Building Mutually-beneficial Relationships
Our stakeholders contribute to our success. That’s why meaningful engagement with our communities is embedded in the way we work. Like our operations, the stakeholders we work with are diverse; their issues, interests and backgrounds vary. As a result, the way we engage with them depends on the circumstances and their preferences:
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Information Sharing – We provide timely information to stakeholders through open houses, special events and our website. We also issue a newsletter called Community Matters.
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Consultation – We consult our stakeholders in various ways — from face-to-face meetings to multi-stakeholder sessions.
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Collaboration – We participate in shared decision-making through forums. In Canada, for example, we collaborate with stakeholders through the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA) and Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA) – two organizations working to improve the environmental performance of the oil sands industry.
We support community activities through donations, sponsorships and volunteering. And we always welcome feedback and can be reached on the phone or in person at our ‘storefront’ offices in several communities.
Stakeholders Defined
We define stakeholders as any individuals or groups who could be impacted by our operations or who could, through their own actions, affect our business. Many people have a ‘stake’ in Nexen:
- Investors
- Employees
- Governments and regulators
- Customers
- Community residents and landowners
- First Nations and Aboriginal peoples
- Special interest groups and non government organizations
Although all stakeholders are important to Nexen, it takes considerable effort to build positive and mutually-beneficial relationships. Project and operational size, impact scope and the degree to which stakeholders themselves wish to be involved, are considered when determining the level of engagement.