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Case study Singtel and Optus: Holistic Stakeholder Engagement in CSR Singtel (Singapore Telecommunications Limited) is a Singaporean telecommunications company, with over 640 million customers in 25 countries. It is the largest mobile network operator in Singapore and, in terms of subscribers, it is the second largest in the world. Singtel has a strong focus on sustainability, CSR and stakeholder engagement. Singtel's approach to CSR seeks to actively contribute to society. Singtel aims to make a lasting positive impact on its stakeholders, acknowledging that the industry it operates in can have unintended impact on society and the environment. Singtel's sustainability strategy seeks to create shared value and mitigate the risks to the company, its stakeholders and the environment. The company is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen and strives to build a sustainable future for its stakeholders in four key areas: marketplace, people, environment and community. When it comes to engaging its stakeholders, Singtel combines proactive and responsive approaches. Every three years, Singtel proactively performs a formal stakeholder engagement exercise, surveying a whole range of stakeholders: employees, senior management, customers, suppliers, not-for-profit and community partners. The survey examines what issues of sustainability and responsibility are important to the stakeholders; what issues they believe Singtel can play a role in; and what areas have the greatest impact on the company. This proactive approach results in themes that help Singtel shape its focus on sustainability, its operations and communication with its stakeholders. Singtel's employees are engaged in CSR either as part of the corporate, as teams or as individuals. Corporate programmes provide employees with an opportunity to be part of social change initiatives and Singtel also encourages VolunTeaming: volunteering of business units. For example, Optus, the Australian subsidiary of Singtel, is a founding member of the Australian Business and Community Network - a group of business leaders who desire to create positive social change by engaging with high-school students and educators. The programme aims to provide students with the skills and work experience they require to make sound personal, educational and vocational choices. In this programme, Optus employees actively mentor students from disadvantaged backgrounds and provide them with work experience opportunities at Optus. In addition to corporate volunteering opportunities, Singtel employees can volunteer for any cause that they are passionate about and receive paid leave to do so, while some CSR initiatives even originate from the employees. For example, one Optus employee came up with an idea to use an existing service package to help homeless people. The employee noticed that many homeless people were purchasing a ' $2 per day' plan, which was originally aimed at students who cannot commit to a regular phone plan. The employee suggested that homeless people have a similar package, where they are also not charged for any calls to social services and welfare agencies. That way, their basic needs of contact with authorities responsible for their welfare can be guaranteed. Employee surveys show that CSR is now seen as the most important factor in employee engagement in Singtel, leading to pride and commitment. Helping those in need is also a way Singtel involves consumers. Optus has a pilot programme of 'donate your data', where customers pledge to donate their unused data (rather than just letting it expire). The data quota donated gets pooled, matched by Optus and transferred to mobile plans for Optus' charity partners, such as The Smith Family, who then distribute phone plans to people in need. Business customers are also engaged in Singtel's CSR efforts, some of which explicitly require that Singtel (being their supplier) be socially responsible in various areas (health and safety, environmental sustainability, equity and diversity, etc.). Singtel reports to them on its actions and approach in these areas. Singtel initiates engagement with business customers and business round tables and reports on its own social responsibility actions and achievements, with the intention of inspiring a similar focus or collaboration on issues. Regarding its own suppliers, Singtel requires high CSR standards. Prior to bidding for work with Singtel, potential suppliers are informed of Singtel's approach to social and environmental issues. To become a supplier for Singtel, the company must commit to adhere to Singtel's code of conduct, which covers comprehensive CSR issues, such as health and safety, equity and diversity, environmental sustainability, honesty and accountability. Singtel requires periodic reports from its suppliers and, if there are any concerns, Singtel engages with them in various ways to resolve these issues. Finally, Singtel's investors are engaged with the company's CSR by periodic reporting on Singtel's CSR initiatives, actions and achievements through its sustainability reports. Should investors seek further information, it is provided through face-to-face consultation. Singtel's CSR initiatives often simultaneously involve multiple stakeholders. For example, Singtel chose to address cyber security and online safety by linking with several organisations, such as iZ HERO Lab in Singapore (a programme designed to educate and prepare children to engage with the digital world). Optus developed the Digital Thumbprint programme together with leading education experts, currently delivered free of cost to secondary schools in Australia. Singtel's work in this area of cyber security and online safety supports customer satisfaction with their use of Singtel's services, as well as the consumers' health and safety. Questions 1. Why do you think it is important for Singtel to engage its employees in its CSR activities? 2. How does Singtel's stakeholders' engagement guide its CSR strategy? 3. What is required to allow other multi-national companies to engage stakeholders in a similar way to that of Singtel's? in other words, what can Kuwaiti companies learn from this