Bridgestone 2012 Annual Report Download - page 14

12 Bridgestone Corporation
which call for members of the Board, corporate ofcers,
and all Bridgestone employees to conduct themselves in
line with the corporate philosophy, so that the Bridgestone
Group can maintain the trust of its stakeholders. A unit
dedicated to handling compliance, which is overseen by
the Chief Compliance Ofcer (CCO), has responsibility for
the operation of a compliance helpline which provides
compliance-related advice to employees, as well as for
promoting compliance-related education for directors and
employees. Recognizing the importance of compliance
activities as an element of corporate social responsibility
(CSR), Bridgestone has established the Compliance
Committee, which is chaired by CCO and is a subcommittee
of the Integrated CSR Enhancement Committee, which is
chaired by CEO. Moving forward, Bridgestone will continue
to advance compliance activities as one facet of its CSR.
Risk management activities, led by the Chief Risk
Ofcer (CRO), focus on the identication and mitigation of
operational risks and the implementation of measures—as
outlined in a basic risk management manual—designed to
prevent both small-scale accidents and large-scale
incidents. CRO is also responsible for contingency planning
activities which include the formulation and review of
business resumption plans aimed at restoring operations as
quickly as possible in the event of any disruption. In line
with the recognition of the importance of risk
management in CSR, Bridgestone has previously
established the Risk Management Committee, which is
chaired by CRO and is a subcommittee of the Integrated
CSR Enhancement Committee. Moving forward,
Bridgestone will continue to nd additional ways to
strengthen the system to comprehensively manage risks
that could have a major inuence on the operating
activities of Bridgestone and other Group companies.
Bridgestone has formulated internal policy guidelines
regarding the protection of personal data. In addition to
developing and implementing a management system
based on this policy, all employees of the parent company,
Bridgestone Corporation, undergo privacy training and are
provided access to related awareness programs to address
this important issue.
On May 1, 2006, the Board of Directors instituted an
ofcial company policy governing internal control systems;
the Company reevaluates its activities in this area each
year, working to ensure appropriate internal control.
In regard to the Japanese Financial Instruments and
Exchange Act, and in particular to the section regarding
the evaluation of internal control systems to assure the
reliability of nancial reporting and related information,
Bridgestone will work to ensure an effective and reliable
system of internal controls on a Group-wide basis and to
further raise the level of internal control throughout
the Group.
Bridgestone has no connection whatsoever with
antisocial forces or groups that threaten public order and
safety, and takes a resolute stand against such activities.
A department has been established to evaluate information
received regarding such matters and take necessary action
to ensure compliance with this policy, and the Company
has worked to build relationships of trust and cooperation
with external institutions, such as the police and other
related organizations. Bridgestone is working to create
a manual for dealing with inappropriate or illegal requests,
evaluating contracts and the parties thereto to ensure
their appropriateness and that they have no relationship
with any organizations or groups that are illegal or
threaten public order or safety, and are implementing
other related measures. Bridgestone will strive to see that
these measures are widely known and will continue to
strengthen internal systems aimed at identifying any such
groups, programs, or initiatives with which the Company
may come in contact.
Status of audits by the corporate auditors, the
internal auditors, and the independent auditors
The corporate auditors conduct their audits based on
policies determined by the Board of Corporate Auditors.
Directorial conduct oversight involves a number of
auditing activities, including attending meetings of
the Board of Directors and other important meetings,
interviews with directors to ascertain the status of
operations, reviews of important business documents and
on-site audits of business ofces. Moreover, the corporate
auditors meet with the representative directors to
exchange information and opinions and hold meetings
with the corporate auditors of major Bridgestone
subsidiaries in Japan. Bridgestone has established
Corporate Auditor Ofce with dedicated staff as the
organization to support the Board of Corporate Auditor.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, COMPLIANCE, AND RISK MANAGEMENT