Mercedes 2012 Annual Report Download - page 68

Doing what is right out of conviction. Our success as a premium
manufacturer is also based on maintaining a culture of integrity that
encompasses shared values and a shared concept of ethical behavior.
Top performance incurs obligations. We at Daimler aim to be
pioneers not only when it comes to products and services, but
also with regard to integrity. Because integrity is a key issue for
us, we launched a variety of measures last year to permanently
embed this value in our corporate culture.
Behaving with integrity is an essential part of Daimler’s corpo-
rate culture. This culture is brought to life in our dialog with
internal and external discussion partners. To maintain an ongo-
ing dialog with our employees, workshops and other events
were held in all of Daimler’s Board of Management departments
and in all markets in 2012. The aim of these events was to
achieve a shared understanding of what integrity actually means
at Daimler, regardless of an individual’s country, department
or hierarchy level. The results were incorporated into Daimler’s
new Integrity Code.
The new Daimler Integrity Code. In October 2012, the Board
of Management and the employee representatives signed the
new Integrity Code, which incorporates employee feedback in
order to ensure that it is based on a shared system of values.
The code is based on the principles of fairness, responsibility,
and respect for the law and for individual rights. In line with
these requirements, it stipulates the principles and guidelines
for everyday behavior at Daimler. It affects employees’ deal-
ings with one another as well as with customers and business
partners.
The Integrity Truck tour. In a continuation of the Integrity in
Dialog initiative, the Integrity Truck toured 18 company
locations in Germany between October and December 2012.
In line with the slogan “Integrity gets us moving: Right of way
for respect, openness and fairness,” the Integrity Truck fea-
tured an exciting, demanding and informative program for the
employees at the Daimler plants. Participants were also given
the opportunity to discuss integrity-related issues.
Advisory Board for Integrity and Corporate Responsibility.
In September 2012, Daimler took another step in connection
with its sustainable, dialog-oriented integrity strategy when
it established the Advisory Board for Integrity and Corporate
Responsibility. In the future, the committee will critically and
constructively advise Daimler on integrity-related issues from
an external perspective. The committee is composed of nine
notable people who are involved with integrity-related issues.
They represent the fields of science, business, politics and
the media, as well as non-governmental organizations.
E see page 179
Business partner brochure. More than 63,000 copies of the
corporate brochure “Ethical Business. Our Shared Respon-
sibility” have been distributed to external business partners
since its publication in 2012. The brochure communicates
Daimler’s standards of value and ethical principles to its busi-
ness partners.
w daimler.com/sustainability/integrity
“The most important thing is that all
of us — ranging from workers to Board
of Management members — treat one
another fairly!”
Anastasia Tsiliaka, assembly gear box parts, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim
72