Companies That Do Good

pickarooney · 21-11-2012 09:50AM

Madam_X wrote: »

Not every charity campaign is going to have a PR machine behind it though - Bill Gates gives a lot to charity and that's all I've heard, nothing specific. And that information could easily get out via word of mouth seeing as how well known and influential a figure he is.
If a company does a good deed but there is no PR campaign for it, I think it would be churlish to view it solely as a publicity stunt. Press may pick up on it, but as said, it's not necessarily the company that tells them.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a very well known charity - the largest private charity in the world if I'm not mistaken. Don't get me wrong, it's good that it is so well known; I'm just surprised you've never heard of it.

upandcumming · 21-11-2012 10:51AM

Coca Cola do good work by producing Coca Cola for me to drink.

kneemos · 21-11-2012 11:00AM

upandcumming wrote: »

Coca Cola do good work by producing Coca Cola for me to drink.

And add caffeine to ensure you keep drinking it.

WoollyRedHat · 21-11-2012 11:41AM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

by "exploiting" do you mean "providing employment to keep them off the street, away from drugs and western sex tourists?"

So was the same thing justifiable back in the day of workhouses in the Western world? Keep them working all day long, keep them out of trouble, treat them like **** to boot.

Just because there are expoloitative people on the street, doesn't give corporations the right to be exploitative too.

mandrake04 · 21-11-2012 01:34PM

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I currently work for Virgin Australia (airline). Some old lady missed a connecting flight and her family couldn't get in touch with her (she also didn't speak english).

Fella here at the call centre was dealing with it but finished his shift as it was close to midnight. He went home initially leaving the matter with a colleague but then couldn't sleep so drove out to the airport himself, found the old lady alone in a terminal. Sorted out a hotel for her etc etc.

Not really sure that's a 'company' doing good but well done that man nevertheless.

I fly domestic a couple of times a week and always try to use Virgin now where possible, I once dropped my wallet once in the plane and had $300 cash plus all my cards didn't realise until they phoned me when I was on the Park n Fly bus saying they had my wallet. When I asked how did they get my number they said they checked my Velocity Gold number (which was in the wallet), I said I would come back and get it and that I was on the shuttle bus they said no need they would deliver the wallet to Park n Fly (10 minute drive). One of the guys drove out and give me the wallet and I tried to offer him $50 for his honesty and he refused to take it.

Great airline

optimistic_ · 21-11-2012 02:39PM

kneemos wrote: »

And add caffeine to ensure you keep drinking it.

I'd say you're mighty craic at parties.

kneemos · 21-11-2012 02:54PM

optimistic_ wrote: »

I'd say you're mighty craic at parties.

Your future looks bright so here's a tip...if your going to insult someone keep it original.Now I want to see some good work from you.

Piliger · 21-11-2012 02:56PM

1ZRed wrote: »

True, that could be the case but I don't think an act like that should be viewed so cynically because it doesn't change the fact that it did good in the end and that's all that would matter to me.

When a company does something bad - they are satan's evil. When they do good they are cynical publicity stunts ..... some people are life prisoners of their own cynical dogma.

Companies do good things every day - they provide jobs and salaries.

optimistic_ · 21-11-2012 03:00PM

kneemos wrote: »

Your future looks bright so here's a tip...if your going to insult someone keep it original.Now I want to see some good work from you.

Ah come on, my future insulting people is not very bright. I'm not too good at it.
Overt cynicism is very tiresome though.

opinion guy · 21-11-2012 03:01PM

Lyaiera wrote: »

When Cork flooded a few years ago the supermarkets all put up the prices of water. A friend of mine was without water for quite a while and the council couldn't set up water dispensing areas fast enough. Within hours of the water shutting down the local off license reduced the price of all their water to cost price, they were driving back and forth to a cash and carry every few hours to keep their stock levels up, they rationed the water so everyone could get some, and they delivered water to the elderly and people with disabilities. I will always have the utmost respect for the owners of that shop.

Amazingly enough Anheuser Busch have a great track record for this kind of thing going back as far as 1906 earthquake in San Fran up until Hurricane Sandy
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/03/anheuser-busch-halts-beer-to-make-water-for-sandy-victims/

I guess its penance for inflicting Budweiser on the world :P

pickarooney wrote: »

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a very well known charity - the largest private charity in the world if I'm not mistaken. Don't get me wrong, it's good that it is so well known; I'm just surprised you've never heard of it.

Its also nothing to do with Microsoft as Bill is retired. Its just about two people with more money than they know what to do with it - finding something good to do with it - more power to them.

CruelCoin · 21-11-2012 03:05PM

Gi joe! wrote: »

Really? So employees of Pixar weren't touched at all from granting a terminally ill little girl her last wish to see one of their films? Or Gearbox having the opportunity to memorialize one of their fans who passed away? You think they did this all in the name of publicity?

Yes, yes they did.

Companies like that are not in the habit of spending money and time for the sake of it.

Everything little thing they do is done to maximise profits (which is well and proper). In this case easy pr.

opinion guy · 21-11-2012 03:07PM

Another good deed from Gearbox....
http://www.destructoid.com/borderlands-claptrap-and-anthony-burch-play-cupid-199517.phtml

its pretty funny actually

Da Shins Kelly · 21-11-2012 03:08PM

CruelCoin wrote: »

Yes, yes they did.

Companies like that are not in the habit of spending money and time for the sake of it.

Everything little thing they do is done to maximise profits (which is well and proper). In this case easy pr.

It's still a nice thing to do for a child. People are very cynical.

kneemos · 21-11-2012 03:09PM

optimistic_ wrote: »

Ah come on, my future insulting people is not very bright. I'm not too good at it.
Overt cynicism is very tiresome though.

Better cynical than boring.

Da Shins Kelly · 21-11-2012 03:14PM

kneemos wrote: »

Better cynical than boring.

Because people who revel in their own cynicism are so interesting. :rolleyes:

kneemos · 21-11-2012 03:16PM

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

Because people who revel in their own cynicism are so interesting. :rolleyes:

Why yes I am.

BillyMitchel · 21-11-2012 03:21PM

Does the Ronald McDonald parents house in Crumlin kids hospital count?? Always wondered if they done it out of the goodness of their little yellow hearts.

CruelCoin · 21-11-2012 03:23PM

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

It's still a nice thing to do for a child. People are very cynical.

But the giving of aid to a child for the sake of good pr is cynical in the extreme!

Were it genuine, i'd imagine they'd keep it quiet instead.

Da Shins Kelly · 21-11-2012 04:57PM

CruelCoin wrote: »

But the giving of aid to a child for the sake of good pr is cynical in the extreme!

Were it genuine, i'd imagine they'd keep it quiet instead.

Well, it's not exactly front page news. I'd never heard about it until now. And who's to say that Pixar put it out there? Maybe the family of the child did. I accept that it helps with PR, but it's making a child happy. What exactly is wrong with that? The people complaining about this are the same people who complain that big companies never do anything for anyone, then the second they do, there's immediate cynicism about the whole thing. You can't have it every way. As far as I see it, they did something nice for a kid, and there probably was some good intent behind it, even if PR was a factor. I don't believe that there was just a room full of people gleefully jumping on the opportunity for the purposes of PR without even thinking about the fact that it's just a good deed. I mean just because they're part of a big company, doesn't mean they're not human.

CruelCoin · 21-11-2012 05:12PM

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

I mean just because they're part of a big company, doesn't mean they're not human.

Publicly traded companies are allllll about the profit, seriously.

There are very few companies that can afford to do things for the lulz, and still be profitable.

Capt'n Midnight · 23-11-2012 01:39PM

It works the other way as well.

Here's a medical charity that were literally merchants of death.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Until 1985 they owned Hughes Aircraft.

So a medical research charity that produced various attach helicopters used in the Vietnam War leading to the Apache.

Companies That Do Good

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