1 Background to Acer
Acer is a global force in the IT market. The company’s goal (September 2009) is to become the world’s number one netbook vendor. Acer was founded by Stan Shih and his wife, with a group of fi ve others, as Multitech in 1976. The company was renamed Acer in 1987. It began with eleven employees and US$25,000 in capital.
Initially, it was primarily a distributor of electronic parts and a consultant in the use of microprocessor technologies, but over time it began to develop as a PC manufacturer.
The global headquarters are located in Hsinchu City, Taiwan.
Acer began its entry into laptops with the purchase of the mobile PC division of Texas Instruments in 1997. In 2000, Acer divested its manufacturing operations in order …show more content…

The consequence of the development of globalisation is refl ected in the weakening of the infl uence and capacity of government’s governance, and in the increasing power of multinationals. As the international community faces up to the challenges of the depletion of natural resources and the crisis of ecological imbalance, its expectations of multinationals are growing rapidly regarding their commitment to social responsibility and ethical business.
Sustainable development has been widely perceived as the biggest challenge to business in the
21st century. ‘Walking the talk’ on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is regarded as one of the keys to corporate sustainability.
Acer is dedicated to developing integrated sustainability and CSR strategies. An integrated strategy for Sustainable Acer, following our current mission statement, and the consensus of top management on sustainability, will drive the motivation of embedding CSR in Acer’s mission. Our journey toward sustainable development starts with a strong intention by the top management to explore business development in a healthy mode. This is the key for giving commitment, driving innovation, demonstrating the business case, and embedding sustainability and CSR in Acer’s culture. Sustainability represents opportunities for us and our customers, not only because of the huge market but also because of the enhanced capacity of our customers to face the challenges by