We continue to drive integration of CR beyond our three major business hubs.
Some examples are given below.

In China, governance and compliance issues are overseen by a dedicated Compliance and Risk Management function, supported by a Compliance Committee chaired by the President of AstraZeneca China. CR priorities include access to medicines, clinical trials, community partnerships and marketing and sales practices. During 2007, AstraZeneca China carried out extensive training of new sales representatives and its existing sales force in the new, stricter national code of marketing and sales practice. By the end of the year, over 91% of the 2,500 targeted employees had undergone training and testing. We also worked with RDPAC, the pharmaceutical industry association in China, on the launch of an anti-corruption campaign designed to increase awareness. In 2007, AstraZeneca was ranked 16th in China Southern Week’s Global Top 500 Reputation Awards. The company was also awarded with a ‘CSR Contribution Award’ by Xinhua News Agency during the year.

The priority issues for AstraZeneca in Japan include sales and marketing practices, clinical trials, SHE, CR in purchasing and community partnerships. All of these issues are integrated into personal objectives and employees receive specialist training relevant to their tasks. During 2007, AstraZeneca Japan held a multi-stakeholder meeting to inform the development of their CR agenda. Participants included opinion leaders, a patient group, a professor of Human Welfare Studies and an information technology specialist. In 2007, AstraZeneca Japan received the internal CEO SHE Award for the ‘C-day project’ which involved employees from AstraZeneca sites across Japan helping aged farmers in their local communities with harvesting and other physical activity.

In the Philippines, a cross-functional steering committee identifies and reviews the relevant CR issues, based on among other things input from stakeholders such as key opinion leaders, industry groups and charities (including VSO). The agenda is a broad one, including issues such as marketing and sales practices, access to medicines, human rights, SHE and purchasing. All employees have personal objectives including compliance with marketing and sales practices and training of the field force is conducted twice a year, supported by published materials including COACH (Compliance Adherence to Corporate Honour). This includes, in addition to relevant internal and external codes, answers to frequently asked questions, easy guide on monitoring responsibility of line managers, as well as questionnaires, interactive card games and a scoring sheet for tracking the individual performance.

In India, the company has focused particularly on working with shareholders, regulators and vendors to identify the priority issues. The CR agenda is a broad one, ranging from marketing and sales practices, animal ethics, clinical trials and driver safety, through to community partnerships and purchasing. Their supply chain management includes a CR-based questionnaire for suppliers and audits of major suppliers. Another focus is raising CR awareness among employees, supported by compliance training to ensure they understand what is expected of them in the relevant CR areas. The company also has an Animal Ethics Committee in place and all proposed animal studies must be approved by this group. In 2007, AstraZeneca India continued its support to the ‘Safe Motherhood’ campaign, which focuses on maternal mortality – a significant problem in India and one of the UN Millennium Development Goals for Health (“improve maternal health – reduce by 75% the maternal mortality rate”). The project involves AstraZeneca working closely with the Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Societies of India to build awareness in vulnerable rural communities and strengthen the obstetric care available in these areas.

AstraZeneca in Lithuania integrates CR into the agenda of its Compliance Committee of cross-functional senior management, led by the Marketing Company President. Local activities are aligned to the relevant aspects of the Global CR Priority Action Plan, focusing primarily on sales and marketing practice, and employee health and safety. Employees at all levels have personal objectives related to strengthening the Company reputation and implementing our sales and marketing code. AstraZeneca Lithuania has also been active through the industry association in the public debate on what companies can and cannot do in their relationships with healthcare professionals. We also sponsor a number of health initiatives in Lithuania, ranging from programmes linked to Prostate and Breast Cancer Months to the 'Good Mood Project', launched in 2007 with the aim of helping to reduce work related stress for doctors.

In Bulgaria, feedback from stakeholders is actively sought to help prioritise the issues. Driver safety, sales and marketing practice and CR in purchasing are high on the agenda of the Senior Management Team, alongside community support. At the regular National Team meetings, the Marketing Company President updates employees on current CR programmes and commitments and reinforces the need to live by our core values.  In 2007 a safe driving exercise and test was conducted among the employees who drive on company business. During the year, AstraZeneca Bulgaria received a number of CR related awards, including finalist in the ‘Best CSR Program in Europe’ from the International ‘Stevie’ Business Awards and second place in the Investor in Community category and third place in Human Capital and Working Environment category of the Responsible Business Awards from the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum.