Transparency and governance are focus areas for SAP’s approach to community development. Transparency represents a fundamental value proposition of our product and is also a central value to SAP as a company.

Transparency International

As part of our commitment to business ethics, SAP actively partners with Transparency International (TI), the world’s leading nongovernmental organization devoted to fighting corruption. Our involvement includes:

• Joining other leading companies as a member of the Business Principles Steering Committee
• Becoming a corporate member of the German chapter of TI
• Joining the Global Corporations for Transparency initiative in 2005
• Initiating a dialogue with TI and leading SAP bloggers to create a web 2.0 strategy for TI

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

SAP partners with GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit) to support the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to provide greater technical assistance to public agencies implementing EITI recommendations. EITI supports improved governance in resource-rich countries by verifying and publicizing company payments and government revenues from oil, gas, and mining. In 2008, SAP conducted a workshop in Ghana to evaluate the technical requirements for a pilot project. The plan is to develop and implement the software in this African country in 2009. Though we would have preferred a speedier deployment, we do recognize and value the importance of working at a pace essential to establish and maintain stakeholder trust and to take opportunity to consolidate our own learning. That said we agree with the findings from Harvard that suggest some international development projects might benefit from the ecosystem approach to problem solving which is common place in our every day business.

SAP believes education is a key driver of innovation, economic growth, and community advancements, and engages local communities through education programs.

SAP University Alliances

SAP provides business software to hundreds of universities and technical institutes in more than thirty countries. The goal of SAP University Alliances (UA) is to help universities and technical institutes to develop highly qualified graduates who can contribute to the core competencies of their future employers. SAP provides advanced technologies, such as those supporting next-generation IT architectures, for use in business, IT, computer science, and engineering studies.

UA member schools from around the world access the full suite of SAP software at a low cost through one of five nonprofit University Competence Centers (UCCs). SAP UCCs are “peer hosting” service providers residing at UA member universities and support a wide range of different SAP systems for educational purposes. In the EMEA region, Academic Competence Centers (ACC), which are also nonprofit institutes at member universities, provide applications support in local languages. Working with these centers, UA makes available lecture-specific educational offerings, workshops, and software products so educators can tailor lectures to their own teaching and research criteria.

Experienced facilitators or SAP topic experts also conduct workshops designed specifically for the SAP UA program. To help jump-start academic initiatives, SAP leads the development, with UA member professors, of easy-to-use, high-quality course materials.

SAP also encourages collaboration to improve education and research, helping UA members build professional networks. Educators can connect with colleagues at SAP-sponsored events, such as the annual Curriculum Congress in the Americas, the annual User Group Meeting in Europe, and the Academic Conference in Asia.

At the beginning of 2009, SAP launched the SAP University Alliances community portal. Faculty and students can communicate and participate with the larger SAP online community of 1.5 million users and developers. The portal also makes educational resources openly available to any university lecturer or student, regardless of UA affiliation

SAP UA Value Proposition

SAP UA provides significant value to all participants.

• Students gain real-life experience and a deeper understanding of the functional areas within SAP software, with optional global certifications available
• Faculty receive lecture materials and support to better prepare students for the workplace and increase graduate recruitment rates
• Customers and partners find more graduates with both the IT skills and business process knowledge needed to add value quickly to their organizations and projects
• SAP creates viral demand and aligns with next-generation business and IT leaders to drive leadership through advanced curricula and academic research on business model innovations

Number of UA member universities as of December 2008:

• 876 universities (Americas: 193; APJ: 142; EMEA: 541)
• 170,000 students exposed to SAP software in 2008

Foundation for Lindau Nobel Prize Winners Meetings

SAP supports the Foundation for Lindau Nobel Prize Winners Meetings, responsible for organizing the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. This globally recognized forum facilitates the transfer of knowledge between generations of scientists, who reflect current scientific topics and present relevant fields of future research. It also inspires and motivates Nobel Laureates, as well as top international talent, to engage in an ongoing dialogue on challenges facing the world.

Today more than 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25 per day. This population remains largely excluded from meaningful participation in markets. Reaching and empowering these people represents a significant opportunity in sustainable development.

Research indicates that the challenges to economic development include:

• Lack of operating credit
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Lack of business education and skill
• Maladapted distribution systems

SAP can help extend the market reach of technology innovations and create more inclusive market systems in the world’s poorest countries. We can do this through collaboration with our customers, partners, and workforce to provide:

• Access to micro-credit financing
• Increased in-kind donations of software, maintenance, and service
• Volunteers for socio-economic programs
• Mentoring for small business, utilizing the talents of our highly educated workforce

Technologies for Emerging Economies

SAP researchers in South Africa and the SAP Meraka Unit for Technology Development are exploring ways to use SAP products and services more effectively in emerging economies. Our research focuses on the impact of technology infrastructure, usage, and software applications on economic development, particularly with very small enterprises and in the areas of health and education.

Collaboration at Rural Areas

The Collaboration at Rural Areas project in South Africa uses information and communication technologies to stimulate local economic development through small and micro enterprises. For example, a collaborative technology platform can help small local shops form a virtual buying cooperative. This increases the availability of basic goods for rural communities.

Watch the video: http://www.sap-tv.com/?a=3813&l=1.

PatHS

SAP has partnered with WITS University to develop a user-friendly solution for managing chronic diseases and improving healthcare systems in poverty-stricken rural communities in South Africa. The Patient Health System (PatHS) focuses on three healthcare clinics in the Bushbuck Ridge Municipality in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Neighboring clinics, private healthcare providers, and a regional hospital are helping to develop and test the new system.

Watch the video: http://www.sap-tv.com/?a=3410&l=1.

Solutions for Very Small Enterprises

Little is known about the technological needs of emerging economies and developing regions. What we do know is that small, midsize, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) constitute up to 90 percent of enterprises in emerging countries. These companies contribute significantly to job creation and the gross domestic product. In South Africa, for example, very small enterprises (VSEs) are common in the retail, services, construction, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.

SAP believes that we can positively impact the socioeconomic conditions of South Africa by nurturing SMMEs and VSEs through the use of information and communication technology. To that end, the SAP Meraka Unit for Technology Development –a collaborative initiative between SAP Research, the Meraka Institute, and the National Department of Science and Technology in South Africa–was formed. The goal is to research, define, and develop appropriate solutions for this important future growth sector.

We engage our employees in many ways–including via our new Sustainability Champions Network–and encourage a high level of employee involvement. We share volunteer and charitable opportunities with partners and customers and also use them for team building. We applaud employees who participate in volunteer activities in their communities.

In the Americas, SAP employees annually organize local community volunteer activities during the October Month of Service. In 2008 participation rates went up to:

• 46 percent (2007: 45 percent) of North America employees (excluding BusinessObjects)
• 53 percent (2007: 33 percent) of Latin American employees

In Europe, the SAPlings volunteer initiatives engaged employees in ten locations In APJ, the SAPPORT volunteer program is active in seven countries

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE

FIRST LEGO League is SAP’s signature global volunteer program. This program is aimed at motivating an early interest in science, technology, and mathematics in younger students. Each year, SAP employees mentor local teams for the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition. Since its inception in 2005, the program has grown from 85 SAP teams to more than 140 SAP teams from 21 nations.

TALENT AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

SAP employees can develop their technical and leadership skills while giving back to the community. SAP supports skilled volunteerism, allowing employees to assist not-for-profits by lending their expertise. In partnership with some innovative social enterprises, dashboard reporting solutions have been designed to assist organizations in demonstrating their value. In 2009, a comprehensive Talent and Technology program that marries product donations with technically skilled volunteers will expand these opportunities.