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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
October 20, 2009
Junior Achievement Mexico
Team "NEFIBE" Wins HP Responsible Business Online Ideas Contest for Latin
America and the Caribbean
Innovative young entrepreneurs apply
social and environmental responsibility to business
Colorado Springs, Colo. — Junior Achievement today announced that
NEFIBE, a student-run company from Federal District, Mexico, is the winner of
the Americas Region HP Responsible Business Online Ideas Contest. The objective
of the contest is to encourage and recognize the development of commercial ideas
that best combine successful entrepreneurial skills with social and
environmental responsibility. The award will be formally presented at Junior
Achievement's 2009 Americas Region Student Company of the Year Competition event
held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 10-13, 2009.
Earlier this year, more than 100 HP volunteers presented a one-day module on
responsible business practices to approximately 2,500 students involved in JA
Company Program® in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Mexico and Peru. JA student companies in these countries submitted 40
entries to the online ideas competition. Competitors had to persuade judges that
their ideas demonstrated strong market potential, innovation, social
responsibility and environmental excellence. In JA Company Program, high
school students start and run a real business, supported by a volunteer.
NEFIBE of Mexico did just that while retaining entrepreneurial commitment to
customer satisfaction, product quality and profitability. The company focused on
the health care sector and sold CRONOX, an intelligent pill case that used
digital technology to remind users to take their medication. With both social
and economic objectives in its business plan, NEFIBE's product provided a
valuable social service and its business practices embraced socially and
environmentally responsibility in its marketing, product sourcing and packaging
and employee relations. Through its experience with the Responsible Business
Competition module, the company also outlined several additional steps to extend
these efforts further.
"The HP Responsible Business Ideas Contest targets the development of
business and work-readiness skills while teaching the value of corporate social
responsibility," said Sean C. Rush, president and chief executive officer of JA
Worldwide. "We are grateful to HP for its commitment to educating youth about
entrepreneurship and global citizenship, and to supporting Junior Achievement's
mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy."
"NEFIBE exemplifies HP's vision of a strong commitment to global citizenship
and social and environmental investment. Creating a sense of responsibility
while developing entrepreneurial and micro-business skills is of paramount
importance," said Agustin Urtubey, managing director of HP Enterprise Services,
Latin America Multi-Country Area and new member of JA Americas Board of
Directors. "Through our partnership with JA, we can help educate tomorrow's
business leaders to safeguard our world and our shared economy."
In addition to the online contest, HP will present the Responsible Business
Award for Latin America and the Caribbean to one of the student company
finalists that will be competing at the Junior Achievement's 2009 Americas
Region Student Company of the Year Competition in Buenos Aires this December.
Notes to Editors:
Responsible Business Ideas Contest
This competition was open to JA students from the Americas Region aged 15-18.
The ideas were judged on the following criteria:
- Demonstrate strong market potential: showing the ability to be
profitable and competitive.
- Demonstrate social responsibility: meeting the wider concerns of
stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, customers and local communities.
- Demonstrate environmental excellence: preventing pollution,
optimizing resource efficiency and developing products with minimal
environmental impacts.
- Be innovative: innovative approach of business solution.
The winning team will receive an HP product for each member of the team (max.
5), and each member of the team (max. 5) will be invited to attend the 2009
Americas Region JA Company of the Year Competition which will take place in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 10-13, 2009.
About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring
and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated
volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school
programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness,
entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Today, 130 individual area operations
reach more than four million students in the United States, with an additional
five million students served by operations in 125 other countries worldwide. For
more information, visit www.ja.org.
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