Samsung Electronics today announced that the company ranked fourth out of 150 companies in the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA)’s Digital Inclusion Benchmark in 2021. Samsung’s consistent, multifaceted efforts to be digitally responsible have earned the achievement from global tenth place in 2020 to fourth in this year.

The WBA represents an alliance forged among more than 200 global, regional and local organizations to shape the private sector’s contributions to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The WBA examines companies with a focus on seven key categories, including human rights, the environment and digital inclusion. The WBA launched its very first Digital Inclusion Benchmark last year, which evaluated companies’ progress in improving access to technology, enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use and innovating both openly and ethically.

Samsung was recognized for its efforts on digital responsibility as the company had established its artificial intelligence (AI) ethics principles. Having recognized the importance of emphasizing social and ethical responsibility in technology development, Samsung established a set of AI ethics principles to put into practice.

Samsung strives for accessibility in its products, enhancing them with technologies that make it easier for all users to utilize them. WBA recognized Samsung’s SeeColors app¹ that makes color adjustments to aid those with color vision deficiency (CVD) and helps them enjoy a better viewing experience with optimized colors on Samsung TVs.

The company’s C-lab Outside program in Korea that is designed to foster the startup ecosystem was singled out for its social contribution activities, while Samsung’s devotion to support digital education also garnered recognition. With its vision of ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People’, Samsung has been and will continue to operate social contribution activities focusing on youth education and growth for their sustainable development. Samsung operates its global Corporate Citizenship Program, the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) to provide support in the form of job opportunities in future technology fields.

As a company that develops products and technologies that enhance users’ lives, Samsung is committed to promoting digital responsibility. Going forward, the company will continue to explore ways to make it easier for people to access and utilize a wide range of convenient and meaningful digital technologies.

¹ This app is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease or medical problem. Any information found, acquired or accessed through this app is made available for your convenience and should not be treated as medical advice.

In line with the Samsung global CSR vision of ‘Enabling People’ and its mission of empowering future generations to achieve their full potential, the final phase of the campaign culminated in a digital-led movement, in which youths across the region joined #TeamUnstoppable by submitting their inspiring stories over various social media channels.

In Malaysia, over 1,500 individuals shared personal stories of how they overcame adversity in pursuit of their goals via Instagram and TikTok. The winners are unveiled today, selected for embodying the “do what others say you can’t” spirit of the campaign.

The Malaysian Grand Prize Winner’s Story

Link: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTtr2x0AB3O/?utm_medium=copy_link

Username: @66grimmjow Overcoming Schizophrenia   It’s not impossible to do the impossible. Here’s a short biography where I grew up from, and lived to tell the tale struggling with one of the worst mental disorders known to mankind today.   Overcoming Schizophrenia, is not a difficult thing. If I can, you can too…   #TeamUnstoppableMY #DoWhatYouCant @samsungmalaysia #Samsung #Schizophrenia #MentalDisability #MentalIllness #MentalDisorders #Biography #Malaysia #Sydney #Australia #Struggle #Voices #ShortFilms #ShortFilm #Videos #ShortVideos

The grand prize winner, @66grimmjow, walked away with a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Flip3 worth RM3,999. In addition, 10 other individuals left their mark and took home the consolation prize, a UV sterilizer with wireless charger each. See appendix on their stories.

#TeamUnstoppable shines the spotlight on the passion, energy and aspirations of an entire generation of youths who are driving positive change in their communities. The campaign serves as a platform for like-minded individuals to share their own stories while motivating others to take action. Entries can be found via the #TeamUnstoppableMY and #DoWhatYouCant hashtags on Instagram and TikTok.

The campaign kickstarted in September with the premiere of an original film showcasing five inspirational young individuals across the region who have defied all odds in pursuing their passions. Locally, the untold story of Imran Aqil and how he overcame his stutter and the negative comments from online haters to become a successful content creator, actor and social volunteer was featured across Samsung’s YouTube page and social media channels. His story on overcoming obstacles to becoming unstoppable, can be viewed in a local film here.

#TeamUnstoppable was created in the spirit of Samsung’s most important core value – developing people. As a company that stands for innovation, exploration and freedom, Samsung will continue to support the next generation in pioneering positive social change and building a better world for all. For more information on the #TeamUnstoppable movement, please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/teamunstoppable/.

According to the Best Global Brands list, announced by the global consulting firm Interbrand on October 20 2021, Samsung ranked fifth with a brand value of USD 74.6 billion, a 20% increase compared to last year. On the back of its strong financial performance, which has recovered to reach pre-pandemic levels, the company’s brand value surged by 20% this year, twice the average brand value growth rate among the top 100 brands in 2021.

Since entering the top five for the first time last year, Samsung has maintained its position for two consecutive years with its largest increase in brand value since 2013.

According to Interbrand, major factors that played a critical role in Samsung’s growth include:

• Its transition to a customer-centric management system, highlighted by the establishment of a new CX (customer experience) team dedicated to prioritising customer experience and values.
• Its ongoing efforts for sustainable development, including various campaigns guided by its CSR vision, ‘Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People,’ as well as company-wide initiatives that promote sustainability, such as the use of eco-packaging for TVs and the Galaxy Upcycling programme.
• The launches of innovative products including the Galaxy Z Flip 3, Neo QLEDs, and the Bespoke lineup of home appliances.
• Leading the development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, automotive, and robotics through consistent investment.

“It is very encouraging to see Samsung Electronics reach the top five in the world last year and then achieve enormous double-digit growth this year—our biggest leap in brand value since 2013,” said YH Lee, CMO of Samsung Electronics. “We promise to leverage our customer-centric management model to keep listening to our customers. This is how we will repay the massive support we have received from customers around the globe.”

Interbrand evaluates businesses’ brand value based on a comprehensive analysis of multiple factors including financial performance, brand influence on purchase, and brand competitiveness.

Meanwhile, on October 12, Samsung was also ranked No.1 by Forbes as the World’s Best Employers 2021 for the second consecutive year. As a global organisation with employees and businesses around the world, Samsung has, once again, been chosen as the number one employer.

Each year, Forbes surveys around 150,000 employees from 58 countries working for businesses with operations in multiple nations or regions, and this year asked respondents to rank their satisfaction with their employers’ COVID-19 responses and score their employers on image, economic footprint, talent development, gender equality and social responsibility.

Reference: Samsung Electronics’ growth in brand value (Interbrand)

Well aware of the great importance of education, Samsung Electronics works to equip young people with the skills and knowledge they will need to build a better world. Firm in its belief that every young person deserves a quality education regardless of their background, gender, ability, or personal circumstances, Samsung has empowered a countless number of young people to slowly but steadily contribute to positive changes in their societies.

To celebrate the United Nations’ International Youth Day on August 12, Samsung has gathered stories of young students from different countries who are creating a better future for all by participating in Samsung’s corporate citizenship programs. Read on to hear about their experiences.

Through its global Samsung Innovation Campus and Solve for Tomorrow programs, and its domestic Samsung SW Academy For Youth and Samsung Junior SW Cup programs, Samsung Electronics is empowering the leaders of tomorrow and equipping them with the tools they will need to realize meaningful change.

Find more stories of how Samsung is making a real difference in young people’s lives on the company’s CSR website.

But what exactly does this look like? In order to provide a sneak peek into these global citizenship efforts, Samsung has recently released its ‘Journey to a Better Future’ video series, which features the stories of Samsung employees across the globe in charge of the company’s corporate citizenship programs that focus on providing education for future generations.

Turning Dreams Into Reality to Find Solutions for Society

The Journey to a Better Future series presents experiences from Samsung’s corporate citizenship managers around the world, as well as real testimonies from the students who have participated in their programs.

From Samsung Russia, Sergey Pevnev and Anna Kolganova share their favorite memories from throughout their citizenship careers; Pevnev reminisces about the amazement in the young students’ eyes during the live-streamed lesson he organized featuring Russian astronauts in space, while Kolganova shares her story of launching Samsung Innovation Campus with the same determined mindset of the athletes competing in the Sochi Winter Olympics being held at the same time.

Additionally, students from Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) in Italy share how much closer they are to realizing their dreams of becoming tech experts following the Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and programming education they received through the program, and students from the U.K. who participated in Samsung Solve for Tomorrow discuss with their mentors how they developed creative problem-solving skills in the process of realizing their solutions for society during the program.

The stories of the students of Samsung’s education-focused corporate citizenship programs around the world, as well as the managers and mentors who are helping them realize their dreams, will continue to be shared on Samsung’s corporate citizenship website, Samsung Global Newsroom and across social media.

Take a look at some of those stories in the video below.

Enabling People for a Better Future

Under the CSR vision “Together for Tomorrow! Enabling People”, Samsung operates a range of educational programs around the world to create more inclusive, quality learning experiences for young people from all walks of life and to empower future generations to achieve their full potential.

Samsung’s leading global corporate citizenship programs for youth education include Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung Innovation Campus. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow encourages students to use their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) knowledge to create solutions that can solve societal problems and fosters their creative problem-solving skills.

Furthermore, Samsung Innovation Campus concentrates on developing the young generation’s employment capabilities through ICT education. From 2012 through 2020, Samsung’s global employees have devoted a total of 9.07 million hours to corporate citizenship activities, and around 21.5 million people have participated in Samsung’s youth education programs.

Samsung’s corporate citizenship programs are aligned with Goal 4 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Samsung cooperates closely with the world’s governments, policy makers and institutions to provide diverse and equal opportunities for young people. Samsung will continue to devote both the technologies and the resources in order to bring high-quality educational experiences to young people in every corner of the world.

“The Present” follows Sang-gu (Ha-kyun Shin), a man brought to present-day Seoul via time-travel from 1969. Sang-gu meets young entrepreneurs Ha-neul (Jun-myeon Kim, also known as EXO’s Suho), Bo-ra (Seul-ki Kim) and Young-bok (Su-bin Yoo) and ends up helping them as they work to create a thermal imaging camera to use in fire and rescue operations. “I wanted the film to be entertaining,” noted Director Jin-ho Hur, chiefly known for his work in the melodrama genre, “but I also wanted to accurately capture all the joys and sorrows faced by today’s young people as they go about launching their own business endeavors.”

(From left to right) Bo-ra, Sang-gu and Ha-neul, characters from “The Present”

The film features Samsung’s venture acceleration program C-Lab Outside, which supports young Korean startups by facilitating optimal environments for them to grow and create new value. Samsung’s IGNIS Thermal Imaging Camera, developed by Samsung’s in-house corporate incubation program C-Lab to help firefighters in prevention and rescue activities, also takes a starring role in the short film.

As well as being released on YouTube, Facebook and other portal sites, Samsung is hosting a special screening of “The Present” for 400 people in Seoul, attended by Director Jin-ho Hur, several of the production’s stars and C-Lab officials.

“We hope that ‘The Present’ will encourage young adults who are working hard to keep pursuing their dreams,” said Jae-woong Jeong, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Corporate Communications Team, “and that the film will convey to audiences Samsung’s citizenship vision of Enabling People, which itself reflects the company’s commitment to helping fulfill the innate potential of each and every individual.”

“The Present” is the latest in a series of films made by Samsung to entertain, motivate and inspire young people today. The first, “Two Lights”, was released in 2017, followed by “My Dream Class” in 2018 and “Memories” earlier in 2019.

Check out “The Present” in full below.