ECBIZNE: ...its Divisions-Subsidiaries & Affiliated Entities Communication on Progress (COP)

Participant
Published
  • 17-Nov-2013
Time period
  • November 2012  –  November 2013
Files
Format
  • Stand alone document
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Advanced level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
  • Meets all criteria for the GC Advanced level
Verification
and Transparency
  • How is the accuracy and completeness of information in your COP assessed by a credible third-party?
  • The COP describes any action(s) that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to have the credibility of the information in its COP externally assessed, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Information is reviewed by multiple stakeholders (e.g., representatives of groups prioritized in stakeholder analysis)

  • Information is reviewed by a panel of peers (e.g., members of the same industry, competitors, benchmarked leaders, others organized via Global Compact Local Network)

  • Information is assured by independent assurors (e.g., accounting or consulting firm) using their own proprietary methodology

  • Information is assured by independent assurors (e.g., accounting or consulting firm) against recognized assurance standard (e.g., ISAE3000, AA1000AS, other national or industry-specific standard)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    All of the stated gross sales value of the company is credit insured by third-party vendor.

 
  • The COP incorporates the following high standards of transparency and disclosure:
  • Applies the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines or the GRI Standards

  • Applies elements of the International Integrated Reporting Framework

  • Provides information on the company’s profile and context of operation

Strategy, Governance
and Engagement
  • Criterion 1: The COP describes mainstreaming into corporate functions and business units
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Place responsibility for execution of sustainability strategy in relevant corporate functions (procurement, government affairs, human resources, legal, etc) ensuring that no function is conflicting with company sustainability commitments and objectives

  • Align strategies, goals and incentive structures of all business units and subsidiaries with corporate sustainability strategy

  • Assign responsibility for corporate sustainability implementation to an individual or group within each business unit and subsidiary

  • Design corporate sustainability strategy to leverage synergies between and among issue areas and to deal adequately with trade-offs

  • Ensure that different corporate functions coordinate closely to maximize performance and avoid unintended negative impacts

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Implementing the 10 Principles into our strategies/operations call for increased awareness of the MDGs -particular its provisions under Target 8F: whereby we've enabled other Stakeholders through our bold initiatives in Caribbean CIT deployment.

  • Criterion 2: The COP describes value chain implementation
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Analyze each segment of the value chain carefully, both upstream and downstream, when mapping risks, opportunities and impacts

  • Communicate policies and expectations to suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Implement monitoring and assurance mechanisms (e.g. audits/screenings) for compliance within the company’s sphere of influence

  • Undertake awareness-raising, training and other types of capacity building with suppliers and other business partners

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We're bring world-class BROADBAND communications services to the mobile DATA space within the Caribbean region; -and, we are doing so in the spirit of our REGIONAL COOPETITION STRATEGY -with no finger pointing -NO MATTER WHAT!

Human Rights
  • Criterion 4: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the human rights principles
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Process to ensure that internationally recognized human rights are respected

  • On-going due diligence process that includes an assessment of actual and potential human rights impacts (BRE 2 + BRE 3 + ARE 2 + ARE 3)

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on human rights for management and employees

  • Operational-level grievance mechanisms for those potentially impacted by the company’s activities (BRE 4 + ARE 4)

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability for addressing human rights impacts

  • Internal decision-making, budget and oversight for effective responses to human rights impacts

  • Processes to provide for or cooperate in the remediation of adverse human rights impacts that the company has caused or contributed to (BRE 3+ BRE 4 + ARE3 + ARE 4)

  • Process and programs in place to support human rights through: core business; strategic philanthropic/social investment; public policy engagement/advocacy; partnerships and/or other forms of collective action (BRE 6 + ARE 6)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company has abolished the principle of "Minimum Wage". -as as per its by-laws the company will not engage in employment of individual at minimum wage. The company has achieve great strides by employing high-income personnel and is encouraged to do so.

  • Criterion 5: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of human rights integration
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • System to monitor the effectiveness of human rights policies and implementation with quantitative and qualitative metrics, including in the supply chain (BRE3 + ARE3)

  • Monitoring draws from internal and external feedback, including affected stakeholders

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Process to deal with incidents the company has caused or contributed to for internal and external stakeholders (BRE 4 + ARE 4)

  • Grievance mechanisms that are legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, a source of continuous learning, and based on engagement and dialogue (BRE4 + ARE4)

  • Outcomes of integration of the human rights principles

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company's 2013 financial statement will be subject to audit evaluations against labor and human rights audit issues and responses.

  • Criterion 3: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of human rights
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Commitment to comply with all applicable laws and respect internationally recognized human rights, wherever the company operates (e.g., the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Guiding Principles on Human Rights) (BRE1 + ARE1)

  • Integrated or stand-alone statement of policy expressing commitment to respect and support human rights approved at the most senior level of the company (BRE 1 + BRE5 + ARE 1 + ARE 5)

  • Statement of policy stipulating human rights expectations of personnel, business partners and other parties directly linked to operations, products or services (BRE 1)

  • Statement of policy publicly available and communicated internally and externally to all personnel, business partners and other relevant parties (BRE 1 + BRE 5 + ARE 1 + ARE 5)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    At it core the management of the company has achieved a robust humanitarian policy driven by its faith-based initiatives. traditional religious beliefs, meditation, continued "prayfulness" in sync with universal human rights practices.

Labour
  • Criterion 8: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of labour principles integration
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Dialogues with the representative organization of workers to regularly review progress made and jointly identify priorities for the future

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the working conditions of companies in the supply chain, in line with principles of international labour standards

  • Process to positively engage with the suppliers to address the challenges (i.e., partnership approach instead of corrective approach) through schemes to improve workplace practices

  • Outcomes of integration of the Labour principles

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Over the next year we will measure much of our success based on the company's quest to become the largest private corporate employer within the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

  • Criterion 6: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of labour
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Reference to principles of relevant international labour standards (ILO Conventions) and other normative international instruments in company policies

  • Reflection on the relevance of the labour principles for the company

  • Written company policy to obey national labour law, respect principles of relevant international labour standards in worldwide company operations and engage in dialogue with representative organization of the workers (international, sectoral, national).

  • Inclusion of reference to the principles contained in the relevant international labour standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Specific commitments and Human Resources policies, in line with national development priorities or decent work priorities in the country of operation

  • Structural engagement with a global union, possibly via a Global Framework Agreement

  • Participation and leadership by employers’ organizations (international and national) to jointly address challenges related to labour standards in the countries of operation, possibly in a tripartite approach (business – trade union – government).

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The offers it fullest support in assisting the government of the Bahamas by building an on-ramp to achieving it goal of employing and training more than 3,000 to 10,000 skilled workers within the next three years.

  • Criterion 7: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the labour principles
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Risk and impact assessments in the area of labour

  • Dialogue mechanism with trade unions to regularly discuss and review company progress in addressing labour standards

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organization

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on the labour principles for management and employees

  • Active engagement with suppliers to address labour-related challenges

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g., whistleblower mechanisms) available for workers to report concerns, make suggestions or seek advice, designed and operated in line with the representative organization of workers

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Development of our Sociotechnical systems (STS) is an approach dealing with complex organizational work design which recognizes the interaction between people and technology in workplaces.

Environment
  • Criterion 11: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for environmental stewardship
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Process to deal with incidents

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the environmental performance of companies in the supply chain

  • Outcomes of integration of the environmental principles

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company has demonstrated strong environmental stewardship through it verious memberships in environmental associations and stakeholders.

  • Criterion 10: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the environmental principles
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Environmental risk and impact assessments

  • Assessments of lifecycle impact of products, ensuring environmentally sound management policies

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organisation

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on environmental stewardship for management and employees

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g. whistleblower mechanisms) for reporting concerns or seeking advice regarding environmental impacts

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company is deploying green technology facilities in two of its geo-redundant regional teleport and data center. In 2013 the company will see a carbon foot print reduction of more than 70%

  • Criterion 9: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of environmental stewardship
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Reference to relevant international conventions and other international instruments (e.g. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development)

  • Reflection on the relevance of environmental stewardship for the company

  • Written company policy on environmental stewardship

  • Inclusion of minimum environmental standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Specific commitments and goals for specified years

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company has deployed a 100% paperless OSS/BSS platform ...and operates an all virtual server environment for it core business operations and vertical markets development.

Anti-Corruption
  • Criterion 13: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the anti-corruption principle
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Support by the organization’s leadership for anti-corruption (B4)

  • Carrying out risk assessment of potential areas of corruption (D3)

  • Human Resources procedures supporting the anti-corruption commitment or policy, including communication to and training for all employees (B5 + D8)

  • Internal checks and balances to ensure consistency with the anti-corruption commitment (B6)

  • Actions taken to encourage business partners to implement anti-corruption commitments (D6)

  • Management responsibility and accountability for implementation of the anti-corruption commitment or policy (D7)

  • Communications (whistleblowing) channels and follow-up mechanisms for reporting concerns or seeking advice (D9)

  • Internal accounting and auditing procedures related to anticorruption (D10)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company's prepaid business has strong cash management policies to discourage corruption and the effective cash management system includes a broad range of finance involving the collection, depositing, handling, and usage of cash.

  • Criterion 14: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the integration of anti-corruption
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results (D12)

  • Process to deal with incidents (D13)

  • Public legal cases regarding corruption (D14)

  • Use of independent external assurance of anti-corruption programmes (D15)

  • Outcomes of integration of the anti-corruption principle

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company has adopted an an anti-money laundering, anti-drug trafficking and anti-terrorism. -and generally employ off-duty police officers for security details ranging from national security to corporate executive protection.

  • Criterion 12: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of anti-corruption
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Publicly stated formal policy of zero-tolerance of corruption (D1)

  • Commitment to be in compliance with all relevant anti-corruption laws, including the implementation of procedures to know the law and monitor changes (B2)

  • Statement of support for international and regional legal frameworks, such as the UN Convention against Corruption (D2)

  • Detailed policies for high-risk areas of corruption (D4)

  • Policy on anti-corruption regarding business partners (D5)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company drives 100% of its income from "clean money" sources-.leveraging its income against cash backed investment-grade papers. The financial structure of the company is transnational with CPA management of all disbursement accounts.

UN Goals and Issues
  • Criterion 15: The COP describes core business contributions to UN goals and issues
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Align core business strategy with one or more relevant UN goals/issues

  • Develop relevant products and services or design business models that contribute to UN goals/issues

  • Adopt and modify operating procedures to maximize contribution to UN goals/issues

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company ...its' Divisions-Subsidiaries & Affiliated Entities pledge to establish itself as a broadband WISP ...fortifying it position as the Caribbean regions' fastest mobile data network.

  • Criterion 16: The COP describes strategic social investments and philanthropy
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Pursue social investments and philanthropic contributions that tie in with the core competencies or operating context of the company as an integrated part of its sustainability strategy

  • Coordinate efforts with other organizations and initiatives to amplify—and not negate or unnecessarily duplicate—the efforts of other contributors

  • Take responsibility for the intentional and unintentional effects of funding and have due regard for local customs, traditions, religions, and priorities of pertinent individuals and groups

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company commits a percentage of its net income through serving as a PVO within the communities it serve.

  • Criterion 18: The COP describes partnerships and collective action
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Develop and implement partnership projects with public or private organizations (UN entities, government, NGOs, or other groups) on core business, social investments and/or advocacy

  • Join industry peers, UN entities and/or other stakeholders in initiatives contributing to solving common challenges and dilemmas at the global and/or local levels with an emphasis on initiatives extending the company’s positive impact on its value chain

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company through its lead attorney seeks to improve the competitive landscape to legal action to rid the Caribbean community of Monopolies and duopolies.

  • Criterion 17: The COP describes advocacy and public policy engagement
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Publicly advocate the importance of action in relation to one or more UN goals/issues

  • Commit company leaders to participate in key summits, conferences, and other important public policy interactions in relation to one or more UN goals/issues

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    The company's engagement and public advocacy is focused on Network Neutrality: Competition, Innovation, and Nondiscriminatory Access the essential facilities. (...and, the company is an avid promoter of the doctrine of essential facilities)

Governance
  • Criterion 19: The COP describes CEO commitment and leadership
  • CEO leads executive management team in development of corporate sustainability strategy, defining goals and overseeing implementation

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • CEO publicly delivers explicit statements and demonstrates personal leadership on sustainability and commitment to the UN Global Compact

  • CEO promotes initiatives to enhance sustainability of the company’s sector and leads development of industry standards

  • Make sustainability criteria and UN Global Compact principles part of goals and incentive schemes for CEO and executive management team

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We needed to use next-generation technologies to produce more with less, which is exactly why the ECBIZNET brand exist. As a new leader in its community we have gained the executive-level support and change-management processes needed to ensure success.

  • Criterion 21: The COP describes stakeholder engagement
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Publicly recognize responsibility for the company’s impacts on internal and external stakeholders

  • Define sustainability strategies, goals and policies in consultation with key stakeholders

  • Consult stakeholders in dealing with implementation dilemmas and challenges and invite them to take active part in reviewing performance

  • Establish channels to engage with employees and other stakeholders to hear their ideas and address their concerns

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Criterion 20: The COP describes Board adoption and oversight
  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Board of Directors (or equivalent) assumes responsibility and oversight for long-term corporate sustainability strategy and performance

  • Board establishes, where permissible, a committee or assigns an individual board member with responsibility for corporate sustainability.

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    As a CEO who practice what I preach: I know the workplace diversity and inclusion efforts is need to be successful and I follow the top five ways CEOs are demonstrating their commitment to workplace diversity-related information in this COP.

  • Board (or committee), where permissible, approves formal reporting on corporate sustainability (Communication on Progress)