Top responsible IT firms named

14-12-2007

by Emmet Ryan

Intel, Cisco and Adobe are the 'Best Corporate Citizens' in the IT field according to a study by Corporate Responsibility Office (CRO) magazine.

IT giants Cisco and Intel were neck and neck atop the Technology-Hardware category in the awards, while Adobe took the gong for the Technology-Software category. The study rated firms based on their performance in eight categories, namely: the environment, climate change, human rights, employee relations, philanthropy, corporate governance, financial and lobbying. In all around 170 data elements were used to rank competitors and firms were given scores compared to how other businesses operating in their industry.

"We saw this exercise as a valuable way to decipher companies' performance on things like governance and sustainability issues, especially when looking at how they did when measured against the companies they duke it out with in the marketplace," said CRO Editor-In-Chief Dennis Schaal.

Adobe topped the software table thanks to a strong performance in a wide variety of categories. The firm scored in the top 20 of all eight categories, including fourth in employee relations. Among its perks in this field, Adobe offers employees a maximum of 100 hours of backup childcare annually, and care for the elderly when normal arrangements don't materialize.

Cisco achieved its status at the top of the chart thanks to a solid run in most categories. The network equipment provider ranked in the top 10 in five categories, including topping the corporate governance category. The firm claims that every quarter its Sustainable Business Practices team reports on corporate and social responsibility matters to the executive vice president of operations, with unaddressed issues getting assigned to appropriate teams or executives.

Intel joined Cisco atop the Technology-Hardware category. The semiconductor maker was helped in no small part by receiving the top score among its peers in philanthropy and took third in employee relations. The firm's employee relations score was aided by Intel's policy of giving full-time employees in the US eight-week paid sabbaticals every seven years.

In addition to taking a CRO award Intel also celebrated receiving an award from Ethisphere magazine as Dave Stangis, the IT giant's director of corporate responsibility, was named on its 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics list.

"Corporate responsibility is in our DNA at Intel. It's how we conduct our business," said Stangis. "We are honoured to be recognised by people that make a business of defining benchmarks in corporate and social responsibility. The fact that our values of respecting individuals, communities and the planet are recognized in this way is a testament to the good work of Intel employees worldwide."

Stangis was named at number 88 on the list which was topped by Neelie Kroes, the European Commissioner for Competition.