Managing issues in future
The chart below interprets how we manage some current issues we face. It was developed as part of the research that preceded the development of our new method for dealing with stakeholder input and corporate responsibility risks. The background material used for the chart was based on a detailed review of stakeholder documentation that we had generated through media reviews, research of British public opinion, international feedback reports, and dialogue with customers, MPs and O2 employees.
O2's management of stakeholder issues
To help us map the evolution of how we are dealing with various social, environmental and ethical issues we have grouped them under a number of headings. As an example we have included the definitions of three of the areas here:
- Business Model Integrity: Anti-competitive behaviour; Corporate tax; Subsidies; UK/EU Regulation; Universal service obligations
- Lifestyle impacts: Adult content; Gambling; Responsible use of mobile technology
- Socio-economic Impacts: Digital inclusion (inter-generational, disability, diversity); Real estate price impacts due to masts; Sponsorship; Labour issues in the supply chain.
The research concluded that O2 has an "enormous amount of expertise in stakeholder engagement and has evolved a wide-ranging approach in the relatively short time that the Company has been operating... that has ensured that it has been alert and responsive to a rapidly evolving environment".
The report highlighted the fact that when it comes to high-profile risks - such as the perceived health risk of mobile phones and communications networks/masts - we manage these well, supported by dedicated teams. But it suggested that stakeholder engagement on 'fringe' issues tended to be more ad hoc and managed by a handful of people in the Company. It said we may not, therefore, be benefiting as a business in these areas.
The research recommended that we should:
- be more active in shaping the stakeholder agenda;
- put more resources into dealing with 'fringe issues';
- set up engagement strategies for specific issues;
- establish stakeholder advisory panels for contentious matters.
The research also suggested this approach would help us to get input from stakeholders that would help us develop future products and services.
In response, we are hoping to start collecting information generated through stakeholder dialogue using our online risk management tool. This system would potentially allow us to automatically track the issues - that most concern stakeholders - so that we stay up to speed with their worries as they evolve.
This first step should allow us to address the other recommendations arising from our stakeholder engagement research.
