The Ricoh Group hopes to improve its CSR activities through dialogue with various stakeholders. In fiscal 2008, we organized a meeting with officials from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and an international organization who are working to resolve the social problems faced by the world today.
On the day of the meeting, participants exchanged opinions on "the evaluations of Ricoh Group's CSR activities and expectations from them" and "What companies should consider when engaging in future CSR activities," and gained a lot of precious advice. |
Ricoh participants (standing) with NGOs and an international organization (front row)
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Second row (left to right): Masakuni Kutsuwada (General Manager, Corporate Communication Center), Hisashi Horio (General Manager, Strategic Marketing Department, Corporate Planning Division), Yuji Yamada (General Manager, Global HR Management Department, Human Resources Division), Kiyoshi Satake (Deputy General Manager, Procurement Control Center), Masahiro Nakamura (Deputy General Manager, Corporate Technology Development Gruop), Mariko Azuma (General Manager, CSR Office), Takahiro Kobayashi (General Manager, Business Planning Office, International Business Group), Hideki Segawa (General Manager, Technical Strategy Department, Office Business Planning Center), Wataru Otani (General Manager, DM Technology Development Center, Corporate Technology Development Group)
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Compliance Efforts Will Not Cease
Makoto Teranaka, Amnesty International Japan
 Corporate activities will always create negative effects, such as labor problems, human rights issues, and environmental problems. Therefore, corporations' "basic responsibility toward society" will never disappear. We believe it is important to think about how to deal with these negative consequences. Contributions to developing nations need to be conducted with consideration for sustainability and the entire society. This could mean activities such as hiring locals, creating markets and building infrastructure. Contributions should not be limited to just donating printers.
Expectations for Business Model Development in Developing Countries
Mayuko Murasawa, JEN
 When promoting CSR activities, it would be helpful if Ricoh clarified what kind of society it is aiming for, and how to communicate that belief to each employee. On another point, if, in the business model in Afghanistan*, Ricoh has experience conducting maintenance activities in severe conditions surrounded by sand and dust, we expect Ricoh to use that technology in other regions of the world.
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Sales company NRG Benelux B.V. donated copiers to schools in Afghanistan and established a maintenance company. This is a case that led to new employment and business in Afghanistan. |
Important to Consider Effects on Local Communities
When Acting Globally
Akiko Mera, Oxfam Japan
 When engaging in global activities, especially in the BOP business*, it is important to accept a partnership with the local community as well as the community’s diversity. In order to develop a business that benefits both corporations and low-income residents, companies need to respect communication with the local community, listen to as many different opinions as possible, and fully understand what kind of social and environmental impact their corporate activities will have in respective areas. In addition, it is important to build an infrastructure, such as training young local technicians, in addition to just selling products. These activities may not directly lead to boosting productivity in day-to-day work, but in the long term it will be an important value for companies.
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BOP Business refers to businesses that target the BOP (Base of Pyramid), or the socially disadvantaged living in developing nations. This business model results in creating new employment and new markets and also contributes to increasing the income levels of the socially disadvantaged. |
CSR Activities that Serve as Role Models for
Other Companies
Yuka Iwatsuki, ACE
 Because the Ricoh Group has extensive experience implementing CSR activities worldwide, I would like it to be a role model for other companies. Ricoh is already promoting CSR activities among its partner companies, but I would like to see more CSR activities, human rights and labor activities related to the companies’ mainstay businesses. I also suggest dialogue with local NGOs because there is a need to consider the impact on developing nations when corporations engaged in BOP businesses inevitably retreat from such businesses.
Work Together to Contribute to the Development of Developing Nations
Toshiya Nishigori, UNDP
 Developing countries lag far behind developed countries in the field of office automation. Therefore, adding one copier alone will contribute significantly to boosting productivity in developing nations. The time and labor spent on hand writing copies of documents can be put to use elsewhere to boost productivity and ultimately boost income. Existing Ricoh products can play a large role in this transformation. Based on years of experience, the UNDP is well versed in ways to help the poor boost their income levels. We would like Ricoh to use our know-how when engaging in such activities.
Having Participated in the Dialogue
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Masahiro Nakamura
Deputy General Manager,
Corporate Technology Development Group
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It was extremely helpful for me to participate in this dialogue. Before the meeting, I wasn’t always conscious of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). But now, I believe we should use the MDGs as one of our targets for technological development. By working together with local NGOs in developing nations through Ricoh’s mainstay business, we can discover local needs together. I think it would be great if Ricoh could strike a balance between social contributions and business activities through partnerships with NGOs. To implement CSR activities that are unique to the Ricoh Group, I think it would be best if our offering of the Ricoh Values would contribute directly to CSR. In other words, I believe that the challenges we face today are: “harmonize with the environment” (resolving global environmental issues), “simplify your life and work” (providing optimal appliances for each person), and “promote knowledge management” (improving quality of life for workers.) I look forward to having additional dialogue on topics that Ricoh believes are important.
| Upon Receiving Feedback |
This fiscal year, we hosted this exchange of opinion mainly around the topic of “activities that contribute to the development of developing countries” in a bid to strengthen strategic CSR activities (topics that treat CSR as opportunities for new markets). After hearing from all the participants, we reaffirmed the need to eliminate assumptions as well as the significance of accurately investigating local needs and the impact on the local community. We hope to continue working together with NGOs and international organizations in various ways to seek new business models that contribute to solving social problems and boosting our level of CSR activities.
Mariko Azuma (General Manager, CSR Office) |
Information on other efforts toward social harmony
(stakeholder communication) |
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