56 Corporate Supply Chain dustry in general. As independent planners, engi- neers and turnkey providers, Danbrew experien- ced an exciting year with completion of major pro- jects in different parts of the world. The year ahead will see the completion of a large greenfield project and various consultancy challenges. Corporate Strategic Sourcing ensures that Carls- berg BreweriesGLYPH<213> consolidated purchasing potential is exploited in the best way possible, particularly through well-defined sourcing strategies for the Group and broad market experience within key raw materials like malt, hops, bottles, cans, crowns and labels. For a group like Carlsberg Breweries with wide- ranging activities, IT investments are the pivotal factor as regards the ability to communicate with the individual subsidiaries and enhance their effi- ciency. Consequently, Carlsberg Breweries has decided to tighten the demands for standardisa- tion of inter-company business models and IT solutions in the years ahead. The introduction of an IT business plan for each subsidiary has helped to identify opportunities for increased standardisation and synergies across traditional boundaries. In addition, benchmarking has highlighted relevant areas for further improve- ment, including the importance of making global agreements with strategic business partners to obtain cost efficiency. Further, the increased focus on IT-business projects ensures that the IT strate- gy is followed and that projects are successfully completed. Several initiatives have been undertaken by Carls- berg BreweriesGLYPH<213> HR department to meet the GroupGLYPH<213>s ambitions as regards staff training. This includes a newly established two-year Internation- al Trainee Programme aimed at highly qualified candidates from universities and business schools. The programme is a joint responsibility between Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia, Hong Kong, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. Candidates within marketing/sales and finance were recruited locally in March 2001. Further, Carlsberg Breweries con- ducts a Diploma Management course, which was established in 2000. More than one hundred people from different functional areas at the Cor- porate Centre and Group companies have partici- pated. The course was divided into several modu- les, covering the central disciplines of management as well as main business areas. In addition, Group-wide ad hoc courses are conduc- ted regularly, e.g. a Project Management Course. The European Works Council of the Carlsberg Group held its second meeting in February 2001. The management met with 10 employee repre- sentatives from the GroupGLYPH<213>s European subsidiaries to discuss the current development of Carlsberg BreweriesGLYPH<213> western European operations. Further, observers from the then new Group companies, Carlsberg Sverige AB and Ringnes A.S., participa- ted in the meeting. Beer has always played an important role in daily life in most of the world. In almost all cultures, drinking beer is an essential element of social in- teraction and celebration, and historically beer has always been regarded as a nutritious drink. Today, the vast majority of people enjoy drinking a glass of beer while spending a pleasant time together with friends or family, and beer is still considered to be part of a healthy lifestyle. In this respect it is important to remember that over the past years research has shown that moderate beer con- sumption of 2-3 glasses a day has some positive health effects, such as reducing the risk of cardio- vascular diseases. Thus, Carlsberg Breweries believes that beer should be enjoyed in moderation, and that beer as a low-alcohol product brewed from the natural raw materials malt, hops, yeast and water is com- patible with a healthy lifestyle. Human Resources Beer and society IT Corporate Strategic Sourcing