Skip to main content

Case Study 9 Manufacturers Compete on Green Computing


Case Study No. 9
Manufacturers Compete on Green Computing
Dell, Apple, and HP have long competed on the basis of price and performance. Recently, the three companies have begun to focus on green computing as a way to differentiate themselves to consumers who have come to see green computing as an excellent opportunity to save money through reduced power consumption and to lessen their negative impact on the environment.92
In 2007, Dell announced that it had set a goal for itself of becoming the “greenest technology company on Earth,” and the company frequently touts its strong recycling program. Apple claims to have the “greenest family of notebooks” and emphasizes the progress it is making in removing toxic materials from all of its computers. HP highlights its efforts to develop more environmentally friendly packaging as well as its long tradition of environmentalism.93 “Power to Change” is HP’s latest green initiative campaign, which urges PC users around the world to shut down their computers at the end of the day to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.94
The public relations battle over which computer manufacturer is greener is heating up. Apple’s claim that it produces the “world’s greenest family of notebooks” was disputed by Dell and investigated by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in 2009. The basis for Dell’s complaint was that other computer manufacturers meet the same standards and that Apple’s ads implied superiority. Apple was asked by NAD to change its claim to clarify that the basis of comparison is between all MacBooks and all notebooks made by a given competitor. Rather than drop its “world’s greenest” claim, Apple changed the wording to “world’s greenest lineup of notebooks.”95
While companies differ in their environmental standards, consumers now have a number of new factors to evaluate when purchasing a computer based on its “green credentials.”96 Green computing proponents are glad to see the innovation and competition in this arena.


Discussion Questions
1      How have green computing efforts lowered the total cost of computer ownership?
-       The main reason the green computing lower the total cost of computer ownership is because green computing reduces the power consumption and hence less energy cost. It is also because of the fact that it uses and promotes recycling of materials.
2      Which approach can yield greater benefits—building greener computers or implementing programs that change users’ behavior so that they operate their computers in a more responsible manner? Explain your response.
-       For me, building greener computers can yield greater benefits. Because not only it will produce lesser energy cost, it will also help the environment allocate its resources to a more important area. It will also help reduce material cost because it will use recycled materials to produce their products.
3      Do research at the EPEAT Web site and determine which computer manufacturer currently has the best green computing ratings.
-       Based on my research on the EPEAT website, the company, Dell, has the best green computing ratings.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Case Study 3

CASE STUDY NO. 3 Antibribery Laws Force U.S. Companies to Raise the Bar on Business Ethics In the mid-1970s, investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that more than 400 companies in the United States had made illegal or questionable payments to foreign sources. To clean up the United States’ image overseas, Congress enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which allows the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the SEC to prosecute businesses and company personnel who bribe governments, politicians, or political parties abroad. Companies can be fined up to $2 million and be barred from doing business with the U.S. government, receiving an export license, and engaging in the securities business. People can be imprisoned for up to five years and fined twice the amount they hoped to receive as a result of the bribery. So, executives of a large IT company today wouldn’t dare bribe foreign officials, say, to obtain a large government contra...
Post a Comment
Read more

Case Study 10 Trading Scandal at Société Générale

Case Study No. 10 Trading Scandal at Société Générale In January 2008, Société Générale (SocGen), France’s second largest banking establishment, was a victim of internal fraud carried out by an employee, Jérôme Kerviel. SocGen bank lost €4.9 billion (euros) as an immediate result of the fraud. (At the time of the incident, the euro was worth approximately $1.45.) In 2007, SocGen was rated the best equity derivatives operation in the world by Risk magazine. Its internal control system of checks and balances was world renowned. For example, its trading room had five levels of hierarchy, each of which had a clear set of trading limits and controls, checked daily by a small army of compliance officers.2 In addition, “the bank also [had] a shock team of internal auditors who descend on a corner of the bank without warning and pull apart its operations to ensure they conform to bank rules.”3 During the summer of 2000, Kerviel began his employment at the bank—ironically, in its Comp...
Post a Comment
Read more