AKEBONO REPORT 2014

22/72

Our Corporate Brand Management and Positioning ofCSR ActivitiesIn 2005, Akebono initiated corporate brand management, an initiativeaimed at enhancing corporate value by meeting the expectationsof stakeholders, namely, customers, shareholders andassociates, with an equalemphasis placed on each of these keystakeholder groups. In October 2005, Akebono went on to formulatethe Brand Statement, implementing the full-scale launchof its corporate brand management initiative with the aim ofencouraging pride in the Akebono brand among associates andthereby strengthening the Company’s competitive edge. From fiscal2008 onward, we have focused on two aspects of our corporateimage, namely, the provision of high-quality products and servicesand our status as a technologically advanced manufacturer. Sincethen, we have been striving to realize greater brand recognitionby enhancing the Company’s attractiveness and strengths.Akebono considers fulfilling its corporate social responsibility(CSR) to be indispensable to continued business operations. Inother words, its pursuit of regular CSR activities is an essential partof maintaining its operating foundation. At the same time, corporatebranding initiatives reflect the Company’s strategic CSR initiativeaimed at further enhancing its social and corporate value. Torealize our Corporate Mission, we will promote corporate brandinginitiatives to secure greater corporate strength, remaining acompany that consistently provides people with safety and peaceof mind through its operations.Corporate Brand Awareness Survey and Brand ReportsSince 2005, Akebono has conducted annual surveys on corporatebrand awareness among its associates, customers and suppliers,as it recognizes that such surveys are significant part of the Plan,Do, Check and Act (PDCA) cycle, which is an aspect of corporatebrand management.In fiscal 2013, the scope of survey was expanded further toinclude all of our domestic and overseas business locations. Thismove was in step with the Company’s globalexpansion and thenumber of respondents totaled 7,115. To share what our stakeholdershave to say with our associates worldwide, we issue theBrand Report in-house newsletter, which summarizes?in Japanese,English, French, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese?wide-ranging stakeholder feedback and opinions gleaned fromthese surveys. This helps ensure that such feedback and opinionsare reflected in our future initiatives to secure the greater satisfactionof our stakeholders.A year earlier, as we carried out our fiscal 2012 survey, we settargets for each production plant nationwide with regard to ourcorporate brand management initiative recognition rate amongassociates. The target was set at 70% or greater, but we foundthe recognition rate of such associates were 59.4% and 28.3% atAkebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (FukushimaManufacturing) and Akebono Brake Yamagata ManufacturingCo., Ltd. (Yamagata Manufacturing), respectively, far below thetarget rate. In response, we stepped upour communications with associates atthese locations in fiscal 2013, and wereable to improve the rates at FukushimaManufacturing and YamagataManufacturing to 84.7% and 68.9%,respectively. Going forward, we willapply the lessons of our survey results toraise associates’ awareness, therebyenhancing quality of theirdaily operations.Status of CSR Promotion (in-House)In accordance with the CSR Guidebook (revised edition as of April2010) issued by the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association(JAPIA), Akebono maintains a list of its ongoing CSR activities. Bymaking those activities more visible and managing them in a systematicmanner, Akebono is ensuring that its CSR activities aresteadily implemented.Akebono also utilizes an internal inspection system based onthe ISO 26000 management system to evaluate CSR activities conductedin each business segment. By doing so, Akebono works toclarify its management issues on CSR from a global perspectiveand thereby improve overall CSR activities.Toward Further GrowthCorporate Brand Management and Corporate Social ResponsibilityAchieving Akebono’s Corporate MissionSustainably AchievingAkebono’s Corporate MissionCSR Policy: Constantlyproviding society withsafety and peace of mindto practice and realizeour Corporate MissionProviding of high-qualityproducts and servicesMaintaining status asa technologicallyadvanced manufacturerFulfilling corporatesocial responsibility(precondition tocontinue businessoperations in society)Establishing unparalleledcorporate brand;“great company”“good company”“favorite company”BrandingDifferentiating characteristics Basic requirementsStrategic CSR Regular CSRInformationdisclosureComplianceRiskmanagementSocialcontributionEnvironmentalactivitiesHuman rights/labor relationsSafety andLevel of achievement qualityThe Relationship between Corporate Brand and CSR

※このページを正しく表示するにはFlashPlayer9以上が必要です