 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interview with Susan Gonzales |
|
|
|
| Published on August 4, 2006 |
What does diversity mean to you? Why is it important to have a diverse workplace?
I believe diversity is a collection of different cultures, opinions, backgrounds and interests. Our company provides communications services to this incredibly diverse nation, so we need to be attuned to this diversity. Diversity extends beyond ethnicity. It encompasses different ideas, perspectives and experiences which creates a dynamic environment. Comcast works to reflect our customers and the different cultures they represent in our workforce, our community investment activities, our programming, and our vendor relationships.
How does your company measure success regarding diversity?
Comcast is committed to continuously improving our diversity efforts in the four categories I just mentioned. We measure success through a variety of methods, including recognitions we receive for our achievements in these fields. We also measure success by various internal measures. And the formal review process we undertake each year with HACR helps us to develop solid benchmarks to reference year to year. These benchmarks serve as a guide for our corporate and local leaders as we all work together to make improvements across all areas. We also measure success through our constantly expanding engagement with national and local community leaders and the partnerships we have created with leading diversity organizations.
What kind of opportunities do you give small business within your company? What's the process that they need to follow to be able to do business with your company?
Our supplier diversity outreach efforts, like our company itself, are very decentralized and occur primarily at the local level of our business. Our local procurement representatives build relationships with diverse suppliers to identify opportunities to work together. Most recently, Comcast has created a strong relationship with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and will serve as their first-ever Presenting Sponsor for this year’s annual USHCC convention in Philadelphia from September 20-23. We have begun creating a dynamic environment of sharing information between our local procurement representatives and the local Hispanic Chamber representatives.
In order to qualify as a Comcast certified diverse supplier, a business must fall within one or more of the following business ownership categories: HUBZone Small Business, Minority Business Concern, Service Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Small Business Concern, Small Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SDB), Veteran Owned Business or Woman Owned Business Concern. If anyone is interested in doing business with Comcast, the place to start is by completing our Vendor Profile Form, which you can obtain online at http://www.comcast.com/Diversity/Suppliers/ContactUs.html
After a business has registered with Comcast and is listed in the Supplier Diversity Directory, it is recommended that the business owner or representative take the initiative to discover business opportunities with Comcast. A business should get the contact names and numbers of the purchasing personnel at each of the Comcast divisions. They can do this by contacting the Director of Supplier Diversity via e-mail at Supplierinfo@cable.comcast.com.
What's the business case for corporate responsibility or inclusion?
Corporate responsibility has become a cornerstone of virtually any large company. At Comcast, our employees live and work in the communities we serve and it is imperative that we are active in these neighborhoods to understand the people we serve.
As the competitive environment in most industries becomes more intense, companies need to provide better services and products to their customers. Providing the best products and customer service are important, but not enough. A company’s leadership and employees must show they are responsible corporate members of the local community. Customers are increasingly are taking note of how much a company is involved in their community, and this can impact their decision-making process when choosing a service provider or new product.
Do you believe it is important to have a Hispanic corporate board member? What do you think is their contribution?
I believe it is important to have a diverse Board of Directors. However, I do not believe one should assess a company’s commitment to diversity by whether it contains a representative of any specific ethnic community. That commitment should be based on the company’s efforts and activities taken as a whole – whether they are committed to a diverse workforce, supplier diversity, and a diversity focus in their community investment activities – and, in the case of a communications provider, whether they are committed in their programming and products to meeting the needs of diverse audiences.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
