Vote on a Color / Sex Basis? Companies Buy Produucts for the Same Reason? Oh Please!

[M.D. Holloway]

Voting for someone because of their sex or race is just plain stupid! Buying from a company because of the owners are a minority? Come on. Sorry but this doesn't wash the socks!

What ever happened to voting on a platform of beleifs? What ever happen to buying a product or service because it made the most sense in terms of value and reliability? Spin it anyway you want but the gender or skin color are the worst reasons IMHO!

Supplier Diversity: Who’s Doing and Marketing it Well? And Does it Sacrifice Savings?
By Lori Deschene

December 19th, 2007 @ 10:33 am


Supplier diversity is imperative in a global, multi-cultural business market, but it can be challenging to reconcile supplier diversity initiatives with cost-cutting initiatives. According to a 2006 study by The Hackett Group, companies can expand their supplier diversity programs without sacrificing savings.

So who’s doing it well, and how are they doing it? DiversityInc lists the top ten companies for supplier diversity. Although AT&T didn’t make the list, its worth noting that in 2006, supplier diversity was a factor in generating $11 billion in revenue for the company. Here are the top five from DiversityInc’s list:

1. Xerox — A long-time supplier-diversity leader, Xerox sends 30 percent of its procurement budget with Tier I minority- and women-owned suppliers. The company also includes GLBT suppliers in supplier-diversity tracking, compared with 22 percent for the Top 50 and virtually no other companies nationwide. Xerox also audits its supplier-diversity numbers.

2. Sempra Energy — The California utility spends 19 percent of its procurement budget with Tier I minority- and women-owned suppliers, audits its supplier-diversity numbers and ties procurement compensation to successful supplier-diversity results.

3. Comerica — The Detroit-based bank spends 33 percent of its procurement budget with Tier I minority- and women-owned suppliers, a staggering amount. They obtain that percentage by calculating opportunity dollars, which include all of the dollars with goods/services in areas where M/WBEs have the opportunity to participate. They examine all of the businesses with delegated purchasing responsibility and look at their budgets for a year. They do take into account if there is an area where they know there is not a large pool of suppliers and they may exclude that area, but the company says very few areas are excluded. Comerica also integrates supplier-diversity initiatives into its overall corporate-business-plan goals and provides formal external training or mentoring programs for suppliers.

4. Hewlett-Packard — HP spends 29 percent of its procurement budget with Tier I minority- and women-owned suppliers, audits its supplier-diversity numbers and provides financial assistance for diverse suppliers.

5. Consolidated Edison Company of New York — This company spends 14 percent of its procurement budget with Tier I minority- and women-owned suppliers and provides formal external training or mentoring programs for suppliers.More About Supplier Diversity:

The Evolving Case for Supplier Diversity, “Supply & Demand Chain Executive”

[Jim727]

You are correct. It's called "Discrimination" and we're supposed to pretend it's not. You are expected to be prejudiced toward an ethnic/sexual/racial/whatever group today but if you aren't you are considered a bigot. Goofy.

Recently had a bit of a tiff with Lowe's (the home improvement bunch) and sent them a nice letter. Their reply was very dismissive and didn't discuss my problem but instead sent me come crap about how they "embrace diversity". Mind you, we're looking at spending 6-figures on remodeling work. I don't buy from Lowe's any more.

Sign of the times, Lubemaster. It's the old argument about those who fail to learn from history.

Jim

[widgeon13]

Just another BS politically correct strategy to spread the wealth.

If someone offers a well designed and manufactured product or service at a competitive price wtf, who cares who runs the company.

[Gogar]

My friend works for a company that supplies raw metal products to contractors for CDOT highway projects, owned by a minority woman. They get INCREDIBLE contracts because the state can fulfill their (woman) and (minority) contractor quotas at the same time. And, my friend admits that often their bids are not even close to being comparable to other bids, but they get the contracts anyway.

Equal opportunity? Discrimination? I know what I call it.

[Flatbutt1]

my employer has a similar practice,though unwritten,wrt internal promotions. Young,minority female? Promote! Middle aged white male? Withering on the vine.

[Rikao4]

Flatt, put on some heels,Victoria push up,spray some tan = raise.
Rika

[911Rob]

I used to build restaurants for one of the most successful restaurant chains in Canada.
These restaurants are packed with young people, they offer a bar on one side and dining on the other.

the owner is one flamboyent dude, let me tell you.
sitting in one of his newly built restaurants in Calgary, him wearing his huge full length fur coat with a big stogie hanging from his lips..... I asked him, "Buzz, what makes your restaurant chain so much more successful than all the competition?"

He leaned towards me and said, "Rob, here at Earls we have an unwritten rule; we don't hire ugly people"