Corporate Social Responsibility2018
Feature
CSR and the Hisamitsu Springs’ Team Play
Promoting Volleyball
Hisamitsu Springs is our corporate women’s volleyball team in Japan’s top-level V Premier League. This year is the 70th anniversary of the team, which was established after World War II to energize Hisamitsu’s employees. The team’s history parallels that of the sport of volleyball in Japan.
Hisamitsu Springs regularly holds volleyball clinics to cultivate the next generation of players and to show their appreciation to fans. Efforts are being made to improve various programs to meet the wishes of participants.
In June 2017, Hisamitsu Springs signed a collaborative agreement with Saga Prefecture that will see the team become actively involved in revitalizing the region by carrying out community-based activities in cooperation with the local government. One of the aims of this agreement is to generate support for the new Super League.
To extend the value of sports to more people, the team is also lending its support to soft volleyball and deaf volleyball programs.
By participating in these support efforts for other forms of volleyball, the players themselves have an opportunity to learn and grow.
Manager's Message
The work of the team manager ranges from schedule management for the team and players to making arrangements required for matches and training camps, as well as doing public relations and project planning. Another role of the manager is to give consideration to how the team and each player can contribute to society.
In fiscal 2017, in addition to our contributions to the community through promoting and energizing volleyball activities, we strove to benefit society directly through visits to medical institutions, by raising money for the Japanese Red Cross, and through other endeavors. As the players develop a desire to help improve people’s quality of life, and continue to play volleyball as only the Hisamitsu Springs can, they will be helping to build the brand value of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical. I will do my best to improve their performance, and find ways for them to give back to their fans as a CSR-conscious team.
Manager, Hisamitsu Springs
Visits to Medical Institutions
Many people in society do not have the opportunity to fully experience sports or exercise as they would wish, due to disability or illness. Hisamitsu Springs players visit medical institutions for children stuck in long-term care facilities. In fiscal 2017, they visited the Kobe University Hospital Children’s Center and spent a meaningful time there.
Other Activities
Hisamitsu Springs players are widely recognized as individual athletes. They are taking various steps to make the most of their role in society.
In collaboration with libraries, events are being organized in which the players introduce children to books that have left an impression on them. Such events put children in touch with the written word and are aimed at getting them interested in reading to foster their education.
Also, part of the sales revenue from goods sold at volleyball matches is donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society. As long as their schedules permit, the players cooperate with the local police department to promote crime prevention by playing “Chief” for a day.
KAYASHIMA, Akira General Manager, Hisamitsu Springs
I believe that Hisamitsu Springs is an important asset for Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical in the realm of CSR. The players are asked to think about what they can do and what value they possess as athletes. Naturally, their job is to play volleyball and compete at the highest level, but their value as athletes goes beyond their skills as players to their efforts off the court. I believe that all of our players are aware of this as they lead their lives.
In volleyball, team play is not merely the sum of the skills of the individual players on the court. Success is strongly influenced by the feelings of the other players, the team staff, and the spectators all together. In a similar way, I think teamwork is an important element in Hisamitsu’s CSR efforts. Players who have a feeling of gratitude to those around them look to their own game, which forces them to improve; that gratitude is useful in their role as athletes, but also as people who have an influence on society. The Hisamitsu Springs team was launched 70 years ago as a women’s volleyball club and I feel it has been able to do so well for so long because of how much Hisamitsu genuinely values team play as a company.
While serving as the team’s general manager, I also work for the Japan Volleyball Association. It is therefore necessary for me to think beyond the team to the entire sport, and by extension, the world of sports. Through these roles I have gained experience that has provided me with an understanding of the fundamentals of CSR as an approach that relies on a broad outlook.
Hisamitsu’s issuance of this report and other ongoing efforts in CSR have prompted me to consider CSR, which in turn has allowed me to reflect more deeply on the efforts of the team and the association overall.
Hisamitsu Springs’ activities and the efforts of its players, as with this report, will be key elements that connect Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical with society, so I would like to see these efforts to train players and build relationships with employees and society go further.
