The Ricoh Groups corporate philosophy is based on three Founding Principles laid down by our founder, Kiyoshi Ichimura. He summarized his thinking as follows: As children we exist only for ourselves with no though......The Ricoh Groups corporate philosophy is based on three Founding Principles laid down by our founder, Kiyoshi Ichimura. He summarized his thinking as follows: As children we exist only for ourselves with no thoughts for anyone else. As we mature, however, feelings of love begin to grow, eventually expanding to include all people, all living things on this planet. These founding principles drive the Ricoh Groups commitment toward better sustainable management Management Philosophy Ricohs management philosophy was formally introduced in 1986 with the aim of establishing world-class corporate standards that are viable in fast-changing business environment in the 21st century. Our Purpose To constantly create new value for the world at the interface of people and information Our Goal To be a good global corporate citizen with reliability and appeal Our Principles To think as an entrepreneur To put ourselves in the other persons place To find personal value in our work Ricoh Co., Ltd. was founded in 1936 by Kiyoshi Ichimura. Ichimura was the son of a poor farmer. He was born with no privileges or advantages. Quite the contrary, all that he achieved was born of his own intelligence, determination and vision. Ichimuras first major innovation was the RicohFlex III. Introduced in 1950, this was the worlds first mass-produced twin-lens reflex camera. This level of technological innovation was very significant and gives us an important insight into Ichimuras vision and ambitions for the future. He followed with many other innovations, like the 1955 introduction of our first desktop copy machine, the Ricopy 101. In 1973 we introduced the worlds first fully-digital facsimile machine, the RIFAX 600S. Innovative Answers to Challenges People Face Ichimura passed away in 1968, but his focus on innovative answers to the challenges people face at work and in their homes is still a major driving force within the company he created. However, technical innovation was only part of our founders vision. He also developed a sense of corporate social responsibility that is talked about a great deal today, but was almost unheard of fifty years ago. Essentially, he recognized that his ambitions would touch the lives of thousands and then millions of people in countries and communities around the world. He made an early and genuine commitment to social and environmental sustainability in every aspect of Ricohs business activities. Today we are a global company, but still hold true to our origins and the visions of our founder. To understand Ricoh is to recognize the twin visions of Kiyoshi Ichimura: to innovate on behalf of our customers to pursue sustainable business practices on behalf of every life we touch.