Annual report 2014

153 / 348

3
Information about the Company | Corporate Governance | Reports
4.6. Information and Communication
The group’s values, Compliance Program, Data and Content Protection
Charter and CSR policy are made available to employees and to the public
on the Vivendi website at
Group procedures designed to assist with the preparation of financial
and accounting information are updated once a year and are available in
French and English on the group’s Intranet site. These procedures, which
must be applied by each of the business units and headquarters, include:
the IFRS accounting principles and the chart of accounts for the Vivendi
group; the principles and procedures applicable to treasury transactions
(banking relationships, foreign exchange, finance and investment); the
procedures applicable to investment transactions; sales of assets; short-
term and long-term financing transactions; the monitoring of disputes;
the monitoring of sureties; endorsements and guarantees; and the rules
relating to the prior approval of assignments given to the Statutory
Auditors of Vivendi SA.
Training materials relating to the application of IFRS standards within the
group are available online and are accessible to all employees. Training
is organized each year by the Corporate Consolidation and Financial
Reporting department.
4.7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
4.7.1. CSR, a Source of Value Creation for Vivendi and its Stakeholders
■
■ Innovative Positioning
Vivendi distinguishes itself with its approach and contribution to
sustainable development: one that aims to meet the needs of present
and future generations to communicate, feed their curiosity, foster the
development of talent and encourage intercultural dialogue to promote
mutual understanding and learning to live together.
As a publisher and distributor of content, the group has a human,
intellectual and cultural influence on society.
The group is at the heart of the worlds of content, platforms and
interactive networks. In 2014, Vivendi invested €2.3 billion in content.
Accordingly, as early as 2003, Vivendi focused its societal responsibility
on three “core” strategic issues linked to the group’s operations:
p p promoting cultural diversity in the production and distribution of
content while fostering the artistic creative process;
p
p protecting and empowering young people when they use digital
media; and
p
p fostering knowledge sharing by enabling more customers to access
media and by guaranteeing pluralism of content.
■ ■ Vivendi’s Eight Priority Issues
Vivendi operates a CSR policy that links its economic, societal, social and
environmental performance with its operations and geographic presence.
The group makes its commitment clearly visible to all its stakeholders
who were invited to participate in a consultation conducted in June 2014
to gain a clearer understanding of how they perceive the group’s CSR
policy. The three historical issues were seen as being particularly relevant
to the group’s business. Following this consultation, the valuation and
protection of personal data was added to these three historical CSR
issues in an effort to meet certain expectations from the stakeholders.
Vivendi’s eight priority issues including those related to its “core
business” are as follows:
p p promotion of cultural diversity;
p p protection and empowering of young people;
p p knowledge sharing;
p
p valuation and protection of personal data;
p p vigilance in business conduct;
p p social and professional empowerment of employees;
p p local economic, social and cultural development; and
p
p respect for the environment in the digital era.
These action areas are described in detail in the CSR section of Vivendi’s
website at is section also includes all of Vivendi’s
non-financial indicators for fiscal year 2014 as well as the cross-reference
table for the various reporting guidelines including the Global Reporting
Initiative, French Grenelle II law, OECD, and United Nations Global
Compact.
■ ■ Creating Shared Value
Societal priorities are at the forefront of Vivendi’s concerns and
commitments. This position is welcomed by all partners with whom the
group maintains a regular and constructive dialogue.
The high rating of Vivendi’s CSR policy gives investors comfort in their
investment choices. Vivendi’s commitments to favoring the diversity of
musical and cinematographic expression, pluralism and content quality,
intercultural dialogue, access to media, and the empowering of young
people, are what allow the group to gain market share. These trends and
developments demonstrate that economic performance and sustainable
development go hand in hand.
153
Annual Report 2014