Barclays 2004 Annual Report Download - page 14

Corporate Responsibility
Following the 2003 review conducted by the Board into Barclays
approach to corporate responsibility, we made good progress against
our objectives in 2004.
As a UK based company, currently we are furthest advanced in a
number of fields in the UK. While we have a thriving community
programme in Africa, and our Environmental Management System
is in operation in many countries in which we operate, one of our
priorities for 2005 is to extend the reach of our overall approach
to corporate responsibility to other regions around the world.
During the year we:
•committed £32m in support of the community in the UK and
internationally, including £11.2m of UK charitable donations;
•launched Barclays Spaces for Sports, a three-year £30m investment
in community sports facilities;
•continued and upgraded our investment in established
programmes for the community, equality and diversity, and the
environment;
•built on our reputation as a pioneer and leader in the field of
financial inclusion;
•delivered a ground-breaking deal with Amicus UNIFI, providing
excellent terms and conditions for colleagues impacted by
offshore outsourcing;
•developed a clear statement on human rights, and continued our
participation in the Business Leaders Initiative on Human
Rights; and
•made good progress in adapting our branches and offices to be
fully accessible to customers with disabilities.
Governance
Good governance is the basis from which we manage our approach
to corporate responsibility.
Brand and Reputation Committee
At the beginning of 2004, we established a Brand and Reputation
Committee (‘the committee’) as a sub-committee of Group Executive
Committee. The committee exists to protect and enhance the Barclays
brand by considering issues that could affect the Group’s reputation, to
act as a think-tank for the development of our corporate responsibility
agenda and to assess our progress as a responsible organisation.
The committee includes divisional Chief Executives, heads of key
central support areas and those Directors with responsibilities
for specific aspects of the corporate responsibility agenda.
The Community and Social Affairs Committee, the Global Diversity
Council and the Environmental Steering Group are sub-committees
of the committee and submit a report to the Brand and Reputation
Committee after their regular meetings, as does the Public
Policy Forum.
Board Governance Standard
As described in the Risk Management section of this report, Board
Governance Standards are a key component of good governance and
business practice across Barclays. They form the foundation of our
system of internal control and governance, consistent with the
Turnbull Guidance for Directors on Internal Control.
In 2004, we developed a Board Governance Standard on corporate
responsibility. This was agreed by the Board Risk Committee in May,
and is currently being embedded into our operations worldwide.
The Corporate Responsibility Director is accountable to the Board for
the operation of the standard, and the standard is subject to annual
review by the Board Risk Committee.
The standard sets out our definition of corporate responsibility –
‘business behaviour that is likely to engender the trust and
commitment of stakeholders towards the company’ – and highlights
our need to ensure that:
•customers are treated fairly;
•suppliers adhere to the moral and ethical standards required by
the Group;
•we consider the impact of business decisions or activity on the
communities in which the Group operates;
•we identify and manage/reduce the environmental impact of the
Group’s activities; and
•we create an inclusive environment for employees.
Recognition
We were the proud recipients of the 2004 National Business Award
for Corporate Social Responsibility. The judges were looking for the
organisation that could best demonstrate a company-wide
commitment to corporate responsibility and that had a strategy
embedded in the business, together with examples of policies or
projects that benefited the local community. The award was collected
by the Chairman at a ceremony in November 2004.
We were ranked in the top ten of 100 companies by Business in
the Community in this area. Additionally, we retained membership
of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and the FTSE4Good ethical
index series.
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Corporate Responsibility Report 2004 – available from 28th April 2005 at www.barclays.com or e-mail
Corporate responsibility