Corporate Responsibility
Corporate Responsibility is about the contribution a business makes to its social and environmental concerns as well as its economic ones. At Bank of Ireland, these wider responsibilities have always been important to us, but never more so than today in what are extraordinarily difficult times for all our stakeholders - the stockholders who invest in us, the Irish Government which has provided essential supports to us, our customers who bank with us, our employees who work for us, the communities in which we do business and environment in which we live.
Our Approach to Business
Bank of Ireland Group's continued success as a commercial enterprise is dependent on maintaining its strong track record as a responsible corporate citizen and on preserving its good reputation in the eyes of its stakeholders. How we do business, both through the actions of the Group and the behaviour of employees, is critical to ensuring this continued success.
The purpose of this statement is to provide guidance on the Group's approach to doing business. It is a statement about the way in which we factor social, ethical and environmental considerations into our decision-making. It is designed to inform our decisions and actions at a principled level and does not replace any existing detailed policy in relation to business process.
Finally, it outlines the process we follow where more specific guidance is required on issues of an ethical or reputationally-sensitive nature.
Policy Statement
At Bank of Ireland Group our approach to doing business is clear. We are committed to applying the highest standards of integrity in all our dealings and to operating at all times within legal and regulatory boundaries. We also recognise the importance of wider social, ethical and environmental considerations and we factor these into our business decisions.
We have also put in place a process that allows us to deal with areas of concern on a case-by-case basis. In such circumstances, issues are referred to our Corporate Responsibility Committee for its decision. This process allows us to build up a data bank of experience over time that will continuously improve our decision making in this area.
This approach to doing business has been adopted by the Group Executive Committee (GEC) and we review its effectiveness on an ongoing basis.
Further Information
What is The Corporate Responsibility Committee?
The Corporate Responsibility Committee was established in January 2004 to provide guidance and set direction for the Group's approach to Corporate Responsibility. A member of the Group Executive Committee (GEC) chairs the Committee and its other members are drawn from each of the Group's Business Divisions and central Group functions.
Queries in relation to this statement should be sent to corporate.responsibility@boimail.com