Stakeholders Communication

Bridgestone has a long history of embracing its responsibility to help advance sustainable development and solve social issues.

Through proactive communication with stakeholders, the company seeks to facilitate an accurate understanding of the Bridgestone Group and its business activities. Bridgestone Group also uses communication as a means of gathering information on the opinions, evaluations and anticipations of stakeholders so that this input can be incorporated into business activities to achieve ongoing improvements with a view toward sustainable growth.

Given the global nature of its business, the Bridgestone Group is endeavoring to optimize all aspects of its communication activities by establishing systems for transmitting uniform messages with one voice.

The Bridgestone Group has emphasized communication with various stakeholders. It strives to clarify its responsibilities and the issues it faces with regard to each stakeholder group and to utilize the ideal communication methods and venues accordingly.

Communication Activities of the Bridgestone Group

Major stakeholder groups	Responsibilities and issues of the Bridgestone Group	Main communication methods and opportunities	Frequency
Customers	Development of appealing products and services Swift provision of ideal response and support measures Appropriate information provision Effective management of customer information	Responses to Customer Communication Center inquiries	daily
		Analysis, database compilation and internal utilization of customer input	as necessary
		Rubber and tire museum Bridgestone TODAY	daily
		Transmission of information via websites and social media	as necessary
		Daily sales and service activities	daily
		Customer satisfaction survey	as necessary
Shareholders and investors	Appropriate and timely information disclosure Maximization of corporate value	Annual Shareholders’ Meeting	March
		Corporate Governance Reports	as necessary
		Corporate Governance Code-related reports	as necessary
		Financial results review meetings and Mid-Term Management Plan explanatory forums	as necessary
		Information disclosure through investor relations website	as necessary
		Reports based on International Integrated Reporting Framework
		Explanatory forums for investors	10 times in 2017
		Individual interviews with investors	as necessary
Business partners	Fair and impartial transactions Promotion of CSR procurement	Daily procurement activities	daily
		Procurement policy explanatory forums/CSR seminars	2 times a year
		Formulation and deployment of sustainable procurement policies
		Supplier awards
		Discussions with management (distributor meetings)	1 time a year
Employees	Respect for human rights Promotion of diversity (diverse working styles) Utilization of ideal human resources and development of human resources Promotion of occupational health and safety and health and productivity management Facilitation of mutual understanding between labor and management	Employee satisfaction surveys	1 time a year
		Group and nomination-based trainings	as necessary
		Personnel evaluation systems and career development consultation	as necessary
		In-house open application systems	1 time a year
		Meetings between labor and management	as necessary
		Transmission and sharing of information through in-house newsletters and intranet	as necessary
		Meetings allowing for direct communication between employees and management	as necessary
		Bridgestone Group Awards and other reward systems	Award:1 time a year
		Internal events related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games	as necessary
Local communities NGO	Contributions to local communities Environmental preservation support through social activities Activities in regions with Bridgestone operating sites	Plant tours for community members	as necessary
		Environmental and safety education activities	as necessary
		Sponsorship and aid for local events	as necessary
		Bridgestone x Olympic x Paralympic a GO GO!	4 times in 2017
		Northern Kyushu torrential rain recovery support activities	1 time in 2017
		Post-Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction support activities	2 times in 2017
		Dialogue and collaborations with NGOs →Main accomplishments in 2017: Formulation of sustainable procurement policy	as necessary
Government agencies, industry organizations, and education institutions	Contributions to the development of a safe and reliable mobility society Contributions to educational activities Collection and exchange of various opinions regarding the supply chain	Dialogue and collaborations with economic and industry organizations	as necessary
		Engagement with government officials in countries of operation	as necessary
		Participation in the Tire Industry Project operated under the World Business Council for Sustainable Development	as necessary
		Interaction and exchanges of opinion with municipal government agencies	as necessary
		Communication, coordination, and support through cooperation via industry-government-academia partnerships	as necessary

Topics

Comprehensive Collaboration Agreement Concluded with Ochanomizu University to Support Cultivation of Future Female Leaders

On January 9, 2017, Bridgestone concluded a comprehensive collaboration agreement with Ochanomizu University of Japan that was aimed at supporting the cultivation of future female leaders. Both parties share a philosophy of respecting diversity and providing support for increasing the available roles to women. Through the agreement, these parties will help cultivate women that can serve as future global leaders. This agreement represents the first industry-academia partnership Bridgestone has been engaged in that targets the development of female leaders.

On the day the agreement was concluded, a discussion panel commemorating the agreement was held that was entitled “Female Leaders Create the Future—Toward a Diverse Society.” Panelists included Kimiko Murofushi, president of Ochanomizu University; Bridgestone Corporation Global CEO and Representative Executive Officer Masaaki Tsuya; Masako Konishi, graduate of Ochanomizu University and general manager of the Residential Sales and Services Division’s Sales Marketing II Department of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.; and Mina Aoyama, Ochanomizu University graduate and general manager of the Company’s Material and Products Evaluation Quality Assurance Department. Shukutoku University Professor Hiroko Nomura served as the facilitator of the event. At this panel, discussions about leaders were advanced based on the personal experiences of the panelists, who have all demonstrated leadership on various stages. The lively panel discussion drew more than 150 people, including representatives from the university and Bridgestone as well as the general public.

Mid-Term Management Plan Explanatory Forums

Bridgestone holds annual explanatory forums on its Mid-Term Management Plan (MTP) for institutional investors and securities analysts. At these forums, Bridgestone’s Global CEO and representative executive officer provides in-depth explanations of the MTP in their own words, and attendees tend to be very proactive in asking questions. Although Bridgestone’s MTP covers a five-year period, we institute yearly, rolling updates to this plan to reflect changes in the operating environment and our outlook for the future. We thereby aim to utilize this plan as an important tool for advancing reforms in the Group’s management. MTP explanatory forums are valuable opportunities to inform investors about our medium-to-long-term efforts to maximize corporate value.

Establishing and Enhancing Communication Structures

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Town Hall Meeting between CEO, COO, Department Heads, and Employees

Town Hall Meeting between
the CEO and employees
(Poland)

Town Hall Meeting between
the COO and employees
(Singapore)

The Bridgestone Group's new management structure, launched in March 2012, involves "communication," "bottom-up," and "teamwork" focuses. Under this structure, we are working hard to re-energize internal communication.

As part of these initiatives, we regularly organize forums at Bridgestone and Group companies outside of Japan where our senior management and department heads meet directly with employees, using the "town hall meeting" format. These meetings aim to bridge the gap between employees and senior management, as well as to share senior management's message across the entire Group. We are also planning and implementing a variety of communication opportunities, including study meetings and small group discussions between department managers and employees.

Direct Communication with Customers and the General Public

The Bridgestone Customer Communication Center gathers and analyzes customer impressions from inquiries and comments as well as assessments from the Internet and disseminates this information internally to corporate officers and other employees. This leads to improved products and services, while Group reports are used in an attempt to increase employee motivation. Bridgestone is also focusing efforts on communicating Company activities in an easily understandable way to customers and the general public using the Internet and other digital forms of communication incorporating images and video.

Plant Tours for the General Public

Bridgestone offers tire plant tours to the general public every year in Japan. Visitors can see how tires are made and how we contribute to environmental conservation throughout the manufacturing process.

Stakeholders Communication

Communication Activities of the Bridgestone Group

Topics

Establishing and Enhancing Communication Structures

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Related Information