Facebook and Greenpeace Case
Modern companies need to know how to treat different voices from others and maintain public relationships that are beneficial for their reputation. In this case, the core problem for Facebook is not how to deal with the claims from Greenpeace, a famous and powerful non-governmental organization devoted to environmental protection, but how to alleviate the increasing pressure coming from the public, because the campaign has had 500, 000 followers and the number is still increasing. Therefore, Facebook should give appropriate and timely responses to the public to win the trust of consumers, prevent the situation from becoming worse and eliminate potential risks that may impact the company in the future.
There are many solutions available for Facebook. One of them is to change the location of the data center. Some technology companies have already chosen the place with clean energy to build their data center. For example, the new data center of Yahoo located near Buffalo will purchase electricity from hydroelectric facilities. It seems feasible for Facebook to follow. However, for the sake of the company, it may not be acceptable to Facebook. After a rigorous process, Prineville is an ideal place to build new data center. The company can take full advantages of local conditions, such as climate, workforce and tax policy, which may help it dramatically reduce the cost and acquire more profits. Therefore, based on the consideration of corporate interest, Facebook may not change its plans.
Another solution for Facebook is to publicly oppose the claims of Greenpeace. According to Barry Schnitt, Facebook’s director of policy communications, Facebook has already tried its best to increase energy efficiency. The new data center is designed to own the most efficient energy system, which can dramatically lower the usage of electricity. However, though Facebook is a famous and influential company, it does not have the ability to control the source of energy. The goal of completely transitioning to clean energy cannot be achieved by a company or an industry. It highly depends on the regulation of the government. Simply asking Facebook to change the energy structure is unreasonable and impractical. On the other hand, Greenpeace’s servers are also located in a data center in which about 46 percent of electricity is generated by coal. Therefore, Greenpeace may not have position to request Facebook to do better. However, though this method may make Greenpeace become passive, it may not wise enough. Considering the influence and power of Greenpeace, this method may cause more serious public attacks on Facebook, such as demonstrations. Greenpeace has successfully stopped many practices that are unfriendly to environment, such as forcing France to ban nuclear tests in South Pacific Ocean. In this case, the potential risk may be that the organization may cause the delay of the new data center. Moreover, western countries are highly concerned with