I think it is important to provide people considering Toshiba as the stage on which their careers can take shape and thrive with a clear statement of our management philosophy. Perhaps the best way to do that is to quote the first paragraph of our Basic Commitment: "We, the Toshiba Group companies, based on our total commitment to people and to the future, are determined to help create a higher quality of life for all people, and to do our part to help ensure that progress continues within the world community." This concisely sums up our fundamental management ideals, and the determination of Toshiba Group and its people to shape a better future and to contribute to the lives and cultures of people around the world.
My other message is to encourage each of you to sharpen your motivation by focusing on your dreams. Motivation is energy that comes from within, and we alone are responsible for motivating ourselves. All of you are capable of becoming pioneers in your own way. By this, I do not mean merely choosing to do things your own way. Rather, I mean that you should first learn the fundamentals, then move beyond satisfaction with the status quo to grow and find new ways to do things.
Since its founding in 1875, Toshiba has grown by pursuing technologies with the power to surprise and inspire the world. We have created a wide range of first-rate products and services, including numerous world firsts and Japan firsts, through a driving spirit of inquiry and enthusiasm. Toward achieving future growth as a group of companies with unyielding competitive strengths at the global level, we have defined the following four management policies: achieve sustained growth with profit; maximize the multiplier effects of innovation; establish management structures designed to meet our corporate social responsibilities (CSR); and develop a strong base of global human resources.
The first management policy - achieve sustained growth with profit - refers to quickening the pace at which we implement strategic decisions, assuring strategic allocation of resources and aggressively shifting toward growth markets. Proactive investment in NAND flash memory is reinforcing our Electronic Devices & Components domain. In nuclear power, we have combined our strengths with those of Westinghouse to take the lead in the nuclear renaissance and bolster our Social Infrastructure Systems business. In Digital Products, we are drawing on the latest technological advances to lead the industry in a new era of home entertainment. We are also expanding our Home Appliances business to the global scale.
The second management policy - maximizing the multiplier effects of innovation - refers to the need for ceaseless innovation throughout the organization to fuel future growth. In the key business processes of research and development, production, and sales we must generate constant innovation, and pass this innovation on to other areas. By achieving a multiplier effect, rather than additive results, the impetus from these efforts will, in turn, generate even more innovation. We call this approach "i-cube" (i3): innovation to the third power.
The third management policy - CSR-oriented management - acknowledges the essential role that corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays in company growth. As a member of the global society, Toshiba Group seeks to carry out its business activities by taking into account the laws, history, and culture of each of the countries and territories in which it operates. By placing a top priority on protecting health and safety, and by complying with all relevant laws and regulations, we hope to make a real contribution to the Earth's environment as well as to society.
The goal of the fourth management policy - developing global human resources - is to accelerate global business growth by cultivating employees who both accept and demonstrate diversity and who are capable of generating innovations one after another. Today, as globalization accelerates across all our business fields, we must train employees who understand that their local community, Japan, and the entire world all form part of a single picture, rather than thinking in simplistic terms such as domestic versus overseas markets.
Looking forward, I expect to see each of you making Toshiba your very own stage, and helping to transform the company based on the management philosophy outlined above. I am confident you will succeed in harnessing your enthusiasm, drive, and energy to create pioneering innovations at Toshiba, and achieve all your dreams.
