Hewlett-Packard (HP) Company
Background
The Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) in the technology industry was established by David Packard and Bill Hewlett in 1939 and initially produced audio oscillators for Walt Disney. The Company joined the computer market in 1966 with designs of HP 211A to run the comprehensive range equipment and test of HP products (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). By 1969, the Company marketed various new products and an extensive line of computer systems, including a handheld calculator (HP-35). During the Second World War, the Company developed several military applications that were essential to warrant a draft exemption to Packard as Bill Hewlett served in the army (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). Throughout the period, the HP Company collaborated with the Naval Research Laboratory in developing a practical counter radar technology that enhanced artillery shell fuses.
One of the earliest HP company products includes the rapid frequency counter developed in 1950. It was applied in the fast-growing television broadcasts and FM radio stations for locating frequency signals as accustomed by regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (Budiono & Sawitri, 2017). To diversify its line of products, HP publicly purchased the Graphic recorders company of F.L Mosely, followed by Sanborn, a medical instrument manufacturing company in 1962. By 1964, the HP Company gained instrumental technological acknowledgment in a publicity stunt (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019), and later in 1968, HP inaugurated the desktop calculator. In the early 1970s, Hewlett-Packard Company introduced its first pocket-sized calculator.
The multi-purpose HP300 minicomputer, developed in 1972, continues to be used in various businesses today (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). The first HP desktop computer (HP-85) was introduced in 1980 due to its compatibility with IBM personal computers that facilitated touch screens systems. HP’s successful primary product in the personal computer market includes the HP LaserJet printers, which attracted ecstatic reviews and massive sales. In the 1990s, the HP Company cooperated with the Intel Company manufacturing integrated circuits designs for their Itanium microprocessors. In the 2000s, Hewlett-Packard Company stretched its global operations by establishing research laboratories in Beijing, India, Bangalore, Russia, and China, joining the already established laboratories in Israel, Tokyo, England, and Japan (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). In 2015, Hewlett-Packard Company split into the HP Enterprise that renders business products and services, and HP Inc., which manufactures printers and personal computers.
HP’s Global Reach and Products
The HP international company provides a wide range of products from notebooks, personal computers, printers, storages, digital cameras, scanners, IT services, and network management software. Besides, the Company provides services, solutions, technologies, and products to businesses and consumers. The HP Company trademarks a phenomenon development and growth from a $537 working capital in 1938 to one of the leading worldwide providers with almost $100 in revenue (Budiono & Sawitri, 2017). Based on the SWOT analysis of HP’s competitive environment and economic features like market size, competition, trends, market segments, and driving force, it remains at the world market (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). In the last three years, HP has demonstrated a tremendous financial performance that facilitates partnerships and strategic alliances that boost its market shares and strengthen its competitive capabilities.
Recently, Hewlett-Packard Company in information technology services revealed a takeover of Electronic Data System (EDS) for $13 billion (Budiono & Sawitri, 2017). This acquisition promotes the Company to a significant IT service provider besides IBM. The global market revenue for IT totals to $1.2 trillion, projecting a 10% increase since 2006, and the trend is estimated to increase (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). Other driving forces for HP’s global achievements include innovations, business models, products, applications, emerging internet capabilities, and technological change.
The Ethisphere List
The Ethisphere institute defines and advances ethical standards in business practices through evaluation to produce the world’s most ethical organizations. The analysis changes annually, where various companies participating in the application process register through an instructive webcast (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). Ethisphere’s measurement for a company’s ethical culture involves assessing its average data sources, inclusion in dedicated surveys on what the Company uses, training on managers on how to counter ethical concerns from employees, and investigating raised concerns and evident compromising pressure on the code of conducts. Ethisphere also measures a company’s ethics and compliance based on its governance system to identify gaps and recommend guidelines that promote the business practice and reduce risks.
The HP Company appears on Ethisphere lists as a responsible and ethical company following research conducted by Statista and surveys by Newsweek across 14 industries and over 2,000 public companies (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). The HP Company attained a score of 94.4 due to environmental dimensions like the use of energy and water, social dimensions like philanthropy, employees and leadership diversity, and governance aspects like transparency, disclosure, and economic performance. Based on the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance companies (BELA) and practices drawn from Ethisphere’s ethical culture measures, the analytical data enable HP company to determine the effectiveness of its various programs and develop organizational changes for efficient business performance.
Code of conduct
Hewlett-Packard is a global company committed to the highest business ethics (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). All suppliers, consultants, and contractors transacting business with Hewlett-Packard accept to provide their services as per this commitment. Hp’s business ethics standards attribute fundamental principles of law and ethics governing how the Company conducts its business. These standards serve as the basis for other Hp policies and guidelines. According to the Hp employee code of conduct, they should observe the set standards of policies and guidelines (Wilburn & Wilburn, 2019). For example, the labor conduct of conduct ensures that all workers in the organization’s supply chain are equally treated with respect and dignity. Besides, the Company’s board of directors is subjected to these standards and guidelines relating to their specific responsibilities. Furthermore, based on HP’s ethical codes, channel partners, and suppliers must conduct their businesses legally and ethically (Budiono & Sawitri, 2017).
HP’s Governance
The Company is devoted to; sustain high standard corporate governance and business conduct crucial for the efficient running of the business, effectively serve stockholders and high marketplace integrity. The Company has endorsed a business code of conduct and ethics (Standard Business Conducts) for directors, controllers, principal financial officers, principal executive officers, and employees (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). Hewlett-Packard ethical committee constitutes a board of directors managing audits, human resources and compensations, finance and investments, technology, and nominating social and governance responsibilities. The Company has also developed specific guidelines on corporate governance integrated with incorporation certificates, charters from board committees, and bylaws to form its governance structure.
Ethics Compliance System
The HP Company outlines its compliance programs and corporate ethics through efforts to achieve high conduct standards by ensuring respect and fairness in its working environment and assuming the commitment to all its affiliations and supply chain. The Company counteracts corruption by upholding various national laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the United States and the Bribery Act in the UK (McIntyre & Ortiz, 2016). Also, the Company reinforces its leadership to uplift human rights through actions and values from individual workplace levels to the broad industrial level. The corporate, training, policies, and values outline the Company’s expectations for workers demonstrating influential ethical standards.
Ethics department, response and Planned Improvements
Planned improvements in HP Company involve operations in environmental elements that include adopting sustainable principles and business models that facilitate product repair, reuse, and recycling. This is aimed at steering a sustainable industrial revolution, reduce influences on climate change, and reduced impacts on geographies and business. The advances also focus on reducing greenhouse emissions by investing in renewable electricity sources and advanced, efficient energy (Budiono & Sawitri, 2017). Besides, the Company receives ethical concerns on potential violations of HP’s business policies, conduct, and laws through multiple channels followed by prompt response and investigations.
My Company
Background
Mspy is a phone-spying software company established in 2010 by Shimanovic Andrei that allows users to monitor another person’s calls, messages, browsing history, social media, locations, and keyboard strokes in the background without the other person’s knowledge. The Company developed surveillance software for regular monitoring (Citron, 2015); for example, organizations use the surveillance software to ensure their employees meet regulations, assess workforce performance, increase compliance, and detect proactive security threats. Since its launch in 2010, Mspy Company has grown to one of the most popular monitoring software programs globally. Despite its frequent marketing to concerned parents, the software is an ultimate cyberstalking tool. By installing the Mspy app in a person’s phone, one can monitor that phone’s activity, including private activities and GPS locations. The Mspy software works by tracking activities on the target phone; for instance, parents often use the apps to observe their children’s online activities and exercise parental control (Greene, 2015).
Ethical failures
Despite its successes, the Company produces invasive surveillance tools readily available to general consumers and is used in various abusive and malicious activities. Although the Company helps more than one million consumers monitor their employees, kids, and partners, most of its sensitive online personal records, including passwords, call logs, text messages, notes, contacts, and location data, are subject to possible leaks (Harkin, Molnar & Vowles, 2020). Furthermore, the lack of practical protective measures for sensitive data promotes illegal access to personal information. The software also contributes to technological offenses, stalking, and confidence breaches, which creates insecurity (Greene, 2015). The Company should adopt useful protective guidelines for protecting personal information to prevent unauthorized access and avoid unethical surveillance and security breaches.
Lessons Learned
From Ethisphere’s assessment of HP Company ethics and governance, it is essential to develop an ethical culture that facilitates business transitions and aids in addressing various business purposes. Monitoring the existing ethical culture helps to continually direct specific priorities and identify resources to meet set development strategies. Besides, conducting surveys and analysis creates a foundation for engagement with other employees and insights into different departments’ and general organizations’ requirements.
References
Budiono, G. L., & Sawitri, N. N. (2017). Strategic Business Espionage: An Ethics and Business Practices to Gain Opportunity or Community Problems. Studies in Business and Economics, 12(1), 29-39.
Citron, D. K. (2015). Spying Inc. Wash. & Lee L. Rev., 72, 1243.
Greene, T. (2015). Most significant data breaches of 2015. Network World, 2015, 1-6.
Harkin, D., Molnar, A., & Vowles, E. (2020). The commodification of mobile phone surveillance: An analysis of the consumer spyware industry. Crime, media, culture, 16(1), 33-60.
McIntyre, K., & Ortiz, J. A. (2016). Multinational corporations and the circular economy: how Hewlett Packard scales innovation and technology in its global supply chain. Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology (pp. 317-330). Springer, Cham.
Wilburn, K. M., & Wilburn, H. R. (2019). Missing Social Outcomes in CSR Reports of Award Winners. Global Journal of Business Research, 13(2), 13-36.