Applied Materials Named to Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies List
Award Recognizes Exceptional Ethical Leadership across Continents and Industries
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 16, 2012 - Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) today announced that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the leading business ethics think-tank, as one of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies.
According to Ethisphere, Applied secured a hard-earned spot on the list by implementing and maintaining effective internal controls, business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company's success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within the industry.
"A strong ethical foundation is a competitive advantage, and Applied Materials recognizes the important role corporate responsibility plays in improving its bottom line," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "As more and more organizations strive for this honor each year, Applied's inclusion as a World's Most Ethical Company for 2012 demonstrates its industry-leading commitment to ethics and dedication to integrity."
This is the sixth year Ethisphere has published the WME rankings and the first year in which Applied Materials participated in the nomination and application process. Ethisphere evaluated a record number of applications utilizing its proprietary methodology through in-depth research and multi-step analysis, naming the companies that surpassed their industry peers to this year's World's Most Ethical Companies list. The 2012 list features companies in more than three dozen industries, including 40 companies headquartered outside the United States. Winners were honored last night at an awards dinner in New York City.
"We are honored to be named to Ethisphere's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list and to join this prestigious group of corporate citizens," said Charmaine F. Mesina, Corporate Vice President of Legal Affairs and Company Ombudsman for Applied Materials. "Since its beginnings more than 40 years ago, Applied has based its values on ethics and integrity. Our reputation and success are measured by what we do, not just what we say, and we strive to attain the highest ethical standards in our work and in our interactions with customers, suppliers, competitors and our community."
The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers. Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme.
For additional details on Applied's corporate citizenship, visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com/about/cr.
About Applied Materials
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the world. At Applied Materials, we turn today's innovations into the industries of tomorrow. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
About Ethisphere Institute:
The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking(TM), is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification(TM) and Anti-Corruption Program Verification(TM). The Institute's premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance(TM), is a business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations, universities and institutions that collectively leverage their experience, expertise and innovative ways to address emerging compliance challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com
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CONTACT:
For Applied Materials
Howard Clabo (editorial/media) 408.748.5775, howard_clabo@amat.com
Michael Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977, michael_sullivan@amat.com
For Ethisphere
Alex J. Stockham (Rubenstein Associates) 213.537.0017, astockham@rubenstein.com
Gabe Roth 212.843.8067, groth@rubenstein.com