Moving Toward Greater Diversity

Sugimoto: Diversity is also one of the main issues of CSR in Europe, isn't it?

Born: Yes. In Europe, 2007 was the Year of Diversity. There are three main CSR issues that draw the interest of people in Europe. The first is education and employability. The labor market is very tight, and lifelong employment is replaced by employability. So, the companies work with stakeholders on how to tackle this issue. The second is the global supply chain, and the third is diversity.

Diversity is an area that companies should work on with the utmost effort. Since many companies are going global these days, we see different cultures in which more women are leaders in operations, and participate or lead in management. Beyond gender equality, however, I think that technology could make a difference in making the lives of people with disabilities much easier so that they can participate more fully in society.

Panasonic has been using its creativity to innovate in many areas. I would like to ask Panasonic to use that creativity also in the field of diversity.

Ohtsubo: Our business has become more global than ever, and we can no longer depend merely on Japan's younger generation to run our business. Therefore, we have to understand the importance of diversity, as well as environmental issues, in order to carry on sound business management. One of the key words I keep in my mind is "irimajiru," or "to mix with each other." It means that we should embrace different values, so that people from various countries can mingle and work together.

We have a plant in Osaka where the majority of the employees are seriously physically impaired and are confined to wheelchairs, and they work with a few ablebodied employees. Also in the Okayama plant, west of Osaka, about 100 mentally impaired and physically impaired employees work side by side with other ablebodied employees, and they manufacture Panasonic audio visual products. If you visit these plants, you immediately realize that fundamentally there is no difference in people's ability. Employees with mental disabilities work equally well on quality control tasks for 8 hours a day. In these two plants, people with disabilities and people in wheelchairs are some of our best employees. We are seeking to develop new technologies and ideas for production facilities or production processes that enable them to carry out their tasks without any difficulty. Some of these ideas have already resulted in new products. For example, we developed a rehabilitation suit for the upper body, and a robot that assists people with disabilities to walk. It might become one of the core businesses for Panasonic in the near future.

We are also proposing the "Eco & Ud House" (Eco and Universal Design House) by making use of our technology, which is comfortable for everyone and is good for the environment.

Eco & UD House, a concept home designed for low environmental impact and incorporating people-friendly universal design principles

Sugimoto:The Eco & Ud House is a wonderful model home equipped with an ecological bath room, solar energy generation and fuel-cell co-generation systems, and other facilities based on eco-ideas.

Born:Coming from Europe to Japan, frankly, is like entering a new world of technologies. The Eco & Ud House was designed with attention to every little detail, and it uses universal design everywhere. Even being in the kitchen seems like a lot more fun. Ohtsubo The Eco & Ud House is completely barrierfree. I'm sure that elderly people would be able to live more comfortably in this house.

Ohtsubo:The Eco & Ud House is completely barrierfree. I'm sure that elderly people would be able to live more comfortably in this house.

Born: It's really wonderful. I understand that stakeholder engagement will remain a crucial aspect of your company when you go global. And while it is more difficult the more diverse the stakeholders are, I am also sure that if you look at it as an opportunity, you will benefit from their contribution.

Ohtsubo: Thank you very much for your valuable advice. Lastly, we are celebrating our 90th anniversary this year, and we will change the name of the company from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. to Panasonic Corporation in October 2008. We are responsible for advancing CSR based on our founder's philosophy that "a company is a public entity of society" and that "we are contributing to society through our business activities." While being aware of our responsibility, I would like to contribute to society.

Born: Panasonic's managerial slogan is "rise to the challenge!" So I look forward to your future achievements.