Finale...looking back

Well the project is approaching its final chapter. To be honest, i think all of us have apprehensions and are sceptical about this project. The tasks seem mountainous and are really troublesome. Apparently Mei Mei and i have some thoughts in common. As the project progressed, i have seen that the tasks doesn't seem that impossible to manage after all.We really made ourselves practise effective time management and planning. As quoted by Mei Mei, this project tests us on the virtues of patience, creativity and responsibility. This project has been an eye opener for me in the sense that now i am aware that almost all companies in the world today strive to be socially responsible and to minimize damages and harm to those that they interact with. Nevertheless, i am very fortunate to be blessed with competent, critical and efficient team members that will go the extra mile to outdo themselves (sounds like a isotonic drink ad). It is great to work with these guys despite friction and conflicts in ideas and thoughts. I thank you all, Jo Ann, Mei Syn, Mei Mei, for your efforts and hardwork poured in through out the course of this project. CHEERS! TO SUCCESS...

Words from me...

As the leader of CSR, I am happy to have my 3 lovely coursemate as my group members. They have done their part well and effeciently. They have outdoned of what they are supposed to complete. They showed cooperation and hard work through out the whole progress of the project. Despite of the different opinions voiced out in the discussion, we can eventually learn how to give and take in order to achieve the ultimate goals. Creativity, cooperation, and compromising have been showed by us in the progress of the project. Thus, here, I would like to thanks my group members for being so supportive. Thanks to Jo Ann (Solution-based Manager), Han Yang (Manager), and Mei Mei (Editor).

Sincere Appreciation From The Bottom of My Heart

Frankly speaking, at first I do feel that such a project given by our coach is really troublesome because there are so much things to do. However, i realised that throughout the preparation for the contents of the projects, I learned alot from my friends regarding our teamwork and time management. This assignment is testing us on our creativity, patience and responsibility. Also, it really enables me to explore the companies which we have chosen for our case studies. Although there are many existing solution models that we have used in this project, we also manage to come out with a modified version of those models to show our understanding in relating it to our project, energy saving devices. This model named after our group name CSR and it stands for Copy-Study-Reuse Model. It sounds funny but creative isn't it? But the contents of it is really useful. Check it out from our blog regarding the explaination of the model. Perhaps, other companies can apply it to their daily business too. I personally feel that my teammates have done their part well. Marks does matter to us, but the whole learning process is much more valuable. We have better chance to understand each other more. I do appreciate the hardworks done by you guys. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIME AND CREATIVITY!

Hewlett-Parkard (HP)

Hewlett-Packard (HP)

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled $90.0 billion. HP's got the industry's first, along with smart ways to put the cool on energy costs from the den to the desktop and data centre. HP also joins World Wildlife Fund-US in conservation initiatives. HP met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), ENERGY STAR® 4.0 requirements. ENERGY STAR® qualified HP products includes:
· HP computers
· HP monitors
· HP televisions
· HP printing and imaging products

New power supplies offer energy savings to consumer customers

HP today announced a variety of affordable, energy-efficient desk-based products and environmentally friendly features for business customers. Available today, the new HP Compaq dx2250 Desktop PC is a reliable, full-featured business computer featuring energy-efficient processors to help lower a customer’s total cost of ownership. HP also plans to offer 80 percent efficient power supplies on select desktop business PCs. The optional power supplies offer greater energy savings to customers and will allow HP to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently announced ENERGY STAR® 4.0 requirements in January 2007 – a full six months before the new guidelines take effect.

HP additionally announced a trade-in program to make it more affordable for customers to obtain thin client technology – which uses the lowest watt processors of any business computing option – while disposing of old technology in an environmentally responsible manner. As the world’s largest PC manufacturer, HP understands there’s a lot at stake when it comes to energy efficiency, from the rising cost of resources to the environmental impact. HP continues to proactively design, develop and incorporate energy-saving technologies into their products.

The HP Compaq dx2250 Business Desktop microtower PC is available with a range of high-performance AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core, AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Sempron™ processors. It also is the second HP business desktop series to feature AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ technology to help reduce processor heat for an overall cooler PC and a quieter work environment. Featuring award-winning processor, chipset and integrated graphics technologies from AMD and ATI Radeon combined with HP design, engineering and testing, the dx2250 is simple to set up and use and offers convenient audio ports for greater flexibility. Front USB 2.0 ports and an optional 16-in-1 media reader provide quick access to digital files and a fast-track to productivity. The dx2250’s 64-bit processors are designed to provide a seamless upgrade path to next-generation software and hardware and offer support for both Microsoft Windows® XP™ and the upcoming Windows Vista™ operating systems. High-capacity hard drives help increase storage capabilities, and a PCI Express x16 slot allows for graphic upgrades.
AMD applauds HP for recognizing the true value in developing energy-efficient solutions that address customer computing and business requirements. As AMD64 processor-based systems including the new HP Compaq dx2250 and the previously released dc5750 desktop PCs come to market, businesses can benefit from the low power consumption and quiet operation that AMD Cool’n’Quiet technology enables, without compromising performance. AMD has long understood that IT departments are looking for ways to cut energy consumption costs without losing performance or reliability – and we remain committed to helping customers achieve these objectives. The dx2250 is also available with high-performance DDR-2 SDRAM memory in single or dual channel configurations, USB 2.0 for significantly increased data transfer speed, high-speed multi-functional optical storage drives, and support for SATA hard drives.
New power supplies offer energy savings to business customer.
This January, HP’s 80 percent efficient power supplies will be an option for the recently introduced HP Compaq dc7700,(4) dc5700 and dc5750 series desktop PCs. In a typical commercial building, as much as 10 to 15 percent of the overall energy bill is driven by energy consumption of the power supplies used in most business technology. The new 80 percent efficient power supplies are 33 percent more efficient than current power supplies because they reduce the power drawn in waste heat that is dispersed into the environment. This is according to 80 PLUS®, an electric utility-funded incentive program focused on integrating more energy-efficient power supplies into desktop computers and servers. HP is the first major PC manufacturer to support the program. HP’s progressive approach to energy efficiency will enable the customers to enjoy the many benefits associated with 80 PLUS qualified computers.
HP laboratory tests reveal existing HP business desktop customers could improve power efficiency as much as 45 percent by switching to a next-generation system featuring an 80 percent efficient power supply. As systems are more richly configured, the savings with the new power supply increases, with the potential to save large enterprises with thousands of PCs deployed tens of thousands of dollars each year. Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) near Seattle has tested an 80 percent efficient power supply in its newest HP business PCs and found a significant savings potential.
As part of HP’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its customers, partners and suppliers, the company works with industry and government groups to promote energy-saving programs and consistent global standards. For example, HP is the only major PC manufacturer to have 36 products registered at the Silver rating with EPEAT, an online procurement tool to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes.

Getting thin just got easier

In addition to a broad lineup of full-featured business PCs, HP is also the industry’s fastest growing major thin client manufacturer. Thin clients offer improved security and manageability at a lower cost than traditional desktop PCs. And with just 9-watt processors, thin clients are also the most energy-efficient desktop client option. To make it even more affordable to migrate from traditional desktops PCs or older thin clients to the latest generation HP Compaq t5700, t5500 or t5100 series thin clients, HP is offering a trade-in program to business customers. Customers will receive fair market value for their trade-in systems, plus an additional $20 off the equivalent number of new qualified thin clients purchased, up to 100 systems per customer.
If a trade-in unit does not carry a fair market value, HP will cover the cost to recycle the product in an environmentally responsible manner, in addition to providing the $20 discount per unit. HP makes it easier to trade-in, recycle, reuse or donate end-of-life IT assets. Over 164 million pounds recycled in 2006 and HP was on track to surpass its goal of recycling 1 billion cumulative pounds (455 million kilograms) by the end of year 2007.

Finally...

Finally, we have come to the end of our project as the due date is approaching. I'm glad to see the outcome of our project as a group and the information that we could come up with in such a short time frame. Throughout this project, I've learn more about energy-saving in the real world and the things that have been done by companies globally to commit to this issue. Although the path towards the completion of this project is not easy, it has been an eye-widening experience as this is the first time I've posted so many blogs!!lol. Of course, my group members are the best people to work with as I feel we could work things out so well. Thanks guys! :) This project has widened my knowledge about the energy-saving and the technical details that lead to the energy-saving components and products. The ongoing research and development undertaken by firms globally to continually improve their processes has lead to many innovative products in the market. These firms deserved the recognition as their commitment has lead to the awareness of reducing wastage of resources, especially energy. This is a never-ending process as new and more innovative products would constantly replaced the old models, however this will benefit the community of the world. There are guides that teaches basic steps to save energy at homes and in offices by many non-profit societies and bodies around the world. I feel that awareness campaign should be held to encourage energy-saving attitudes and behaviors in the people. I'd enjoy the research and understanding done to produce this project. The models created by many operations management gurus has widened and increased my knowledge on the topics of this project. I strongly believe that the acceptance of energy-saving devices would be much welcomed by consumers worldwide and Pensonic should engage this features in its products. Throughout this project, I have enjoyed reading the posts by my group members on their components as this lead to our analysis on Pensonic. This has change my perception on corporate social responsibility issues as now I know that anyone and everyone could contribute towards improving the society and condition of the world. It is a good attitude and examples shown by corporate companies in giving back to the society. I have a better understanding of corporate social responsibility now. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr.Ellisha on the knowledgeable lectures and constant support to enable us to complete this project. I would also like to thank my group members, Mei Mei, Han Yang and Mei Syn on the effort and support they gave towards the completion of this project. It has been great working with you and I would like to extend my gratitude for the jobs well done. You guys deserve a big pat on your shoulders. Once again, thank you :-)

CSR Model

This is the proposed CSR Model that our group came up by ourselves. We believe this model can be applied and used by Pensonic Holdings Berhad to improve on their products and processes. This model is named Copy-Study-Reuse (CSR) Model. The principles behind this model is competitors' analysis.

Currently, there are many corporate companies globally realized the importance of corporate social responsibility. One of the ways that companies use is by reducing wastage of resources and to preserve the environment. This shows the commitment of corporates towards maintaining the greenery of mother nature. Therefore, companies in the manufacturing industries came up with various methods of energy-saving processes and machinery to be used in their manufacturing facilities. Apart from that, these companies also produces energy-saving devices to help households and offices to save energy. This continuous strive towards improvements and perfection has lead many corporate companies to instill social responsibility values as part of their code of ethics.

We believe that Pensonic could benefit by studying their competitors better in terms of their products, processes and also the management of those companies. There are six steps in this model, namely :

1. Competitor analysis - by benchmarking and reverse engineering
2. Internal assessment - by exploiting capabilities and constraints
3. Cost-benefit analysis - by testing the market
4. Strategy formulation - by generating alternatives
5. Implementation of Strategy - by selecting best alternative and company-wide implementation
6. Monitoring and Evaluation - by reviewing results, taking corrective actions and continuous improvements

These steps are important to ensure that the company is not mislead and commit themselves in investments that they could not afford or in the detriment of the other products of the company. Therefore, Pensonic must not skip any steps before implementing any improvements to their processes and products. Pensonic should always consider the impact of new innovations on the company as a whole and the consequences before engaging full-force in this investments. Big initial investments must not be feared because the company could gain even bigger market share if they succeed in the implementation of the new proposed energy-saving features in their products and processes. The top management must be supportive to innovation and adapt to the changing trend in order to bring Pensonic to greater heights. Lastly, I believe that Pensonic has much potential for growth and their abilities should be used to maximize their market share and profitability of the company.

Great Job from all

Is great to see my group members have done their parts perfectly I would say. WELL DONE buddies!!!