Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05MADRID2057
2005-06-01 07:01:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Madrid
Cable title:  

SPAIN: 2ND SUBMISSION SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR

Tags:  BEXP EINV ELAB ETRD KSEP SENV SP 
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010701Z Jun 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 002057 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS TO EUR/WE
EB/CBA FOR NSMITH-NISSLEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP EINV ELAB ETRD KSEP SENV SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: 2ND SUBMISSION SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR
CORPORATE EXCELLENCE

REF: STATE 66434

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 002057

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS TO EUR/WE
EB/CBA FOR NSMITH-NISSLEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP EINV ELAB ETRD KSEP SENV SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: 2ND SUBMISSION SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR
CORPORATE EXCELLENCE

REF: STATE 66434


1. U.S. Embassy Madrid has the honor of nominating Merck,
Sharp and Dohme (MSD),Spain's division of Merck
Pharmaceuticals, for the 2005 Secretary of State's Award for
Corporate Excellence. MSD is a recognized leader in the
business world, serving as a market leader in the field of
healthcare technology in Spain for over 40 years, while
adhering to the highest standards of corporate
responsibility. Its investment in Spain is valued at over
370 million Euros ($462.5 million USD) and the production
facility located in Alcala de Henares supplies Merck products
to over 60 countries. In addition, MSD's Madrid research
facility has contributed to the discovery of five new drugs,
which have been marketed worldwide. This mission believes
that MSD has exceeded traditional corporate standards of
operation and is a strong contender for this award.


2. Societal contributions. MSD sponsors the SERMES Special
Employment Center, which facilitates the vocational and
societal integration of the handicapped by means of full time
employment. This program has resulted in the establishment
of the first clinical research services company in Spain,
employing handicapped personnel in areas such as monitoring
clinical trials and other meaningful positions, while serving
as an example to other companies within the sector. MSD also
works closely with both the Bill Gates Foundation and the
Government of Botswana to establish a working distribution
network designed to provide AIDS medication to people
suffering from the disease in Africa. The company
contributes to the fight against AIDS within Spain,
sponsoring the AIDS Research and Prevention Foundation. In
addition, MSD works to improve the health of Spain's
immigrant community by publishing books for medical personnel
on tropical diseases and their symptoms (diseases new to
Spain),supplying health questionnaires in several African
languages and by donating 500 doses of drugs designed to
fight filariasis, a tropical disease prevalent among African
immigrants. Finally, MSD employees participate in the

"advantages of staying at school" program, a five week
volunteer program that targets students between the ages of
11 and 13 by providing information on the importance of
education.


3. Corporate integrity. In addition to providing specific
employee training on corporate integrity, rules and values,
MSD is actively involved in a number of organizations and
activities that promote these values. It is a founding
member of Foretica, an association responsible for extending
the good practices of business ethics and corporate social
responsibility. MSD participates in the Consultants Groups
of the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry (Spanish
government),working on issues related to Spanish regulations
in the area of social responsibility, and sponsors programs
in these areas in conjunction with two Madrid based
universities. Finally, MSD offers an annual research award
on business ethics, the first of its type in Europe. The
award rewards the most outstanding research work in the field
of corporate social responsibility and business ethics. This
year's winner, chosen from among 11 submissions, received the
award for research in the field of minimizing the impact of
corporate relocation on the local community.


4. Educational contributions. MSD is a major contributor to
educational advances throughout Spain, providing support for
research centers in several major Spanish universities that
focus on fields unrelated to product development, such as
economics and social research. MSD also funds academic
chairs connected with medical research in two major Madrid
universities, sponsors the Barcelona Cardiovascular Research
Center, and has provided annual grants in the amount of
$200,000 to local researchers and clinical investigators over
the last six years. In addition, MSD sponsors studies and
informative forums on women's health, to encourage a
reduction in gender-based health inequalities, while
maintaining an internet portal with information on domestic
violence, women's rights and information on diseases
prevalent in women. Finally, MSD publishes and distributes
Spanish language versions of the Merck manuals, a prominent
informational series designed to assist medical personnel and
ordinary people identify and treat various health issues.


5. Environmental contributions. MSD works closely with the
community of Alcala de Henares (the site of their largest
plant) to promote environmental responsibility through
reforestation efforts and educational projects, such as the
"preferred neighbor" (joint education and cultural
activities),"route of the cranes" (education on local bird
species) and "botanical route" (education on local flora)
programs. MSD employees also participate in the "Prestige"
volunteer program, donating time to the environmental
restoration of the Galician coastline. In addition to
community projects, MSD employs strict environmental controls
on their facilities, maintaining emissions that range from 10
to 50 percent below Spanish legal requirements. MSD also
voluntarily participates in energy reduction programs, using
solar panels to reduce energy consumption 3.5 percent over
the last year. Finally, MSD has an active waste management
and recycling program that is monitored via environmental
audits and inspections.


6. Employment practices. MSD does not have diversity
programs in regard to employment, they have facts. As a
result of a conscious corporate effort, MSD employs a
workforce of 1400 that consists of 50 percent women and 50
percent men. Its labor regulations are at the forefront in
Spain, providing employees with programs such as flexible
work schedules to accommodate family life, distance working,
welfare benefits, corporate profit sharing and leadership
development. Safety considerations also play an important
role, with ongoing employee training and both internal and
external audits and inspections contributing to the company's
safety record.


7. Post stand ready to provide further information about this
nomination on request. The POC for this nomination is
Political/Economic Officer Michael Sestak;
sestakmt@state.gov; 34-91-587-2388.

MANZANARES