Case study: How Media Prima promotes ethical business conduct
Media Prima is the largest integrated media company in Malaysia, with business activities that comprise Television, Print, Radio, Out-Of-Home, Content and Digital Media. As a consequence, Media Prima tries to conduct its business according to high ethical standards Tweet This! of honesty and integrity, fighting fraud, corruption and dishonest business practices.
This case study is based on the 2016 Sustainability Report by Media Prima published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Operating ethically and responsibly regarding issues such as copyright protection, bribery and corruption, or conflicts of interest, is a key priority for Media Prima. In order to promote ethical business conduct Media Prima took action to:
- protect copyright
- fight bribery and corruption
- avert conflicts of interest
- combat anti-competitive practices
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Media Prima has identified;
- How Media Prima proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Media Prima to promote ethical business conduct
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2016 Sustainability Report Media Prima identified a range of material issues, such as training and education, occupational safety and health, employee engagement, marketing and communication, customer privacy. Among these, promoting ethical business conduct stands out as a key material issue for Media Prima.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Media Prima engages with:
| Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
| Customers
| · Customer satisfaction surveys · Customer complaints tools · Social media · Websites |
| Shareholders & Investors | · Results announcement meetings · Annual General Meetings · Regular updates and communication · Investor road shows |
| Interest Groups | · Regular and ad-hoc meetings · Official launches · Events · Open dialogues · Interviews, press releases and websites |
| Industry Peers
| · Conferences and meetings · Industry workshops · Networking events |
| Value Chain Partners | · Contract bidding and procurement management · Training and talent management · Programme road shows · Programme licensing negotiations |
| Community and the Public | · Financial and non-financial contributions · Philanthropic activities · Volunteerism programmes · Events and road shows |
| Employees | · Employee satisfaction survey · Employees engagement programme · Internal communications such as newsletters, the intranet and updates · Events and functions · Employee grievance system |
| Regulatory Authorities | · Regular communication · Reports and compliance · Periodical meetings · Regular environmental reporting to the DOE |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritize material sustainability topics, Media Prima carried out a Stakeholders Materiality Survey through an external consultant, to guarantee impartiality and respondent anonymity. Stakeholders contacted by the company were asked to rate various corporate governance, economic, environmental and social issues according to importance and included customers, employees, interest groups, shareholders and investors, value chain partners, community and the public, industry peers and regulatory authorities.
What actions were taken by Media Prima to promote ethical business conduct?
In its 2016 Sustainability Report Media Prima reports that it took the following actions for promoting ethical business conduct:
- Protecting copyright
- Media Prima only uses software that has been developed by the company, licensed or provided by the developer. Moreover, Media Prima employees are asked to avoid:
- duplicating material that is copyrighted, without the consent of the owner
- copying software between machines without the owner’s documented authority
- copying company software for use in computers not belonging to the company or for unauthorized purposes
- installing, on desktop computers, unauthorized software
- Fighting bribery and corruption
- To operate according to the highest ethical standards Media Prima strictly forbids:
- bribes, extravagant gifts or gratuities of any kind
- gifts, loans or other advantages in return for sales or other advantageous arrangements
- requesting or accepting gifts on behalf of the company
- achieving profits except for regular compensation
- Averting conflicts of interest
- Media Prima employees are prohibited from working for or receiving payments for services from the company’s customers, competitors, distributors or suppliers without management’s approval. In addition, employees must report it immediately, if they find themselves in such a position.
- Combating anti-competitive practices
- Media Prima makes sure:
- it complies with the Competition Act 2010, which is governed by the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC)
- information on the company’s competitors is obtained legally
- employees never use illegitimate or immoral methods to gain competitive advantage
- employees sell the company’s products and services fairly and honestly, without using tactics that dishonestly undermine competitors’ products
Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?
The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:
1) G4-SO4: Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures
2) G4-SO5: Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 205-3 Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken
3) G4-SO7: Total number of legal actions for anti-competitive behavior, anti-trust, and monopoly practices and their outcomes – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 206-1 Legal actions for anti-competitive behavior, anti-trust, and monopoly practices
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Media Prima, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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