Our true performance as a company must take account of both our non-financial and financial results. They are intrinsically linked – if we want to be a profitable and successful company, we must be an ethical one.
We are committed to being both. To that end, we have been building on our expertise and engaging with stakeholders to find ways to innovate and improve.
In developing online solutions to the needs of our customers in areas like health, science and technology, law, environment, and business, we benefit society. For example, Procedures Consult gives doctors a way of maintaining their skills and knowledge through web-based simulation of essential medical techniques; TotalPatent is a single source for global patents, a primary driver in research and development; XpertHR helps practitioners advance good practice in people management; energylocate aggregates our energy offerings into a one-stop community, using tools like social networking and video to advance knowledge.
Innovation is also helping advance our internal corporate responsibility:
- Increased online training in our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct has led to more of our people understanding what it means to do the right thing
- A new global jobs board illuminates our value, Boundarylessness, by allowing employees to search for new positions across locations, functions, and divisions
- The Net Promoter Score survey programme last year allowed nearly 30,000 customers to express their willingness to recommend us – results show where we are doing well and where we must do better
- A new Publishing Ethics Resource Kit has helped our science and technology editors advance journalistic integrity
- Our 2008 Reed Elsevier Cares Challenge saw more staff working together to build skills and relationships while making a difference in local communities
- We decreased our transport emissions through travel alternatives like video conferencing and webinars, and the introduction of a global travel portal
We are making strides but there are challenges ahead. A deep global economic downturn must not diminish the importance of our corporate responsibility objectives. They are as critical now as ever, and we must continue to meaningfully engage people at all levels of our business in achieving them. We must also make the business case in all that we do. For example, in limiting resource use, we reduce both our impact on the planet and expenditure. The twinning of good financial and non-financial performance is a win/win for the company and its stakeholders.
We must draw on outside expertise where we can. As a signatory of the UN Global Compact, we are supported in pursuing corporate responsibility and transparency through ten principles covering human rights, labour, the environment, and anti-bribery. The Global Compact makes clear how we in the private sector – in partnership with others – can achieve a more sustainable and inclusive global economy.
I am soon to retire from Reed Elsevier. Our achievement during my tenure in integrating corporate responsibility throughout the company is one of the things of which I am most proud. I know incoming CEO Ian Smith will maintain and further this commitment.
Sir Crispin Davis, CEO
March 2009