With the slogan "you press the button, we do the rest," George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers in 1888. In so doing, he made a cumbersome and complicated process easy to use and accessible to nearly everyone.
Since that time, the Eastman Kodak Company has led the way with an abundance of new products and processes to make photography simpler, more useful and more enjoyable. In fact, today's Kodak is known not only for photography, but also for images used in a variety of leisure, medical, business, entertainment and scientific applications. Its reach increasingly involves "infoimaging." Infoimaging is the use of technology to combine images and information--creating the potential to profoundly change how people and businesses communicate.
Just as Eastman had a goal to make photography "as convenient as the pencil," Kodak continues to expand the ways images touch people's daily lives. The company ranks as a premier multinational corporation, with a brand recognized in virtually every country around the world.
George Eastman was a competitive businessman who also understood the importance of how you conduct business. Likewise, today's Kodak workforce is committed to producing the highest quality products, and adhering to the highest ethical standards. The company strives to act responsibly in its business practices and on workforce issues, to be a good steward for the environment, and to be a good neighbor in the communities where it does business.
As a result, the Kodak brand is recognized around the world, and the company is widely respected for its:
Values-Driven Behaviors
In 1994, then-CEO George Fisher introduced a list of five corporate values: Respect for the Dignity of the Individual, Integrity, Trust, Credibility, Continuous Improvement and Personal Renewal. Fisher's successor and current Chairman and CEO Dan Carp added a sixth value, Recognition and Celebration, in 2000. These values codify how Kodak people act toward each other, customers, shareholders and all Kodak publics.
Attention To Quality
Quality has been a hallmark of the company since it began. George Eastman said: "To make good goods requires experience and is a slow matter...but when we get there, we get there to stay." In today's Kodak, attention to quality extends beyond product performance. The goal is to exceed customers' expectations in each contact they have with the company, its products and its people. Kodak businesses track customer satisfaction and loyalty as a means to gauge quality, and each year goals are set to drive progress.
Strong Corporate Governance
Kodak believes investors have a right to expect an honest, complete accounting of the business. The company complies with the spirit, as well as the letter, of all applicable laws, and remains committed to the integrity of its financial reporting. As a result, Kodak is considered world class in terms of corporate governance. In fact, in a recent study of 1,600 companies by an international governance ratings agency, Kodak was among the 1% that received a perfect score.
Workforce Policies
Kodak strives to maintain an inclusive work environment where all employees can contribute to their fullest potential. Attention to the workforce dates back to the company's early days. Kodak was among the first companies to offer benefits like pensions and profit sharing to employees. In fact Kodak's Wage Dividend program -- a form of profit sharing first paid in 1912 -- continues in the U.S. today. Over the years, new benefits and policies have been introduced to keep pace with the increasingly diverse needs of the workforce. As an example, in the late 1980's Kodak introduced a family leave policy in the U.S. several years before the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted into law.
Environmental Practices
In all communities where we operate, we continually work to improve the health, safety and environmental aspects of our products and operations.
- In 1999, Kodak announced a series of eight goals designed to reduce emissions, conserve natural resources and strengthen its environmental systems. In 2004, the company announced that it had met, or exceeded, seven of the goals -- achieving dramatic reductions in chemical emissions, manufacturing waste, use of energy, water and heavy metals. It also announced a new set of goals to drive further progress.
- Kodak's major manufacturing sites around the world have all attained International Standards Organization 14001 registration -- the benchmark for operating a manufacturing facility with proper attention to environmental responsibility.
- One-time-use cameras, which come loaded with film and are returned to a photofinisher for processing, are the most recycled consumer product in the world. In fact, the percentage of these cameras that are recycled exceeds that of bottles and aluminum cans. Kodak's recycling program alone has processed more than a billion cameras since it began in 1990, with many parts re-used and others ground to make new materials.
- Kodak continues to receive national and international recognition for its commitment to the environment. In 1999, the World Environmental Center gave Kodak its Gold Medal -- the most prestigious corporate environmental award in the world. The company has also been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for energy conservation and ozone protection efforts. In fact, Kodak was among the first three inductees in the EPA's WasteWise Hall of Fame, created to honor outstanding waste reduction results over a period of years.
Community Involvement
Continuing in the philanthropic tradition of George Eastman, Kodak and its people worldwide have a history of involvement in their communities. In 1952, the Board of Directors established the Eastman Kodak charitable foundation to support charitable and educational organizations. The company also actively supports volunteerism:
- In 1989, it introduced its U.S. Dollars for Doers program, which recognizes employee volunteers by awarding grants in their names to the organizations with which they work. An international Dollars for Doers program was added in 1997. To date, more than 2,000 organizations have received grants for special programs and needs.
- In 1996, Kodak initiated a worldwide volunteerism day called "Kodak People Make a World of Difference." Plants select a day for employees to undertake community service projects. Each year, Kodak people in many U.S. and international locations participate.
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