AMD Reaches Out to Consumer, Small Business Advocates to Drive Discussion On Improving the Technology Experience; AMD Forms Global Consumer Advisory Board, Selects Initial Members
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 2002--AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced the formation of its Global Consumer Advisory Board (GCAB) to evaluate and improve the quality of the home and small business computing technology experience. Leading consumer and small business advocates from Asia, Europe, North America and South America will identify and seek to resolve key challenges in computing technology facing home and small business users.
"Consumers and small businesses have not felt the need to completely embrace existing technologies despite the tremendous benefits they bring to our professional and personal lives," said Pat Moorhead, vice president of Customer Advocacy and chairman of the GCAB. "Through the GCAB, AMD is bringing together consumer and small business advocates who are passionate about making technology more relevant to users."
"Consumers often find it very time consuming and extremely confusing to determine what technology suits their needs," said Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action. "I look forward to engaging in a dialogue on technology issues with AMD and the GCAB members from other parts of the world."
"Technology can have a substantial impact on a small business by increasing efficiency and profitability. However, it can also be intimidating," said Don Wilson, president and CEO for the Association of Small Business Development Centers.
"The GCAB will study these issues and work together to develop ideas so that everyone can take full advantage of the innovation that technology brings."
The GCAB members announced today represent five U.S. members and one Canadian. AMD will announce representatives from Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America in the near future.
-- Jim Blasingame is the creator and host of the nationally
syndicated, weekday radio/Internet talk show, "The Small
Business Advocate," and author of Small Business Is Like A
Bunch Of Bananas. He brings the GCAB a comprehensive
background in small business issues, and an intense passion
for small business, which is evident in his extensive
multi-media activity. Fortune Small Business identified
Blasingame as one of the 30 most influential people in America
representing small business, and he is a 2002 nominee for the
SBA's Small Business Journalist of the Year award.
-- William Halal is a professor of management at George
Washington University and on the board of directors of the
World Future Society. He is an authority on emerging
technology, strategic management and institutional change, a
renowned author and developer of the GW Forecast -- an
electronic network of global experts who forecast emerging
technology trends. Halal brings an expertise on future
technologies and trends.
-- Ken McEldowney is executive director of Consumer Action, a San
Francisco-based consumer advocacy and education membership
organization. He can offer the GCAB consumer perspective on
technology solutions and the challenges consumers face with
other industries. Consumer Action has worked on food,
insurance, utility, privacy, toxics, health care, banking and
telephone issues for 30 years. He chairs consumer-focused
committees with the California Public Utilities Commission and
the FCC.
-- Tricia Parks is the founder and president of Parks Associates,
a consulting firm providing competitor, technology and
consumer research to help clients deliver products and
services that improve the quality of their customers' lives.
She brings to the GCAB research-based knowledge of consumers
and emerging technologies. Parks also founded Wiring Americas'
Homes, a consortium advocating for improved wiring capable of
handling future digital needs in North American homes, now
under the auspices of the Home Automation Association.
-- Barry Wellman is a sociology professor at the University of
Toronto, as well as director of the University's NetLab.
Wellman studies social networks, collaborative work and the
integration of the Internet into daily life. Last year,
Wellman was awarded the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution
Award by the Canadian Sociological and Anthropological
Association. Wellman has co-edited a new book, The Internet in
Everyday Life, to be published by Blackwell this summer. He
will bring knowledge on technology and its impact on society
from his research.
-- Donald Wilson is the president and CEO for the Association of
Small Business Development Centers, which represents the SBDC
network delivering nationwide educational assistance to
strengthen small/medium business. Wilson brings a knowledge of
small business needs and a desire to help small businesses
succeed.
"The GCAB is part of AMD's ear-to-the-ground customer advocacy initiative," said Moorhead. "We are committed to providing home and small business consumers with the best computing technology experience and the ability to make the best technology purchasing decisions. The GCAB will take our long-standing appreciation and respect for the customer one step further by putting us directly in touch with home and small business advocates." |
