Airtel 2014 Annual Report Download - page 43

Statutory ReportsCorporate Overview Financial Statements
Bharti Airtel Limited
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3. Governance related to BR:
The frequency with which the Board of Directors,
Committee of the Board or CEO assess the BR
performance of the Company. (Within 3 months, 3-6
months, annually, more than 1 year).
The CSR Committee of the Board reviews the Company’s
BR performance twice a year. In addition, the Board
also oversees the performance and provides a strategic
approach to the Company’s BR initiatives on an annual
basis.
Details and link of the Company’s Business Responsibility
or Sustainability Report, along with its frequency.
The Company publishes a separate Annual Sustainability
Report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative
Framework. The electronic version of the report is
uploaded on the Company’s website and can be viewed
by clicking the link: www.airtel.in/sustainability.
Section E
Principle-wise Performance
Principle 1
Businesses should conduct and govern themselves with
Ethics, Transparency and Accountability
Ethical Standards
Bharti Airtel’s business is integrally governed by ethics,
transparency and accountability. The Company’s
commitment towards compliance to the highest governance
standards, which it believes is beyond legal and regulatory
requirements, is backed by an independent and fully informed
Board, inclusive processes, policies and communication.
The Company has laid the highest levels of ethical business
practices as articulated by its Code of Conduct (CoC), which
sets out the guiding principles on business with integrity. The
CoC covers the Policy involving ethics, bribery and corruption,
referring to bribes, kickbacks and improper payments, and
among others.
The Policy encompasses multitude of Bharti Group’s
stakeholders like employees, suppliers and contractors,
service providers, channel partners and their employees. All
confirmed cases of violation of the Policy’s clauses are acted
upon in accordance to the Consequence Management Policy.
Transparency and Accountability Standards
In FY 2014-15, Bharti Airtel received 14 allegations of bribery
/ corruption. Investigations were completed in all cases, and
actions were initiated as per the Consequence Management
Policy.
Principle 2
Businesses should provide goods and services that are safe
and contribute to sustainability throughout their life cycle
While evaluating the impact of business operations, Bharti
Airtel relentlessly works to provide value across its value
chain to minimise environmental fallout. Airtel took some
significant steps like promoting reduced energy consumption,
minimising waste and focusing on developing innovative
solutions to ensure environmental stability. The Company
has formulated and implemented procurement guidelines to
confirm safety and resource optimisation. Besides, it adheres
to standard practices and procedures for waste disposal in
accordance with regulations.
Airtel gives primary importance to community health and
safety. The Company acknowledges the growing concern over
the exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and maintains
complete transparency in its position. It also shares updated
and extensive research-based information on this matter
with its employees, partners, customers and the community,
at large. The Company’s existing practices comply with
the relevant guidelines issued by the Department of
Telecommunication (DoT), Government of India (GoI). Airtel’s
sites are subjected to random checks and audits by the DoT’s
Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) Cells.
The Company, in partnership with the Cellular Operators
Association of India (COAI) conducts various programmes,
workshops, seminars and stakeholder. Such initiatives are
taken to build awareness about the issue.
Airtel declared ‘War on Waste’ as one of its business priorities.
This initiative intends to improve the Company’s operating
efficiencies by eliminating waste. Airtel is consistently
deploying innovative technologies with the aim to reduce its
operational wastes. More details on waste management can
be found under Principle 6.
Serving People
Bharti Airtel is committed to bring socio-economic
transformation to help elevate the lives of millions. The
Company is consistently leveraging its existing capabilities to
provide basic life services to people. Airtel, not only plays a
significant role to enhance connectivity, but also contributes
in realms of medicine and healthcare, education and
financial inclusion through its mobile services. Such services
include mobile money, mobile health, mobile education and
agricultural awareness.
Simplifying Transactions
Bharti Airtel brought India’s first mobile wallet service called
Airtel Money, to make easy transactions. It is an alternative
to other payment options, including cash. It helps customers
to pay for remote transactions like instant money transfers,
booking railway or movie tickets, paying for utility bills,
insurance premiums and recharging phones, among many
others.
Bharti Airtel’s pioneering forays in IVR, web-based
applications; USSD, SMS and online presence in national as
well as regional languages helped it to become a customer-
friendly platform. My Airtel app enables its users to self-
manage the Airtel services and enables them to make
payments, manage VAS and view promotions. The new
version of ‘My Airtel’ application comes with a wide range
of fresh features, driving an enhanced digital experience
for customers. This application simplifies customers’ life by
eliminating the need to call or visit an Airtel relationship
centre. ‘My Airtel’ app has a contemporary design interface
that will simplify customer journeys and allow them to do
much more – efficiently and effectively .
Business Responsibility Report