Black Friday petition delivered to Target

MINNEAPOLIS » A petition started by a Target employee to protest the retailer’s midnight Black Friday store opening was hand-delivered to the Minneapolis-based retailer’s headquarters on Monday. Northfield, Minn., Target employee Seth Coleman delivered the paper petition with 190,000 signatures in three plastic Target shopping bags. "All Americans should break bread on Thanksgiving and get a good night’s sleep," Coleman said.

The petition was received by Anahita Cameron, Target’s director of human resources for Northern region stores, who said that "the decision to open at midnight Black Friday was not one we took lightly. As this is the busiest shopping day of the year, it is imperative that we be competitive."

The petition to "save Thanksgiving" was launched on Change.org last week after Target announced it would join other retailers in opening at midnight on Black Friday instead of the more traditional early-morning opening.

"A midnight opening robs the hourly and in-store salary workers of time off with their families on Thanksgiving Day," Anthony Hardwick, a part-time Target employee in Nebraska, wrote on the petition he created. "A full holiday with family is not just for the elite of this nation — all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night’s rest on Thanksgiving."

AAA Hawaii expands online savings

AAA Hawaii has launched AAA Club Rewards — a free online shopping program for members which provides savings at more than 30,000 participating merchants, along with daily deals and points that can be redeemed for money off future purchases. Hawaii is among only four states in the U.S. that has the Club Rewards program available to its AAA members.

AAA Club Rewards includes websites of well-known brands like Macy’s, Best Buy, Toys R Us, The Home Depot and thousands of other sites where holiday shoppers would normally make online purchases. By accessing those online retailers through the AAA Club Rewards website, members will receive discounts and the opportunity to earn points that will save them even more money on future purchases. Access is free to AAA members at AAA.com/ClubRewards.

Hoku establishes N. America sales division

Hoku Corp., a Honolulu-based alternative energy provider, has signed a definitive reseller agreement establishing Tianwei Solar USA Inc. — a wholly owned subsidiary of Hoku — as the primary distributor of Tianwei New Energy’s PV modules to the North American market. Hoku Corp. is majority-owned by Tianwei New Energy.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hoku’s newly formed subsidiary will market, distribute and sell Tianwei New Energy’s full range of UL-listed PV modules in North America.

Hoku has established offices in Southern California for this new Tianwei module distribution subsidiary, and will initially focus on developing key sales channels within the commercial and residential segments of the distributed generation solar market. Hoku and Tianwei New Energy will concurrently work to expand sales into the utility market.

Tianwei New Energy has an established customer base in the European market, having delivered more than 200 megawatts of PV modules in 2010, and its modules are accepted by leading European banks.

Prosthetics-orthotics firm debuts new website

Honolulu-based Advanced Prosthetics & Orthotics of the Pacific has launched its new website at www.apophawaii.com.

Founded in 2005, the firm provides customized prosthetic and orthotic care utilizing advanced technologies to patients on Oahu, Maui and Kauai. Its staff has more than 40 years of combined experience in the fields.

Earnings show challenge for HP’s Whitman

SAN FRANCISCO » Hewlett-Packard Co.’s first earnings report with Meg Whitman as CEO highlights the troubles she faces in setting a new course for the besieged company. The latest quarterly numbers, reported Monday after the market closed, beat Wall Street’s subdued expectations, but the forecast for the 2012 fiscal year left something to be desired.

The results show a company being pulled in two directions at once. The tensions underline a key challenge for Whitman, whose first major decision as CEO was deciding to keep the $40 billion-plus personal computer business, which her predecessor, Leo Apotheker, had wanted to sell or spin off. That business is pulling HP toward the low end of the technology market. The latest earnings report showed HP’s net income fell 91 percent — mostly because of write-downs and charges for Apotheker’s decision to kill off HP’s fledgling tablet and smartphone lines.

The company earned $239 million, or 12 cents a share, for the quarter ended Oct. 31. That’s down from $2.54 billion, or $1.10 a share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, HP earned $1.17 a share, more than the $1.13 analysts expected. Revenue fell 3 percent to $32.12 billion, but that beat the $32.05 billion analysts expected.

For the fiscal first quarter, HP expects earnings of 83 cents to 86 cents a share, excluding one-time items. That’s far less than the $1.11 per share analysts expected.

ON THE MOVE

Deborah Hornsby has been appointed director of academic affairs at the University of Phoenix Hawaii. She will oversee all academic programs offered at the campus. Hornsby has been a faculty member since 2005.

Hawaii Computer Training and Solutions has promoted Noil Buscaglia to full-time services engineer at customer sites. He was a services intern.

Alvin Marquez was hired as a technical instructor. For the last 12 months, he was working as an instructor with the company on a contract basis.

Ewa Makai Middle School has become the first state Department of Education school to achieve "Gold" certification with the U.S. Green Building Council. The school was awarded the certification due to its state-of-the-art sustainable design, construction and operation.