For Communities

Basic Policy

Main Activities and Results (Fiscal 2012)

Monitoring and Improvement

Objectives and Achievements

Basic Policy

NEC will seek to accurately grasp social issues through dialog with stakeholders including local communities, as it promotes social contribution activities that solve those issues. At the same time, it will fulfill its social responsibilities as a "good corporate citizen."
From among such social issues, we have established the following specific medium-term themes, with the aim of realizing "an information society friendly to humans and the earth."

• Eliminating the Digital Divide
  -Helping to solve poverty issues in developing countries (BOP)
  -Improving accessibility (consideration for socially vulnerable groups, etc.)
• Social innovation developed by entrepreneurs
• Youth education that cultivates creativity
• Protecting the environment and showing consideration for biodiversity
• Realizing a diverse & thriving society

Main Activities and Results (Fiscal 2012)

In March 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck.
Providing support to the regions ravaged by this unprecedented disaster became an opportunity for NEC to recognize anew the potential behind its social contribution activities, which falls into the following four areas.

1. Social contribution activities can be accelerated through alliances with NPOs and NGOs. (Partnerships with NPOs/NGOs greatly enhance the effectiveness of social contribution activities, and lead to building the trust of local communities.)
2. Social contribution activities can become a starting point for business. (Conducting social contribution activities in disaster-affected regions leads to the realization that local communities have diverse social issues and needs, many of which can be solved through use of information and communications technology (ICT).)
3. Social contribution activities can raise the level of social awareness among employees. (Leads to the development of employees with a high degree of social awareness and the ability to take in and incorporate the true desires and expectations of ordinary people; these employees then increase the potential for (2), above.)
4. Social contribution activities can instill among employees a spirit of loyalty to the company. (Employees begin to feel pride in and affection for their company.)

NEC “TOMONI” Project

“TOMONI” literally means "together," and in July 2011, NEC established the NEC “TOMONI” Project in support of those regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Coming "together" as one NEC, Group companies will work "together" with the members of those communities to implement ongoing recovery and reconstruction initiatives in the affected regions.
This project is comprised of two programs, one involving volunteer activities in support of the disaster-affected regions, and the other social contribution initiatives supporting recovery and reconstruction.

(1) Volunteer activities in support of disaster-affected regions

NEC believes that participation in volunteer activities has nurtured employees with a higher degree of social sensitivity and fostered teamwork, along with enhancing the trust of stakeholders, namely those living in the disaster-affected regions.
Of the seven volunteer activities held, NEC worked particularly closely with the Togura Reconstruction Support Organization (Currently "Lamb's"), an NPO in Miyagi Prefecture's Minamisanriku Town, on the last four.

Comments from a stakeholder

Comments from an NEC officer who participated in volunteer activities in the affected regions

After participating in the “TOMONI” Project as a volunteer, I spent some time visiting several areas affected by the disaster, and with other members of the Revival Support Promotion Office*, also visited the municipal office in Minamisanriku Town. There, we learned that they were struggling because of a loss of communication capabilities, and that they had strong expectations for ICT companies like ours. There are some things you just can't learn without actually visiting these places. The “TOMONI” Project emphasizes going out into the community, seeing the situation for oneself, thinking about what each individual can contribute, and then putting those ideas into action. The NEC Group will continue carefully pondering the experiences of "3.11," expanding on its efforts toward the reconstruction and recovery of the Tohoku region, both in terms of business and its social contributions.

*The Revival Support Promotion Office is an organization that crosses all NEC Group companies, established in July 2011 with the goal of proposing reconstruction support initiatives from the viewpoint of the affected regions.

(2) Social contribution programs tied to support for restoration and recovery

16 programs were implemented between April 2011 and February 2012, focusing on people with disabilities, children, and other socially vulnerable groups, and utilizing existing programs.
Some of the programs held in the affected regions included the NEC Guide Dog Caravan, which supports training of guide dogs for the blind, the NEC Galileo Club, which offers hands-on science classes for children, and the NEC IT Workshop for Mothers.

BOP Business Development in India (Eliminating the Digital Divide)

ICT has the potential to solve social issues and meet needs globally, including emerging and developing countries.
BOP business development refers to solving social issues faced by the world’s impoverished people (Base of Pyramid (BOP): people living on an annual income of less than $3,000) mainly in emerging and developing countries through business activities. In order to promote the sustainable development of such projects, Win-Win business models must be developed that help to improve the lives of disadvantaged people while also ensuring business continuity. To construct sound business models, it is vital to develop strong partnerships with local NGO/NPOs well versed in local social issues.

India faces a wide range of social issues attributable to poverty. With the impoverished comprised nearly entirely of farmers, the development of farming communities ties directly into resolving this problem. At the same time, NEC seeks to expand its business in emerging countries. In particular, expectations are high for significant growth in demand in India’s ICT market.
By 2015, NEC plans to use its ICT to help deliver a stable supply of electricity to farming villages, and by promoting the industrialization of farming, create new employment opportunities for the women of those villages. In turn, selling the safe, fresh fruits and vegetables produced through this new business directly to the wealthy will raise farming village incomes. That income growth will enable farmers to purchase ICT from NEC, helping to eliminate the digital divide among farming villages. This will lead to enhanced education for young people, improved hygiene awareness, and the creation of new businesses in farming villages using ICT, all of which NEC believes will help break the chain of poverty that has repeated itself over generations.
With this goal in mind, in fiscal 2012 NEC joined the Japan External Trade Organization's (JETRO) BOP Business Partnership Support Program, completed local surveys, and began selecting local partner candidates from industry, the government, and academia.

NEC Social Entrepreneurship School, Pro Bono (Social Innovation Developed by Entrepreneurs)

Social entrepreneurs seek to solve social and environmental issues through businesses. These entrepreneurs are attracting more and more attention for their ability to play a leading role in solving social and environmental issues through businesses.
NEC was among the first to focus on this trend, and in fiscal 2003 launched the NEC Social Entrepreneurship School in cooperation with ETIC, an NPO, as a program for nurturing young social entrepreneurs.
In fiscal 2011, this time working with the International Center for Social Entrepreneurship (another NPO), NEC began providing support for a social entrepreneur business plan competition, targeting foreign students in Japan mainly from developing nations. Additionally, in fiscal 2012 NEC began working with another NPO, the Japan Philanthropic Association, on a new program; The NEC Takumi Juku (Master Class) is designed to support the development of social entrepreneurship among middle-aged and elderly people, further enhancing NEC's overall support for social entrepreneurs.

NEC Teachers' Science Laboratory (Nurturing Creativity Through Youth Education)

NEC has sponsored its NEC Galileo Club since 1996, with the goal of resolving the move of young people away from the sciences.
A survey of the most recent participants showed that while a move away from the sciences is often talked about, many of the children responded that they in fact like science. Further research into the cause of the trend revealed that of those teaching science, approximately half considered themselves to be either "bad" or "not very good" at it. (Survey by the JST Center for Promotion of Science Education.).
In addition, an assessment of this program revealed that more ingenuity and inventiveness would be needed to expand the program's impact from a social viewpoint.

NEC Make-a-Difference Drive (MDD)

Based on the motto of "Think Globally, Act Locally," the "NEC Make-a-Difference Drive" is a corporate citizenship program directed at local communities in which all NEC Group employees participate on a global basis.
Based on the slogan "Nature, Education, Community" that uses the letters in the company name for the three key words, NEC MDD has happened every year since 1999.
Through NEC MDD, NEC Group employees around the world volunteer to take part in activities that make a valuable social contribution to local communities. This helps employees to discover something new on a personal level, while helping to cultivate stronger group cohesiveness as "One NEC" and a corporate mindset of high social commitment. In turn this helps NEC to achieve the goal of creating enhanced corporate value.
In fiscal 2012, proactive participation by NEC Corporation and domestic and overseas group companies resulted in 729 participating sites organizing 2,829 programs, with roughly 132,075 participants on a cumulative basis donating a total of 128,783 hours of their time. The entire NEC Group worked to implement biodiversity preservation programs, resulting in participation by 8,032 individuals.
In fiscal 2013, we will continue to conduct activities centered on providing support for recovery efforts from the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as implementing biodiversity preservation programs.

Awards are given for particularly outstanding MDD activities, based on criteria such as business relevance, the sustainability of activities, and the plan's novelty. The best activities are recognized through two Grand Awards (social contribution category) as part of the CSR Awards - one for an NEC Group site in Japan and one for an overseas site. Other domestic/overseas pairs of MDD awards are also given, such as the Business Oriented Award, Ongoing Efforts Award, and the Biodiversity Award, as well as the Best PR Award and Best Newcomer Award. In fiscal 2012, there were 2,829 MDD programs eligible for selection. The two winners of the Grand Award were as follows.

Monitoring and Improvement

Each year, NEC evaluates the effectiveness of its social contribution programs from two points of view, that of society and that of NEC. This is done to clarify any issues for the following year's activities, and improve the programs.
In fiscal 2012, the criteria for evaluating CSR activities from society's point of view were improved to provide a more concrete assessment of the impact of those activities on society. The current evaluation criteria are as follows:

Objectives and Achievements

Objectives for the Medium Term (From Fiscal 2011 to Fiscal 2013) and Fiscal 2012, Achievements and Progress, and Degree of Completion

(Degree of completion: achieved/mostly achieved/some progress/no progress)

Fiscal 2013 Objectives

Community Contributions

In fiscal 2012, the NEC Group‘s total social contribution expenses were approximately 5 billion Japanese yen. We conducted activities in various regions around the world in four main areas, including Academia, Research and Education; and Arts, Culture and Sports.
Social contribution expenses include the following:
1）inancial assistance、2）charitable donations of products (quoted on a unit price basis), 3）public use of NEC facilities (converted into monetary amounts based on the unit price of using equivalent external facilities, to quantify the cost of using NEC facilities for socially beneficial purposes)

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