Stakeholder Engagement
Governance [Improvement of stakeholder engagement]
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Dialogue with Stakeholders
- The Sumitomo Rubber Group
Aware of the social responsibilities incumbent on the Sumitomo Rubber Group, we always work to assess what is expected of us and reflect such expectations in our business activities. To this end, regular communication with our stakeholders is indispensable. Along with the globalization of our business, the scope of our stakeholders has expanded to include ever more diverse people from regions around the world. We strive to demonstrate integrity in all our business activities so that we can earn the trust of all our stakeholders.
How We Communicate with Stakeholders
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Customers |
Automobile manufacturers, manufacturing companies, sales companies, sports facilities, etc. |
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Business partners |
Rubber raw materials manufacturers, other materials manufacturers, trading companies, processing companies, etc. |
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Local community |
Residents, municipalities, local governments, educational institutions, and other organizations near factories and offices |
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Shareholders and investors |
Number of shareholders: 44,620 (individual and institutional investors, etc.) (as of December 31, 2022) |
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Employees |
Sumitomo Rubber Group: 40,365; Sumitomo Rubber Industries: 7,734 (male employees: 6,808, female employees: 926) (as of December 31, 2022) |
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Measures to Promote Constructive Dialogue with Shareholders
The Company will pursue dialogue with shareholders with the aim of enhancing its corporate value based on the following policies:
- ①The Company strives to realize dialogue in line with the interests of various stakeholders, with the officer in charge of accounting and finance and the officer in charge of general affairs playing central roles in investor relations (IR) and shareholder relations (SR), respectively.
- ②The Company’s relevant departments engage in organic, cross-sectional coordination in order to support constructive dialogue with shareholders, institutional investors and other stakeholders. As part of IR activities, we disclose various data via the IR section of the Company’s corporate website while and, in 2022, established the IR Office. The Company also hosts IR briefings for analysts and institutional investors. In terms of SR activities, the Company issues various publications for shareholders and prepares integrated reports to provide updates on the status of its business operations, ESG management and other matters while maintaining direct engagement with institutional investors. In these ways, the Company strives to improve its corporate value.
- ③The Company considers the opinions gleaned through dialogue with shareholders and investors valuable to the further enhancement of its corporate value. Accordingly, these opinions are periodically reported to the senior management and the Board of Directors. This enables the Board to deliberate on the necessity of acting on said opinions and study measures for doing so.
- ④The Company carries out surveys of the actual owners of its shares to determine the details of its shareholder composition. Results of these surveys enable us to take a more proactive approach to IR and SR activities and promote effective shareholder communications.
Sound Labor-Management Relations
- Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
The Company and the Sumitomo Rubber Trade Union (which had 5,799 general members as of December 31, 2022, excluding officers or managers) maintain good relations based on the sharing of information by management and an approach of prior consultation. We believe that the growth of the Company and the pursuit of employee happiness are objectives shared by labor and management, and we have a history of productive discussions at the various labor-management committees. For example, we engage in activities in which labor and management are united in the pursuit of their objectives, such as when we organized a Labor-Management Wages Study Group comprising personnel from the union leadership and the Company’s Human Resources Department, with the aim of reviewing the human resources system and working conditions. The study group continues to meet on an ongoing basis.
In fiscal 2022, this study group was responsible for such initiatives as the upward revision of allowances to be paid to employees who have been transferred away from their primary areas of residence and are living unaccompanied by family along with the relaxation of conditions applied to employees eligible to receive such premiums as well as the relaxation of conditions for the granting of special leave due to the accumulation of expired leave in order to help meet employee’s daily living needs. The study group also launched discussions regarding what the Company’s human resources system should look like.
In fiscal 2023, we will continue our efforts to promote workstyle reforms and move ahead with various activities, with labor and management continuing to work in cooperation.
Dialogue with Residents of Local Communities
- The Sumitomo Rubber Group
The Sumitomo Rubber Group is striving to enhance the content of dialogue with residents of local communities and other stakeholders.
For the detail, please also refer to “Social Contribution Activities.”