PwC and Corporate Responsibility

The essence of Corporate Responsibility is to make a lasting positive contribution to the people and to the regions in which we live and work.
 
Corporate Responsibility is part of a whole strategy and should be a brand-refining feature of PwC in Central and Eastern Europe. This approach lets us understand how we impact our stakeholders, the environment and the communities in which we operate. Responsible leadership means integrating this knowledge in a responsible, accountable and transparent way to create a strong and successful business. We believe that by implementing a common regional approach we will be able to develop in a sustainable and successful way. Different territories have a different history of CR-related activities and needs. It is very important that the regional goals are reflected in territory CR objectives. This diversity is our strength as we are willing to share experience and learn from others.

The strategic CR quadrants

The Corporate Responsibility strategic framework is composed of four quadrants representing all areas of the organization. It provides direction for the CEE territories on how to: engage with community affairs; place stronger focus on the CR for our People; be active in the marketplace in relation to CR; and actively promote environmentally conscious behaviours.
None of the CR quadrants exists in isolation; they all interrelate with each other. A variety of actions undertaken within the strategy framework of one CR quadrant may have a positive impact on one another when linked together.

Workplace quadrant  
Good corporate citizenship is as much about looking after our own people as engaging with the outside world. Our corporate responsibility program therefore includes a number of initiatives designed to promote engagement, diversity, respect and development for all PwC CEE people. Although there are unique requirements determined by local cultures in respective countries in the CEE region, there are some common themes – work-life balance, talent retention, or unique expectations of the new joiners. Empowering our employees and providing them with an environment in which they can thrive ensures that our services exceed client expectations.

Marketplace quadrant
Alongside our commitments to the community, workplace and environment quadrants, we believe we must play an active and responsible role in the marketplace. Although market-facing CR activities are conducive to strengthening the PwC CEE’s brand, we believe in the importance of positively shaping the entire region’s influence in the marketplace. Thus, we aim to share our CR agenda with our clients, alumni network and suppliers to cultivate the acceptance of good corporate responsibility among our important stakeholders. In order to live the values we espouse in CR, we also promote a Responsible Purchasing Policy and aim to continue to invest in procurement processes and systems, encouraging good CR among our suppliers and ensure each one is treated fairly. As PwC, we hold the potential to demonstrate a profound and valuable example of good corporate citizenship by means of interaction with customers, promoting CR internally and in the business community.

Community quadrant
As a professional services firm, our most valuable asset is the myriad of skills, capabilities and experience among our people. This is the reason why one of our key objectives is to build a link between our business and the educational domain. We are encouraging our people to dedicate their time to fostering academic excellence in various education institutions and organizations. In order to maximize the positive impact on the society we use our professional expertise to address various socially significant issues.

Environment quadrant
In the environmental quadrant, our vital goal is to raise consciousness among our people and to minimize our impact on the natural environment. PwC firms worldwide report on environmental performance and pursue solutions to alleviate their negative impact, which is now one of the CR priorities in the CEE region. In order to benchmark our performance, we are in the process of collecting data to measure key environmental indicators – such as our carbon footprint – and establishing realistic minimum environmental standards across the region.   
Our ultimate goal is to embed a consistent framework of CR values, policies and commitments with respect to our relationship with local communities, role in the market, and the environment in which we operate. This feeds directly into the global PwC Experience and ensures we continue to lead the way as a distinctive, yet responsible professional services firm.

We have much to be proud of

 • Armenia
Thought Leadership - cooperation with State Revenue Committee
PwC and the State Revenue Committee held a presentation on the Armenian Pocket Tax Book. It is the first English- language publication on taxes and emphasises simplification, building trust and confidence in the administration and calls upon effective cooperation between officials, advisers and policy makers. 

• Croatia
Croatian Corporate Responsibility Days
The local CR team organised activities and presentations to raise awareness and inform staff about Corporate Responsibility, with the motto “We think of others“.

• Czech Republic
Employee Community Projects
Our people have the opportunity to create a project proposal designed to help their community or organisation and submit it to the internal grant competition. A special grant committee consisting of PwC employees then selects three winning projects per year to receive financial support.

• Estonia
Support for Narva - Joesuu orphanages
Financial donations and support have been provided to the Narva-Joesuu Orphanage, one of the most underfinanced children’s home in Estonia.

• Georgia
Help for old people’s residence
PwC people in Georgia actively participated in gathering funds for a home for elderly people. The residents have Alzheimer’s disease and their monthly income is based on individual charities and community assistance.

• Hungary
Help for the Zoltán Kovács Foundation Kindergarten
PwC Hungary organised a joint CR project with one of their clients, E.ON. Employees collected clothes, food and toys, and the two companies donated a washing machine and a dryer.
Sixty volunteers renovated the garden, laying a lawn, putting sand under the swings, and painting benches, swings and cupboards.

• Kazakhstan
Launch of English classes for orphans
The “English for Kids” program has been launched at an orphanage where 10 children aged between 12 and 15 are learning English from our people. At the end of the 2nd term, the best three students will be awarded mobile phones and an MP3 player.

• Poland
Help to the flood victims
PwC Poland was involved in initiatives to help the community during the devastating floods that affected a large part of the country. Two fundraising events were held and the amount raised was doubled by the partners. Our people also collected goods and helped with sorting and packing food. Additionally Partners provided their expertise to assist NGOs with their strategy to manage the crisis.

• Romania
TLS Community Day
The “TLS Community Day” initiative involved 125 volunteers completing six projects in Dridu, Jilavele and Moldoveni. Projects included preparing and organizing playgrounds and schoolyards, painting the medical centre, and preparing the football field. Volunteer activities were supported by a donation of over EUR 17,000.

• Russia
Educational programs in Russia
PwC Russia continued to expand their cooperation with Junior Achievement, a not-for-profit global organization that teaches work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to school children. In 2010, 38 volunteers participated in six different programmes, reaching a total of 869 students.

• Slovakia
Endowment Fund and grant programme ‘Helping hand’
PwC people established a fund called ‘Helping Hand’ to support the projects of NGOs or municipalities and endorse the good things going on in the community. Fourteen community
projects have been supported so far, to the value of EUR 10,566.

• Slovenia
Cooperation with Africa Fighting Malaria organisation