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 Corporate Responsibility – Hewlett Packard

Hewlett Packard company which is popularly known as HP is an American technology company

that has a quite an impressive track record in corporate responsibility. The company was founded

in 1939 by David Packard and Bill Hewlett and is currently headquartered in Palo Alto,

California (Staff, 2023). The company majorly focuses on the production of computer hardware

ranging from personal computers to supercomputers, networking products, software, scanners,

printers, and support and maintenance services (Hall, 2023).

The impact a company makes on society, the economy, and the environment are what corporate

responsibility is all about. Having in place a working CR program contributes positively to

adding value for the company as well as to all stakeholders and ensures it operates in a

sustainable manner (Zaman et al., 2023). HP has in place an effective CR program which has

contributed largely to the betterment of the welfare of the society. The is well known for

contributing positively to society by launching initiatives all over the world. In the year 2021, the

company was ranked first in terms of CR with a score of 93.2. The ranking source is from,

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/americas-most-responsible-companies-2021/ . Information on

how HP has attained the overall position is provided in the source.

The company, over the years, has focused on ensuring that its every program is guided by three

main pillars, namely, climate, digital equity and human (Staff, 2023). Currently, the company

aims to achieve a net zero by the year 2030 and reduce their carbon footprint, which will

contribute hugely to the fight against climate change (Staff, 2023). In order to achieve this, the

company has started changing its production methods and engaging in numerous CR programs.
One specific CR program that the company has engaged in is helping poorer communities that

are more susceptible to climate change disasters. For instance, in the year 2016, HP started an

initiative to source ocean-bound plastic bottles from Haiti to be used in its production of laptops

and HP ink cartridges (Moorhead, 2022). The initiative led to the introduction of a laptop in 2019

that was produced from ocean-bound plastics from Haiti. The laptop was lauded for being among

the first high-tech-produced devices in the globe.

The initiative contributed hugely to aiding in the fight against the rising problem of ocean-bound

plastics, which has led to water bodies pollution (Moorhead, 2022). In addition, it contributed to

the creation of employment opportunities for young people and micro businesses in the

economically disadvantaged state of Haiti. Moreover, the recycling processes and expertise in

Haiti were strengthened with the help of the program (Moorhead, 2022). The program

contributed to the top ranking of the company since it contributed to the environmental

protection policies.

As a customer, the company's attitude to corporate social responsibility affects how I choose to

spend money on their products. HP imports Haitian plastic bottles and then uses these plastic

bottles in its products. The produces finished goods that satisfy customers thanks to a top-notch

technical team and the product assembly division (Gould et al., 2020). Customers are becoming

more conscious of the ongoing environmental crisis on a worldwide level; hence while placing a

premium on quality, consumers are also increasingly looking for products that are

environmentally friendly and help to resolve global environmental problems. As a result, HP

protects the environment and draws in more environmentally conscious customers when it
minimises the amount of plastic garbage entering the ocean. Customers that value protecting the

environment by purchasing their items make more of these ecologically responsible purchases as

a result (Gould et al., 2020).

Companies like HP collect, analyse, and use customer data in order to make better decisions in

the organisation (Staff, 2023). This data can be in any form and can be used for various purposes

depending on one company to another. An example of data that HP uses is - product usage data

for HP printers. HP also uses the customer's product usage data, like the number of pages

printed, the mode of printing; the media referred to while printing, the type of file printed, the

application used for the purpose of printing, the size of the file, and so on (Staff, 2023). It has

been specifically mentioned by the company that none of the file contents is scanned or collected

by the company or its devices.

The company uses these collected data to analyse the priority, choices, and preferences of the

customers. The collected set of information helps the company in making better corporate

responsibility decisions by keeping in mind the requirements of the customers (Hall, 2023).

These data help the company in making accurate decisions so that the final products align with

the customer requirements. The products with better technology and environment-friendly

elements contribute to the better decision-making process of HP with respect to its corporate

social responsibility (Hall, 2023).

In conclusion, HP has contributed hugely to the betterment of society by carrying out various CR

initiatives. One example of the CR programs the company has carried out is the plastic cleaning
program in Haiti which helped in the fight against environment pollution. The program

contributed positively to its reputation and helped the economically disadvantaged Haiti create

jobs to youths and small businesses.

 References

Gould, R., Harris, S. P., Mullin, C., & Jones, R. (2020). Disability, diversity, and corporate social

responsibility: Learning from recognized leaders in inclusion. Journal of Vocational

Rehabilitation, 52(1), 29-42.

Hall, M. (2023, March 3). Hewlett-Packard Company | History & Facts. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hewlett-Packard-Company

Moorhead, P. (2022, June 22). HP Inc.’s 2021 Sustainable Impact Report Shows Leadership On

Climate, Human Rights And Digital Equity. Forbes.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2022/06/22/hp-

incs-2021-sustainable-impact-report-shows-leadership-on-climate-human-rights-and-

digital-equity/amp/

Staff, F. (2023, April 4). HP. Fortune. https://fortune.com/company/hp/

Zaman, R., Jain, T., Samara, G., & Jamali, D. (2022). Corporate governance meets corporate

social responsibility: Mapping the interface. Business & Society, 61(3), 690-752.