l On December 8, POSCO holds the “2020 Corporate Citizen POSCO Culture Day” to share the value of “Corporate Citizenship” and boost implementation
l The event consists of a special lecture by the former UN Secretary-General Ki-Moon Ban, sharing the research results of Corporate Citizenship management, a green business model contest, a talk concert, etc.
l POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi states, “POSCO’s culture will be transformed to practice Corporate Citizenship even at low levels”
l A book titled “Corporate Citizenship: Drawing the Future of Management” published, containing Corporate Citizenship research results for three years
On December 8, POSCO held the “2020 Corporate Citizen POSCO Culture Day”.
The event was held in compliance with the government’s quarantine policy of social distancing due to COVID-19, and over 10,000 POSCO employees attended online. A number of programs were conducted, such as special lectures, sharing of the research results of Corporate Citizenship, a green business model contest, and a talk concert.
Ki-Moon Ban, the former UN Secretary-General, delivered a special lecture under the theme of “The Sustainable Future of Corporates & The Direction That Corporate Citizen POSCO Should Take in the Future”.
▲ On December 8, former UN Secretary-General Ki-Moon Ban is delivering a special lecture at the “2020 Corporate Citizen POSCO Culture Day”
Ban said, “POSCO serves as a model of corporate management with its practice of Corporate Citizenship, which is a step ahead of others.” He went on, “POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship is in line with Global Citizenship, a virtue of empathy and solicitude that enables all stakeholders of our society to coexist in symbiotic relationships. The spirit of POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship, which aims to create a better world beyond its pursuit of economic gain, is the value that all corporates must pursue together.”
Ban continued to explain the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN SDGs led during his tenure, adding that POSCO has been actively working on carbon neutrality.
Meanwhile, POSCO released a book titled “Corporate Citizenship: Drawing the Future of Management”, which embodies the results of research on Corporate Citizenship management carried out in various sectors, such as business, economy, and sociology.
It also provides an academic approach to Corporate Citizenship — from its basic concept to what meaning it has in the fast-changing times of today (e.g. ESG, digital), and how it can be implemented. A total of 19 scholars from the field of business administration and social science participated in the publication, including Su-Keun Kwak, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University, Ho-Keun Song, an honorary professor at POSTECH, and Hyoung-Koo Moon, an emeritus professor at Korea University.
The book consists of three parts, with the first part dealing with Corporate Citizenship in connection with business from a strategic level. The second part covers the role and major activities of a corporate as a member of the society for a sustainable society. The third part discusses a desirable organizational culture for the members of the organization, who are the actual subject and object of Corporate Citizenship activities.
The authors who participated in the event said that Corporate Citizenship serves as a new coordinate for corporate management in the 21st century and has enough value to make a difference with the joint efforts of many domestic companies.
POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi commented, “POSCO employees will continue to practice Corporate Citizenship — even at the smallest level — and capture the spirit of Corporate Citizenship in its culture. Through this, many might come to know that POSCO has truly changed ever since announcing Corporate Citizenship as its management philosophy.”
The “Corporate Citizenship Social Challenge”, a green business model contest to create a more diverse social impact with partners holding new ideas was also held during the event. A total of 136 ideas that combine the business capabilities of the POSCO Group and social enterprises, who follow eco-friendly & low-carbon trends, were handed in. Following the evaluation, three projects were selected finally, and they are as follows: 1) developing a cooperative social housing model with POSCO E&C, 2) producing “Slastic,” a construction material made with POSCO’s slag and Amore’s plastic, and 3) cultivating a sea forest with abandoned oyster shells.
A talk concert was also held at the event under the theme of “The Future as a Corporate Citizen“ with experts so that the employees of POSCO Group can comprehend the proper direction of practicing Corporate Citizenship and realize the envisions of the future.