We operate as a responsible corporate citizen withinthe society around us. We are a reliable local partner and employer. We engage in active and open dialogue with our stakeholders, act in accordance with our harmonized operating principles, create added value for our shareholders and seek operating methods and solutions that promote sustainable development.
| Goals | Action | Performance Measures | Examples of Results |
| Anti-corruption | Internal anti-corruption training | Rate of participation in training | Anti-corruption training is part of the orientation training for all Bittium employees |
| Incorporating anti-corruption principles into cooperation agreements | The company continued to provide anti-corruption training to its personnel groups | ||
| Using an external background evaluation tool to identify corruption or other ambiguities among business partners | Observations of ambiguities or anti-corruption activities |
No observations | |
| Responsible corporate citizenship | We are actively involved in the development of local business and supporting schools and educational institutions. | Participation in various working groups, supporting non-profit organizations | Closest cooperation partners: Technology Industries of Finland, Oulu Chamber of Commerce, University of Oulu |
| Number of visits to educational institutions | More than 1,000 students visited Bittium in 2019 | ||
| Compliance with management systems, such as export control systems | Compliance with the export control regulations introduced in 2019 | The export control system has been updated and audited | |
| Compliance with laws and regulations | Monitoring laws and regulations that are of relevance to Bittium | Ongoing monitoring of laws and regulations of relevance to Bittium, standards | |
| Developing stakeholder cooperation | Further improving Bittium´s understanding of stakeholder views and expectations | Developing even more open dialogue between stakeholders | The decision to switch from half-yearly reporting to quarterly reporting improves dialogue with shareholders |
The internal and external stakeholders both consider the focus area to be important for Bittium. However, the responses from both groups of stakeholders indicate that there has been a dip in Bittium´s performance in this respect. The focus area remains one of Bittium´s focus areas of sustainability.
The responses to open-ended questions from internal stakeholders were mostly positive. The respondents also indicated they want Bittium to participate in more local events and social projects.
The feedback from external stakeholders, especially shareholders and investors, pointed to disappointment with the company´s insufficient communication. However, customers indicated that the company has performed very well in this respect.
We continuously monitor the impacts of our operations and the added value we create for different stakeholders. Our key stakeholders include our shareholders, customers, employees, partners and other suppliers as well as the public sector. More information on our stakeholder cooperation is provided under ‘Sustainability management´.
Ever since Bittium first started its operations, it has adhered to the values that were defined as its guiding principles by its founders. The values have been refined over the years and the new values that guide Bittium´s business were announced in fall 2017. Bittium´s revised values are summarized in three keywords: trust, courage and innovation.
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
12.6 Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.
12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.
16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms.
17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
The management of Bittium Corporation is governed by the Articles of Association, Finnish law and Bittium´s governance guidelines. Bittium observes the Finnish Corporate Governance Code 2020 prepared by the Finnish Securities Market Association and entered into force on January 1, 2020. Bittium´s Corporate Governance Statement is available at www.bittium.com.
GRC (governance, risk management and compliance) refers to the skills and abilities that enable an organization to meet its targets, address uncertainties and operate with integrity. Bittium´s GRC measures also include the framework for internal control, which begins with our core values and extends all the way to the principles set by our Board of Directors.
Our ethical principles comprise the following areas of sustainability:
1. Anti-corruption
Due to our market areas and business sectors, corruption is a significant risk in the areas of social responsibility and human rights. We do not condone any forms of bribery or corruption in our operations or those of our partners.
We use our internal and external anti-corruption guidelines that were updated in 2017. We provide our employees with training on the subject as part of our employee training program and we expect our partners to comply with the instructions.
We use a monitoring tool for detecting corruption and other ambiguities in the operations of our partners.
We provide our external and internal stakeholders with a channel for reporting violations of anti-corruption rules. There were no cases of corruption reported to Bittium in 2019.
2. Information security and data protection
Bittium´s information security and data protection policies specify the methods employed in the classification, storage and disclosure of information.
3. Fair business, advertising and competition
We follow the rules on fair business, advertising and competition. We have access to different methods of securing our customers´ information in accordance with information security procedures.
4. Corporate citizenship
The company supports community involvement in order to promote social and economic development.
5. Protection of intellectual property rights
We respect intellectual property rights and apply our IPR strategy and guidelines to all of our operations. Sustainable purchasing is also an essential part of our sustainable approach to business. The principles of sustainable purchasing have been described in greater detail in ‘Confidential customer relationships and secure products´.
In 2019, we developed Bittium´s export control system and the related practices from various perspectives, including sustainability. Bittium has always complied with the export control instructions and regulations, for instance, when operating in the defense and information security sectors, where the functionality of the export control system is a precondition for successful cooperation with the authorities as well as the customers.
Alongside the development of our export control system, trained dozens of employees from the sales, marketing, product management and logistics functions on the principles of export control.