{"id":15475,"date":"2011-08-18T16:37:46","date_gmt":"2011-08-18T21:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=15475"},"modified":"2011-08-18T17:06:53","modified_gmt":"2011-08-18T22:06:53","slug":"when-paying-it-forward-pays-image-microsystems%e2%80%99-csr-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/08\/18\/when-paying-it-forward-pays-image-microsystems%e2%80%99-csr-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"When Paying it Forward Pays: Image Microsystems\u2019 CSR Case Study"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>When Paying it Forward Pays: Image Microsystems\u2019 CSR Case Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>August 18, 2011<\/p>\n<p>For companies committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is a<br \/>\nbelief that all those good deeds will be rewarded with new business, but<br \/>\nthere is scant hard evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Image Microsystems (IM), of Austin, Texas, stands as one of the few<br \/>\ncompanies that can ascribe new business gains to its core values of<br \/>\nsustainability and community, which are achievements that have been squarely<br \/>\nleveraged by public relations to amplify their effect.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/imagemicro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/imagemicro.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>* IM has the world\u2019s only patent-pending technology that can recycle e-waste<br \/>\ninto a substrate product that can replace, for example, aluminum in road<br \/>\nsigns. Called MicroStrate, this new product recycles dirty plastics like ink<br \/>\njet cartridges.<\/p>\n<p>* 40% of IM\u2019s 250-person workforce is deaf or has special needs, which is a<br \/>\ncommitment to diversity few other companies can imagine, let alone match.<\/p>\n<p>This impressive Double Whammy of CSR makes a compelling pitch in IM\u2019s quest<br \/>\nfor new business at a time when more companies are adopting sustainability<br \/>\nand looking for proven partners that can enhance CSR performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCSR is more important to companies,\u201d says Liz Walker, Image Microsystem\u2019s<br \/>\nVice President, Marketing and Business Development, \u201cand we have companies<br \/>\nseeking us out knowing that we have the same mindset. Word gets around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Walker says that IM\u2019s revenues in the first six months of 2011 already match<br \/>\nrevenues for all of 2010, putting the company on target for 100% growth in<br \/>\nthe current year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can directly attribute much of the growth [to] our diversity initiatives<br \/>\nand our closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle process of converting e-waste into<br \/>\nsignage,\u201d she explains. \u201cDell increased and extended its printer cartridge<br \/>\nrecycling contract with Image Microsystems because of our CSR<br \/>\ncommitments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an ideal partnership between companies with a shared philosophy,\u201d says<br \/>\nDell in a blog post, which goes on to laud IM for being \u201ca responsible<br \/>\npartner\u201d and \u201cgood community partner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other clients include Office Max and NEW, the major extended warranty<br \/>\ncompany for computer tech.<\/p>\n<p>The Critical Role of PR<\/p>\n<p>The Image Microsystems case study highlights the key elements of leveraging<br \/>\nCSR elements for new business development:<\/p>\n<p>* Integrating CSR values seamlessly into products, services and operations<br \/>\n* Broadcasting substantiated successes through effective PR channels.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, it\u2019s not enough to do a good job, you have to be seen doing<br \/>\nthat good job \u2013 or, even better, publicly praised for doing that good job by<br \/>\ncredible third parties.<\/p>\n<p>Walker, who splits her time between marketing and stewarding the new<br \/>\nMicroStrate business, says public relations has been her main outreach<br \/>\nstrategy, with a regular schedule of media-friendly press releases<br \/>\ndocumenting achievements.<\/p>\n<p>Tactically, Walker focuses PR on:<\/p>\n<p>* Awards: Identifying, applying to, winning and leveraging awards ceremonies<br \/>\namong key market sectors has put the IM brand squarely in front of new<br \/>\ncustomers. Since October, IM has won the State of Texas Alliance for<br \/>\nRecycling Sustainability Award[Ie4] , Green Reverse Logistics Award from the<br \/>\nReverse Logistics Association and the Green Product Showcase Award from the<br \/>\nInternational Sign Association and was named a Green Supply Chain Award<br \/>\nWinner by Supply and Demand Chain Executive.<\/p>\n<p>* Speaking Engagements: As with other CSR programs, success is heightened by<br \/>\nCEO-level champions who lead the crusade. At IM, the senior team regularly<br \/>\nspeaks about its CSR lessons, especially diversity. \u201cWe proselytize the<br \/>\nconcept to help other businesses grow,\u201d says Walker. \u201cNo matter the<br \/>\nperson\u2019s disability, there is something they can do and succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>* Strategic Partnerships: As a way of building strategic alliances, IM<br \/>\ninvited the Texas Department of Transportation to tour its MicroStrate<br \/>\nplant, which proved to be the pivot that introduced the road sign<br \/>\nopportunity. Independent testing shows MicroStrate to be a strong<br \/>\nalternative to aluminum road signs because of its durability, low value for<br \/>\nscavenging thieves, substantially lower carbon footprint and recyclability.<\/p>\n<p>Media pick up of IM\u2019s releases has resulted in global news coverage and<br \/>\nsolicitations from far-away markets such as Mexico, the UK, Canada, Germany<br \/>\nand most of the Scandinavian countries, with signed letters of intent to<br \/>\npurchase.<\/p>\n<p>In November, IM will ramp up production to meet the new MicroStrate demand<br \/>\nin a new 91,000-square-foot plant in suburban Austin.<\/p>\n<p>From there to here<\/p>\n<p>While Image Microsystem\u2019s business trajectory was firmly set toward the<br \/>\nreverse logistics and recycling sector, the diversity push was an unexpected<br \/>\ngoldmine.<\/p>\n<p>IM was founded in 1992 as a manufacturer and seller of computers, but<br \/>\nshifted focus over the years toward IT parts and components and now to<br \/>\n\u201creverse logistics\u201d \u2013 meaning, in this case, that IM diverts IT parts,<br \/>\nequipment and waste from garbage heaps and incinerators by repairing,<br \/>\nremarketing and recycling.<\/p>\n<p>According to the UN Environment Program up to \u201c50 million metric tonnes of<br \/>\ne-waste are generated worldwide every year, comprising more than 5% of all<br \/>\nmunicipal solid waste. In the US alone, some 14 to 20 million PCs are thrown<br \/>\nout every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2005, Toni Abadi, an expert in American Sign Language, convinced her<br \/>\nImage Microsystems CEO husband, Alex Abadi, to hire two deaf workers.<\/p>\n<p>As a pilot project, the first hires were so successful that IM entered into<br \/>\npartnership with Texas School for the Deaf, offering internships and<br \/>\nemployment opportunities. It was an experiment with substantial cultural and<br \/>\nbusiness development dividends.<\/p>\n<p>Special needs employees, says Walker, are generally reliable, hardworking,<br \/>\nappreciative and have lower turnover. In one case, a team overseeing<br \/>\nprinter returns at IM is 80% deaf, including the supervisor.<\/p>\n<p>Corporate Trust as a CSR Dividend<\/p>\n<p>When companies like Image Microsystems adopt sustainable business<br \/>\nstrategies, the mantra is \u201cPeople, Planet and Profits\u201d \u2013 the vaunted Triple<br \/>\nBottom Line that guides organizations through their commitments to Corporate<br \/>\nSocial Responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>One way to evaluate the \u201cpay off\u201d for companies that invest in CSR is the<br \/>\ngain in improved levels of corporate trust.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSustainability and trust create a virtuous cycle,\u201d says Barbara Kimmel, the<br \/>\nExecutive Director of Trust Across America, an independent research company.<br \/>\n\u201cBecause trust is an inherent element of optimism that buoys any economy,<br \/>\ncompanies that understand the correlation between trust and sustainable<br \/>\nbusiness create greater value for all stakeholders, in addition to \u2019doing<br \/>\nthe right thing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She adds: \u201cA trustworthy organization is innovative and collaborative,<br \/>\nleading to an even more sustainable business, driven by new products and<br \/>\ntheir resulting revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In November 2010, Trust Across America identified 59 companies \u2013 the \u201cGold<br \/>\n59\u201d including brands like Aflac, Fed Ex, Lexmark and Cigna \u2014 that met its<br \/>\nbenchmark standard for trustworthy business behavior and compared their<br \/>\nperformance since 1999 against the S&amp;P 500.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese companies have already outperformed the S&amp;P by approximately 35%<br \/>\nsince we began tracking them in November 2010, and it\u2019s no fluke,\u201d says<br \/>\nKimmel. \u201cIf someone had been smart enough to have picked those same<br \/>\ncompanies in 1999, they\u2019d have outperformed the S&amp;P by over 500%.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Halo Effect<\/p>\n<p>At Image Microsystems, PR has proven to be the bridge between good deed and<br \/>\nnew business \u2013 catalyzing customer development, improved brand awareness,<br \/>\nindustry kudos, and enhanced employee morale, among other benefits.<\/p>\n<p>As a take away, the strategy at IM boils down to this:<\/p>\n<p>Communicating CSR values by living CSR values (integrated throughout<br \/>\nproducts, services and operation)<\/p>\n<p>Bragging effectively and in the appropriate channels when there is substance<br \/>\nabout which to boast<\/p>\n<p>Engaging CEO champions as prophets of CSR business strategies<br \/>\nConverting audiences to customers through good deeds that reflect positively<br \/>\non those customers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFocusing on CSR and publicizing it through public relations tactics has a<br \/>\ndirect and positive impact to not only your bottom line but also for<br \/>\nemployees and how your company is perceived in the marketplace,\u201d says<br \/>\nWalker. \u201cIt creates a halo effect for customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ian Edwards is Executive Vice President of Arcadia Sustainability<br \/>\nCommunications in New York City. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arcadiasustainability.com\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.arcadiasustainability.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/2011\/08\/when-paying-forward-pays-image-microsystems-csr-case-study\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/2011\/08\/when-paying-forward-pays-image-microsystems-csr-case-study\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Paying it Forward Pays: Image Microsystems\u2019 CSR Case Study August 18, 2011 For companies committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is a belief that all those good deeds will be rewarded with new business, but there is scant&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/08\/18\/when-paying-it-forward-pays-image-microsystems%e2%80%99-csr-case-study\/\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1974,1629,4621,23,21,10444,2814,10446,24,52,10451,10450,10454,10456,1978,10455,10447,10445,32,10443,10442,10448,10452,4929,10449,10453,17,604,1980,80],"class_list":["post-15475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-alex-abadi","tag-american-sign-language","tag-article","tag-asl","tag-austin","tag-case-study","tag-company","tag-csr","tag-deaf","tag-diversity","tag-green-product-showcase-award","tag-green-reverse-logistics-award","tag-green-supply-chain-award","tag-ian-edwards","tag-image-microsystems","tag-international-sign-association","tag-liz-walker","tag-office-max","tag-opportunity","tag-pr","tag-public-relations","tag-recycling-sustainability-award","tag-reverse-logistics-association","tag-special-needs","tag-state-of-texas-alliance","tag-supply-and-demand-chain-executive","tag-texas","tag-texas-school-for-the-deaf","tag-toni-abadi","tag-tsd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-41B","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23113,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/when-paying-it-forward-pays-image-microsystems-csr-case-study\/","url_meta":{"origin":15475,"position":0},"title":"When 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By Brandi Stewart September 15, 2008: 9:02 AM EDT (Fortune Small Business) -- Alex Abadi is not just doing a good deed by hiring students from the Texas\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15475"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15487,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15475\/revisions\/15487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}