OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2009. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report for 2007-2008 is a new information product for OJSC NWT providing a more detailed description of the non-financial aspects of the Company’s business.

To prepare the report the best world practices and the interests of the key stakeholders were taken into account including the employees, shareholders, investors and customers of the Company and society as a whole because most of the projects, services and programmes of OJSC NWT are clearly socially oriented. The structure of the report makes it possible for each stakeholder to find information that helps to understand the policy and strategy of OJSC NWT relating to the social responsibility of business.

The report includes the key major indicators of the Company’s business such as customer service, corporate governance, community development, HR policy and also labour safety and environmental policy.

The CSR Report aims at:
describing the strategy of OJSC NWT relating to corporate social responsibility;
identifying the stakeholders’ views and expectations regarding the activities of the Company in this area;
reducing the risks incurred in the interaction between the stakeholders, maintaining trust and long-term cooperation;
improving the information exchange within the Company;
benchmarking for establishing the unified practices of North-West Telecom’s corporate social responsibility.

The report covers the period from 01 January 2007 to 01 January 2009.

The report complies with the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative’ (GRI) G3 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (Application Level C) and the Telecommunications Sector Annex. The leading CSR advisors – specialists of Ernst and Young (CIS) B.V. – were involved in the preparation of the first report and establishment of the non-financial reporting system of OJSC NWT.

The title of the first CSR Report – “Small Secrets of a Big Company” – implies that this information product of OJSC NWT discloses the “secrets” relating to the identification of appropriate areas and optimal scope of social investments by the Company and the accumulation of experience of corporate social responsibility. The key “secrets” are simple, clearly aim at the target audiences and are reflected in the report structure and the titles of its key sections:
Secret No.1: ‘Responsibility and Trust’ is devoted to the interaction between OJSC NWT and local communities, the contribution of the Company to the improvement of   the socio-economic situation in the regions of presence, its involvement in socially important national and regional projects, charities and environmental protection issues.
Secret No.2: ‘Transparency and Efficiency’ discusses corporate governance aspects such as the principles and mechanisms of Company’s investor and shareholder relations, channels and tools for interaction with these important target audiences .
Secret No.3: 'Everyday Care' is devoted to the Company’s activities aiming at meeting the customers’ telecommunications needs, enhancing the level of service and user loyalty, as well as to information security and compliance with the requirements of the Russian legislation relating to market relations and marketing activities including advertising.
Secret No.4: ‘Team Spirit’ describes the system of relationships between the Company and its employees, and HR management aspects such as training, professional growth and motivation; corporate culture and labour safety, employees’ social protection and interaction with the trade union.

The electronic version of the report is available on NWT’s corporate website at http://www.nwtelecom.ru/ru/godovoi_othet

NWT employees may familiarise themselves with the electronic version of the CSR report on the internal corporate portal using the corresponding banner link.

A printed presentation version of the report is made available upon completing a special form on the website.