world with an altitude of 8,613 meters. Its mysterious appearance has set the hearts of numerous climbers aflutter. Many people have challenged K2, but many have failed. However, there is one person whose life completely changed because of such failure - Greg Mortensen. He was a climber, turned into an education philanthropist currently. Well known through his book, “Three Cups of Tea”, he was once homeless and jobless. How was he able to build 171 schools in the mountain areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and give 68,000 children the opportunity to learn?

The answer was courage and belief. The wish of Korphe villagers, who saved his life, in a small mountain beneath the Himalaya was to have their children go to school. Achieving this wish was not easy. All kinds of physical, economical, and cultural difficulties existed: there was no bridge over which to move construction materials; there was the threat of kidnap and confinement by Taliban forces; US conservatives opposed child education in the Islamic world; conservative Islamic priests were prejudiced against female education etc. Greg overcame every hardship with the same iron will and courage with which he’d previously conquered high mountains.

What fields of business endeavor need such strong courage, beliefs and will? Let’s ask a question: what if corporate philanthropic money is gradually skimmed off by corrupt government officials, intergovernmental organization workers or non-profit organization managers? What if ethics in our society were to disappear because corporations habitually indulge in bribery and corrupt actions in order to gain short term profits? What if even schools put the means ahead of the ends in order to reach their short term goals?

Siemens, a 163 year old engineering enterprise operating in 190 countries with a long tradition and high reputation of the world’s best technology, courageously entered the war against corruption with the World Bank. Siemens Integrity Initiative is an effort to make clean business world through education and training in anti-corruption, compliance and business ethnics for government officials, current business leaders and university students, and by the collective actions of business and industry specific collaboration. This initiative will proceed with an investment of USD 100 million over 15 years, starting from 2011. Participating organizations include the OECD, UN Global Compact, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Transparency International, various Chamber of Commerce and Industry offices and business associations. Other participants include worldwide non-profit organizations such as South Korea’s Federation of Korean Industries-International Management Institute and academic research & development organizations.

There is another reason why the true depth of Siemens’ courage is so distinctive. In 2006, Siemens was in crisis due to a bribery and corruption scandal. With fines of 1 billion Euro, this was the highest penalty on record for a single corporate body. Like Greg Mortensen, who hovered between life and death after failing to reach the top of K2, Siemens might not have recovered from this huge financial blow. But with a massive amount of effort, Siemens recorded their greatest performance in 2009. In 2011, Siemens courageously stepped up to promote global anti-corruption by publicly acknowledging and reflecting the company’s mistake.

The schools built by Greg Mortensen teach hope and peace, not hate, to future generations of Pakistan and Afghan children through balanced education. When it comes to technology, errors are not allowed. Similarly, Siemens Integrity Initiative teaches courage to bear zero tolerance for corruption to current and future business leaders through education. Siemens also supports technology education and private-academic collaborative education for African university students preparing for their national technology test. In addition, Siemens supports poverty alleviation programs through education and collaboration, and capacity building programs for civil society organizations in order to contribute to the educational development of Africa, South America and Europe.

The old business paradigm of only pursuing profit is gradually changing due to the development of new trends in corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, business ethics and sustainable management etc. It will be a long and hard road to reach the highest possibility and integrity in the business world. Especially, social performance requires courage in many aspects, different from economical and environmental performances. However, no matter how high the mountain is, if endless efforts through education are made to spread peace and to make a non-corrupt world, it will be conquered. We may face repeated failures but we can stand up and try again, just as Siemens did, with iron will and courage. <The End>


POSCO News_Siemens_Column by Angela_ENG.pdf (230 K)
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Organization : GCEF (Global Competitiveness Empowerment Forum)  
Founder and President : Angela Joo-Hyun Kang   
Location : Business Valley, 3F., A-Dong, Hyosung Harrington Square, 92, Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 04168, Republic of Korea
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