LETTERS to the editor should be accompanied by a home and business telephone number so that they may be verified. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for brevity if necessary.
IBM responds
A recent article appearing in your June 15 publication (‘IBM launches clone’) implies that IBM Canada did not attempt to inform its employees or its dealer network in advance regarding our intent to announce a new, wholly owned subsidiary, ExperComp Services.
IBM greatly values its relationships with its dealers and distributors and works very hard to ensure that communications are handled in a timely and professional manner.
Every reasonable measure was taken to ensure that IBM’s dealers and distributors were informed, either personally or through written communications, prior to this announcement.
While it is possible that a firm might have been missed as part of this exercise, it would be wrong to imply that we had not made an effort to do so.
Similarly, IBM’s practice is to inform its employees about announcements prior to communicating with external audiences, including the media.
In this particular instance, advance notice was carried out through the use of our on-line electronic bulletin board and via our employee television network to ensure that each and every employee across Canada would receive the news.
ExperComp was subsequently launched through a press conference, which resulted in extensive coverage in both print and electronic media.
We were pleased with how the announcement was received, both internally and externally, and I trust this letter clarifies the matter.
Robert E. Waite, Jr.
Director, Communications
IBM Canada
Markham, Ont.
