AmerisourceBergen 2011 Annual Report Download - page 14

AmerisourceBergen’s primary responsibility as
a public company is to increase stockholder value and
to provide for the continued long-term success of the
Company.We have achieved that goal in our first decade
by running our business in a transparent and ethical
manner, by valuing and respecting all of our associates,
and by promoting the interests of our business partners.
Moreover, we actively encourage our associates to
share their talents and take part in efforts to improve
the communities in which they live and work.
The success we’ve had in our first decade has been
driven in large part by our efforts to continuously improve
the safety, efficiency and productivity of our operations
and the pharmaceutical supply channel.To accomplish
this, we purchase pharmaceuticals for distribution in
the U.S. only from the products’ manufacturers, or
their authorized representatives.We have a solid record
of regulatory compliance, and we work with local,
state, and federal authorities to facilitate responses
to changing market dynamics and to build awareness
about our business and the customers we serve.
Because we warehouse and distribute pharmaceuticals
across the entire U.S. and in Canada, we are uniquely
prepared to offer assistance when natural disasters or
other emergencies occur. Our associates are equipped
and empowered to help customers deal with crises and
to help communities in need. Community pharmacies
and hospitals are often the lynchpins of their communities,
and we stand ready and able to help them meet the
unique challenges of emergency situations, not only
by providing large amounts of pharmaceuticals on very
short notice, but also by providing unique services,
like setting up mobile pharmacies.We are very proud
that our associates and our customers consistently rise
to meet the needs of patients in challenging situations.
Corporate Governance
AmerisourceBergen continuously seeks ways to
align the interests of the Board of Directors and the
management team with stockholder interests in an effort
to drive our continued success.The Company regularly
reviews its corporate governance principles, Board
Committee charters, codes of conduct, and other
governance policies to ensure that they remain effective.
We actively seek ways to improve our Board of
Directors’ understanding of our operations and our
strategic objectives, and we require all of our associates
to undergo regular training on business ethics and
regulatory compliance.We promote open communication
and collaboration across our entire Company.
The diversity of our Board of Directors reflects our
commitment to promoting an inclusive environment
across our entire Company.We provide equal
opportunities for professional growth and development
while respecting the different perspectives our
associates bring to our organization.AmerisourceBergen
offers a competitive benefits package to all associates
on a non-discriminatory basis, which includes paid
time off, healthcare insurance, the opportunity to
participate in the Company’s 401(k) plan, tuition
reimbursement, and other benefits.
Sustainability
AmerisourceBergen constantly seeks ways to
reduce costs and energy consumption while improving
the safety, efficiency, and speed of our operations and
the entire pharmaceutical supply channel. Over the
last four years we have audited more than 25 of our
largest facilities to help identify areas where the amount
of energy consumed in our daily operations could be
reduced. One outcome of the audits was an investment
of $3.5 million over the last three years to upgrade our
warehouse and office lighting systems.The lighting
upgrade alone has reduced our net annual carbon
dioxide emissions footprint by almost 9,000 standard
tons.We have received local recognition for our energy
efficiency efforts, including from the Sacramento
Municipal Utility District (SMUD), which honored
our Sacramento, California distribution center with
the SMUD Community EnergyAward for contributing
to efforts to reduce the amount of energy that must
be generated in the Sacramento region.
In our day-to-day operations, we ship pharmaceuticals
in reusable plastic totes, and we utilize sophisticated
delivery route planning software to minimize the
number of vehicles required to serve our customers,
and to reduce the miles each vehicle travels and the
number of stops each vehicle makes.We also utilize
reusable cold packs when shipping products that require
refrigeration. Several of our facilities have outsourced
12
CorporateandSocial Respons i