A message from the Telefónica, S.A. Executive Chairman, César Alierta

Telefónica rolls out ethical standards across the world

For several years we have argued that corporate responsibility is about achieving business results appropriately and with integrity.

In 2007 we continued to improve as a responsible company, building relationships with many different stakeholders and turning our Business Principles into a common ethical culture across our global operations

We aim to be a strategic ally of economic, technological and social progress and our employees work hard to support initiatives that will help to improve people’s lives, often through telecommunications technology.

In the UK for example, we’ve seen O2 help found the ‘Together’ environmental campaign with other big businesses, launch It’s Your Community, and continue to support young people. 

Across Telefónica, we have set ambitious targets to improve customer satisfaction and our employees’ workplace over the next few years. We cannot hope to become the operator of choice for customers, or society’s most appreciated telephony business, unless we are among the best places to work.

Telefónica wants to make sure that everyone can enjoy the benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Our goal is to break down barriers - be they economic, geographic or because of disability – that may block people from ICT. In 2007 we continued to launch new commercial offers to match the needs of our diverse customers and to promote IT through education.

We also encouraged our customers to use new technology responsibly. We talked to them about child protection, handset recycling, computer viruses and other security problems, and how to use mobile phones courteously in public places.

We are dedicated to support the communities we serve by investing in social welfare projects. In 2007 total donations reached nearly 90 million euros, as measured by the London Benchmarking Group.

The United Nations Global Compact captures exactly what corporate responsibility means to Telefónica: an approach that takes account of all stakeholders, that is simultaneously global and local and that is designed to promote excellence in corporate behaviour.