We Grow by Sharing Our Expertise
IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd (IBM) is committed to using its technology and expertise to help enterprises innovate. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in Hong Kong in 2017, the company believes Shared Value is real value and aims to grow alongside Hong Kong. The concept of Shared Value is embedded in IBM’s business strategy, creating real value for the company and its shareholders, giving the company a distinct competitive edge in the marketplace and contributing to social good in a sustainable way.
Shared Value for Business and Community
IBM has launched a number of key Shared Value initiatives - one example is Corporate Service Corps (CSC) where staff partner with government and civic leaders in emerging markets to address high-priority social issues. CSC was designed to develop 21st Century leaders with a global outlook and talent to provide IBM with competitive advantage, help the company establish itself in new markets, as well as assist communities in addressing their problems. Since its launch CSC has contributed over 3 000 participants in over 275 teams on over 1 000 projects, delivering over US$70 million in market value in nearly 40 countries around the world.
One project saw an IBM business consultant from Hong Kong join a CSC team fighting poverty in Limpopo, South Africa. Being part of a team of 15 IBM employees from around the world, the consultant worked with the Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF), a non-governmental organisation that provides micro-financing services to help local communities develop and fight poverty in a sustainable way. The CSC team assessed SEF’s systems, policies and procedures and proposed an expansion strategy. From the project SEF learnt how to better its service to clients, improve its business skills and enhance its operational effectiveness. Meanwhile IBM established itself as a partner to South Africa, nurturing this emerging market for business expansion, and the team developed their global leadership skills.
Another example is the IBM-Salvation Army “Life M.A.S.T.E.R.” Programme in Hong Kong. This collaboration earned IBM the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund Outstanding Social Capital Partnership Award in 2014. The programme aims to inspire and assist young people in planning their future careers, through a series of activities, including talks and corporate visits during which IBM volunteers, including its General Manager, share their experiences. Through this programme the young people became better prepared to enter the workforce, whilst IBM has seen multiple spin-off benefits for the business. These benefits range from employees having renewed team spirit, enhanced leadership skills, to meeting and establishing relationships with groups of people that they do not encounter in work, including the teenagers, the NGO partner and clients involved in the sessions. As one participating IBM employee concluded, "I learned a lot about how the younger generation today thinks and acts. It really widened my perspective. This could help me design and deliver solutions to clients that address better young consumers' needs and expectations."
