Enterprise Update from the Canadian Rockies
Mike Feldman
VP Worldwide Sales and Services
I am just on my way back from Canada where we held the Enterprise Advisory
Council amidst the breathtaking scenery of Lake
Louise. It is a sight I will not soon forget. Stunning is the only way
I can describe it.
Our council meeting was one of the best I have attended around the world.
Our Canadian customers offered so much valuable feedback to me and my HP
colleagues. We discussed the continued importance of environment impact in
enterprise imaging and printing and received feedback that this continued to be
top of mind for every customer. This led to a great discussion on how we can
work with customers to improve
their workflow so they can print less and speed up business processes.
We also discussed the positive impact of the EDS
acquisition and how this will extend our capabilities in outsourcing and
document management services. The council gave us great feedback on our
solution offerings - everything from information management to variable data
publishing to security as well as great discussions on unique industry
solutions for education, financial services, legal, consulting,
government, and others.
Of course, during the breaks, we had lively discussions about Sara Palin,
Barack Obama, John McCain, and the political situation in the US in general. I
am really looking forward to the upcoming debates. We also had great
conversations about what the financial crisis in the US means to the rest of the
world. The bailout of AIG, demise of Lehman Brothers, the new FBI investigation
into the executive practices of over 100 companies, etc. were all discussed.
What happens in the US has huge ramifications for the world economy.
Image of Lake Louise via Wikipedia
Tags: HP,Lake Louise
Canada,Sarah
Palin,Barak
Obama,John
McCain,AIG,Lehman
Brothers,US
Economy,EDS,Acquisition
Reaching your green fatigue threshold? HP's committed to the environment.
 | Alison Graves |
Are you beating yourself up for infractions like pitching a soda can in the trash or forgetting to bring your own travel coffee mug into Starbucks? If you answered yes, then you might be suffering from “Green Guilt.” Are you skeptical of every green marketing claim and more interested in the U.S. presidential election and Jamie Lynn Spears’ baby? Then you probably have “Green Fatigue.” The New York Times reports the green fatigue threshold has been reached. PR and marketing professionals are trying to figure out what to do about it as experts worry the trend will soon die off. “After 18 months, levels of concern on any issue tend to drop off,” said Jonathan Banks, business insight director in Britain at Nielson, in an interview with the Times.
According to PR industry e-zine, Bulldog Reporter, “The problem boils down to misleading and exaggerated environmental claims and ties by advertisers that have consumers caught on an overgrown lawn of green skepticism.” For example, the Times points out that The Advertising Standards Authority received 561 complaints from consumers about green claims in 410 ads in 2007, up from 117 complaints about 83 ads the year before.
Where does that leave HP? Our commitment to environmental stewardship isn’t just a passing phase – in fact, it’s built into our DNA as a company, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were pioneers in recognizing that beyond making a profit, a company has a responsibility to enrich the businesses, lives and communities of its customers, partners, employees and stakeholders. Sure, like almost everyone else, we amped up our green marketing in the last year, but our claims are very real. They not only relate to our own commitment to the environment, but also our work to support our enterprise customers green goals. And speaking of our own commitment: Last week HP’s Corvallis site was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as exemplary steward, for making efforts, both internally and externally, to go above and beyond legal requirements for protecting the environment. The Corvallis site has reduced the total amount of electricity use by 6 percent, accounting for 9.7 million megawatt-hours, and invests in 4.2 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year. Congratulations HP Corvallis!
