An Evaluation of the Strategic Application of Integrated Marketing Communications for Dove Essays

An Evaluation of the Strategic Application of Integrated Marketing Communications for Dove Essays An Evaluation of the Strategic Application of Integrated Marketing Communications for Dove Paper An Evaluation of the Strategic Application of Integrated Marketing Communications for Dove Paper An Evaluation of the Strategic Application of Integrated Marketing Communications for Dove Introduction The pace of change in the marketing communications industry has accelerated with the advent of the Internet and new media technologies. New technologies create new ways for marketers to reach consumers and are having an impact on the more traditional media, in terms of greater fragmentation of these media (Belch Belch). For the purpose of this report, the official website of Dove will be critically evaluated. With effective use of the response hierarchy models, an analysis will be conducted on how Dove is exploiting the Web for influencing consumers. The Role of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) â€Å"Marketing communications is a management process through which an organisation engages with its various audiences. Through understanding an audience’s communications environment, organisations seek to develop and present messages for their identified stakeholder groups, before evaluating and acting upon the responses. By conveying messages that are of significant value, audiences are encouraged to offer attitudinal and behavioural responses† (Fill 2005, pp. 7). It was during the 1980s that firms started moving towards IMC, which essentially acknowledges the added value of a comprehensive plan that strategically evaluates the roles of a variety of communications tools and effectively combines these tools to provide maximum impact of communications (Belch Belch, 2004). Traditionally there are five principal marketing communications tools which include advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relation and direct marketing. Purpose of the website The website of a company can be considered as a promotional event on its own. The web is a place for individuals to communicate with others, organisations and individual alike (Rowley, 2004). The primary purpose behind the Dove website is to act as a rich information source targeted at the consumer; essentially females of all age groups. Such websites are generally referred to as non-transactional brochure websites. The website aims to provide information about the Dove brand, Dove products, Real Beauty philosophy and tools to attract users and enabling them to interact with the company. Although Dove does not sell directly to the consumer, unlike Body Shop, the website is very customer-centric due to the nature of the creative communications strategy – ‘Real Beauty’. Communications Objectives The communication objectives can vary from creating and increasing brand awareness to changing perceptions about the philosophy of the company that would ultimately affect behaviour. Possible communications objectives may include education and information, branding and image building, affecting attitudes, and loyalty and reminding (Christopher et al, 1995). In the case of Dove, the umbrella communication objective is to provide information to effectively change the target consumer’s knowledge, perceptions and attitudes towards the brand, which would eventually change behaviour. The content of the website is focused on the objective of branding, via brand building activities with the use of the marketing communications tools. The communication objectives also include dissemination of information about new and existing products, and about the Real Beauty campaign and the various activities and promotions that are linked with it, which are strongly aimed on changing mindsets of the target audience. Also included in the objectives is creating relationships (Rowley, 2004) and attaining customer loyalty, through direct interaction with customers and finding ways of making the brand more meaningful to them. Evaluation of the Response Hierarchy Models Belch Belch (2004) believe that perhaps the most important aspect of developing successful marketing communications programmes involves a comprehension of the response process the receiver may go through and how the promotional efforts of the marketer influence responses of the target consumers. The three renowned models of the response process include the AIDA model (Christopher et al, 1995; Fill, 2005; Belch Belch, 2004), hierarchy of effects model and the information-processing model (Fill, 2005; Belch Belch, 2004; Huizingh et al, 2003). The stages in all three models are represented by the cognitive, affective and behavioural stage. The hierarchy of effects model is based on the assumption that a consumer passes through a sequence of steps, which include awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and purchase. While most of the steps in the information-processing model are similar to those of the hierarchy of effects model, a new step introduced is that of retention, which pertains to a customer retaining relevant information. The hierarchy of effects model is known to be effective in advertising (Belch Belch, 2004; Fill, 2005) and Huizingh et al (2003) has proven through experiments, the effectiveness of the model to websites as a marketing tool. Linking Marketing Communications Tools to Response Stages An analysis is undertaken below to identify the tools that appear to be the most effective at each stage of response. Advertising The core theme of the website is to inform the target audience about Dove’s philosophy of beauty, which is that, â€Å"beauty comes in different shapes, sizes and colours†. The philosophy is aimed at touching a nerve of females of all age groups and is in stark contrast with the popular culture which bombards us with unrealistic images of physical perfection (www. unilever. com). The brand pyramid exhibited below shows what Dove, as a brand, stands for at a glance. The website contains a section dedicated to Real Beauty which contains TV ads, inspirational articles, health and beauty articles, campaign promotions, awards, Ask the Expert feature and interactive beauty tools. There has been an argument over the effectiveness of ESPs (Emotional Selling Points) versus USPs (Unique Selling Points), wherein the former focuses on brand values based on emotion and imagery and the latter on a more functional, rational approach (Fill, 2005). Dove’s campaign clearly highlights the ESPs, as they stir a chord in the women’s heart, therefore creating both cognitive and affective responses. A slight area of concern about the Real Beauty Campaign is that while Ad Age (Neff, 2004) might consider the campaign as a step forward, with Dove’s sales increasing over the years, it is still to be seen how the campaign will be received over the long-term. Dove was initially launched with a unique functional benefit strengthened by support from dermatologists and formed a strong emotional link through its one-fourth moisturising cream. That struck a chord with women who liked Doves qualities of simplicity, gentleness and truthfulness, thereby creating a strong bond of trust. The Real Beauty campaign focuses on an important issue that women are facing worldwide but it may well be seen slightly disconnected with the brand’s history and prior positioning. Sales Promotion The sales promotions offered at the website include giving out free samples of Calming Night, Ultimate Clean, Good Stuff shampoo and Real Beauty T-shirts (on ? 15 purchases). All the free sampling is done for new products which are launched within their own interactive sections on the website. These sections assume the role of interactive advertisements on the net. The tool of sales promotion is therefore effectively being used on the website to induce trial of new products and can lead to covering all the stages in the hierarchy of effects model, starting from brand awareness (cognitive stage) to leading them to the behavioural stage (ordering free samples or purchasing Dove products worth ? 15). Direct Marketing The browser is enticed to join â€Å"YourDove† and register for Dove Dimension e-newsletter or magazine. â€Å"YourDove† entitles the user to previews of special offers and product innovations, articles from â€Å"Opera. om†, access to beauty editors and expert’s advice and provides tips to create their own personalised beauty care routines. Toll free contact numbers are available on the website for customer support and emergency calls. The website provides a link to enable the browser to give feedback to Dove and â€Å"Add Your Details† option. The direct marketing on the Dove website influence the browser at the cognitive and affective stages in the model. Public Relations One of the most crucial aspects in the success of the Real Beauty campaign has been the effective use of PR to affect the consumers at the cognitive and then the affective stage. The â€Å"Dove in the News† section contains a number of press releases that were published in various newspapers and magazines. The Power of Word of Mouth (WoM) All product detail pages have a link to enable the browser to send the page to a friend by email. A link for the campaign for Real Beauty website (www. campaignforrealbeauty. com) is available in the Real Beauty section, which takes the browser into a detailed version of the activities related to the campaign (advertisements, surveys, Self Esteem Fund, voting by browsers on their notions of their beauty, message board for females etc. . This provides the browsers with an online platform to engage in meaningful dialogues about the campaign by sharing their views and experiences, which results in an overwhelming experience for the browsers. This takes the concept of the effectiveness and power of WoM to a new level, thereby affecting the browser at a cognitive level and possibly at the affective level in case of the onl ine forum, if he/she happens to read some really heart-warming experiences. Other important elements of the website There is consistency and clarity in the flow of the website and the use of brand colours, language and design aspects give a very welcoming feel to the browser. One aspect of peculiar interest in the website is the â€Å"We’re listening† section wherein the browser can find the FAQ, store locator and contact us sections. The FAQ section contains information on Dove’s promotions and offers, the availability of coupons in newspapers and magazines and the plans of making these coupons available to Dove subscribers. If a consumer has to track an order that he places, the only way is via emailing Dove, as they do not email the consumers about how the item is being tracked, which is a weakness of the website. It is intriguing to note that information about product ingredients, product lifetime and information about some of the brand values is in the FAQ section. Facts like Dove is committed with a limited number of organisations in donating products for charity, the company’s ethical stance on animal testing and its stance on recycling and environment are only available in the FAQ section. Other information about Dove’s beauty philosophy including the Self Esteem Fund etc. is also found in the FAQ section. The problem here is that vital information about the brand is lying in a section, which is quite invisible to the browser. Notably this information can play a key role at the cognitive stage. Conclusion Recommendations It has been noted that the Internet is having a huge impact on the marketing communications programmes of companies. The hierarchy of effects model was used to analyse how Dove is exploiting the Web for influencing consumers. In this analysis of the website, it is concluded that the marketing communications tools of advertising, sales promotion public relations, direct marketing and word of mouth have been effectively used to influence the browser at the cognitive and affective stages of response. It is seen that the tools can influence the browser at more than one stage at a particular time. It appears that the tools of advertising, direct marketing, public relations and word of mouth, in case of Dove’s website, influence the browser at the cognitive and affective levels. Sales promotion, however, seemingly has an influence on the cognitive, affective and behavioural stages of response. The website overall is quite focused on the creative communication platform of Real beauty, which is integrated into many features of the website, which influences the browser strongly at the affective stage. The weaknesses of the website include the lack of visibility of brand values to the browser, so it is recommended that a separate section for brand values should be created. Also, some of the aspects of the website are not integrated well, especially those pertaining to sales promotions, for which the browser has to visit another linked website. If these features were better integrated into the website, it would create a more synergising and integrated experience for the browser. Lastly, while the Real Beauty campaign, which is at the heart of Dove’s marketing communications strategy, is creating waves in the media presently, not much can be said about the future of the campaign as it deviates ever so slightly from the previous positioning of the brand. Never the less, Dove appears to be a very caring and supportive brand. The website achieves the communications objectives satisfactorily and can therefore be deemed as successful. It influences the browser more at the cognitive and affective stages of response and lesser at the behavioural stage, which is acceptable due to the non-transactional nature of the website. Appendix Screenshot 1 Screenshot 2 Screenshot 3 Screenshot 4 Screenshot 5 Screenshot 6 Screenshot 7 List of References Kotler, P. (2003), Marketing Management, 11th ed. , Pearson Education, Inc. Baker, J. M. (1996), Marketing: A introductory text, 6th ed. , MacMillan Books, pp. 50-66, 342-412. Belch, E. G. Belch, A. M. (2004), Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective, 6th ed. , McGraw-Hill. Berger, E. I. , Cunningham H. P. Kozinets, V. R. (1999), Consumer persuasion through Cause-Related Advertising, Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 26, pp. 491-497. Berthon, P. , Pitt, L. 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(2003), The influence of spokesperson trustworthiness on message elaboration, attitude strength, and advertising effectiveness, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 408–421. Rossiter, R. J. Bellman, S. (2005), Marketing communications: Theory and applications, Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 3-40. Rowley, J. (2004), Just another channel? Marketing communications in e-business, Marketing Intelligence Planning, Vol. 22 No. , pp. 24-41. Rowley, J. (2001), Remodelling marketing communications in an Internet environment, Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications a nd Policy, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 203-21. Unilever website unilever. co. uk/ourbrands/casestudies/dove_casestudy. asp unilever. com/Images/2004%2018%20May%20Goldman%20Sachs%20Conference%20-%20Speech_tcm13-5247. pdf Wyer Jr. , S. R. (2005), Emergent moderators of affective response in consumer behaviour, Special session summary, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 32, pp. 38-41.

List of Organs Damaged by Smoking Expanded

List of Organs Damaged by Smoking Expanded Smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body, according to a comprehensive report on smoking and health from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Published 40 years after the surgeon generals first report on smoking which concluded that smoking was a definite cause of three serious diseases this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is conclusively linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia, and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas, and stomach. Weve known for decades that smoking is bad for your health, but this report shows that its even worse than we knew, said U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona in a press release. The toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flows. Im hoping this new information will help motivate people to quit smoking and convince young people not to start in the first place. According to the report, smoking kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year. On average, men who smoke cut their lives short by 13.2 years, and female smokers lose 14.5 years. The economic toll exceeds $157 billion each year in the United States $75 billion in direct medical costs and $82 billion in lost productivity. We need to cut smoking in this country and around the world, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease, costing us too many lives, too many dollars, and too many tears. If we are going to be serious about improving health and preventing disease we must continue to drive down tobacco use. And we must prevent our youth from taking up this dangerous habit. In 1964, the Surgeon Generals report announced medical research showing that smoking was a definite cause of cancers of the lung and larynx (voice box) in men and chronic bronchitis in both men and women. Later reports concluded that smoking causes a number of other diseases such as cancers of the bladder, esophagus, mouth, and throat; cardiovascular diseases; and reproductive effects. The report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, expands the list of illness and conditions linked to smoking. The new illnesses and diseases are cataracts, pneumonia, acute myeloid leukemia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer and periodontitis. Statistics indicate that more than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report of the surgeon general, and another 25 million Americans alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness. The reports release comes in advance of World No Tobacco Day, an annual event on May 31 that focuses global attention on the health hazards of tobacco use. The goals of World No Tobacco Day are to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, encourage people not to use tobacco, motivate users to quit and encourage countries to implement comprehensive tobacco control programs. Impacts of Smoking on Overall Health The report concludes that smoking reduces the overall health of smokers, contributing to such conditions as hip fractures, complications from diabetes, increased wound infections following surgery, and a wide range of reproductive complications. For every premature death caused each year by smoking, there are at least 20 smokers living with a serious smoking-related illness. Another major conclusion, consistent with recent findings of other scientific studies, is that smoking so-called low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes does not offer any health benefit over smoking regular or full-flavor cigarettes. There is no safe cigarette, whether it is called light, ultra-light, or any other name, Dr. Carmona said. The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or to never start smoking. The report concludes that quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits, reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking and improving health in general. Within minutes and hours after smokers inhale that last cigarette, their bodies begin a series of changes that continue for years, Dr. Carmona said. Among these health improvements are a drop in heart rate, improved circulation, and reduced risk of heart attack, lung cancer, and stroke. By quitting smoking today a smoker can assure a healthier tomorrow. Dr. Carmona said it is never too late to stop smoking. Quitting smoking at age 65 or older reduces by nearly 50 percent a persons risk of dying of a smoking-related disease. Unexpected Organs Damaged by Smoking Aside from the major organs- heart, lungs, brain, stomach, etc.- cigarette smoking and excessive exposure to secondhand smoke can cause damage to some unexpected parts of the body, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Ears: By reducing the flow of oxygen to the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ in the inner ear, smoking can damage the cochlea, resulting in mild to moderate hearing loss.   Eyes: Besides increasing the risk of blindness from cataracts, nicotine from cigarettes reduces the body’s ability to produce the chemical necessary for being able to see at night, especially dangerous when driving after dark. Mouth: Long known for causing disfiguring and potentially fatal oral cancers, cigarette smoke is now known to cause smokers to have more mouth sores, ulcers and gum diseases than non-smokers. In addition, smokers are more likely to have tooth decay and lose their teeth at a younger age. Skin and Face: By causing the skin to become dry and lose its elasticity, smoking can lead to stretch marks and wrinkles. By their early 30s, many regular smokers have already developed deep wrinkles around their mouth and eyes. According to the NHLBI, quitting smoking can protect the skin from premature aging.

The unitarist approach to management and organization suggests that Essay

The unitarist approach to management and organization suggests that trades unions are, in Kelly's (1998 2005) terms, 'manage - Essay Example This was necessary because good industrial relations were needed. As the big businesses required more labour force, conflicts between managers and workers as well as between the workers increased. According to Alan Fox (1985), three crucial frames were of use to solve management conflicts between workers and managers- pluralist, unitarist and radical. The unitarist approach believes in formation of an integrated and harmonious organization. It is seen as a happy family with one goal, viewing conflicts as failure. The pluralist approach incorporates stakeholders in an organization since they have different visions and interests, with a view that conflicts cannot not be avoided. Diversity in opinions lead to choices taken for the best system with focus on the profit delivered in business. According to Kelly’s (1988; 2005), the unitarist approach to management and organization suggests that trades unions are ‘managers of discontent’. The Effect of Unitary Management Most successful companies studied in human resource model have proved to be of non-union origin. These companies apply sophisticated Human Resources Management techniques that target individual employees (Fernie and Metcalf 2005). This complies with Alan Fox’s assumption for workers with common interests, as well as the managers and stakeholders. All parties do not belong to any union and humanistic approach to conflict resolution focuses on the individual. Frederick Winslaw Taylor instituted a new management philosophy of job specialization for his Bethlehem Steel Company in the 1890’s. According to the philosophy, incentives were introduced so that employees could be motivated. The incentives were given based on production achieved. This approach began the scientific management movement. It ensured that cooperation between workers was enhanced. This principle probably applied the basics of unitary approach since it focused on the common interest of employees, manager s and stakeholders. The outcome was great. There were positive changes in efficiency, production and company earnings that triggered redundancy since few workers were needed to achieve equal production. Redundancy meant low cost of production, low prices for commodities that would increase demand for products. Profit for the company would also increase. Taylor proved that with the increase in productivity and efficiency, more goods are produced at a lower cost of production and resources. According to the scientific management that used unitary basics, both parties gained. The company registered more profit from increased sales and revenue, as the purchasing power of the society increased. How to Eliminate the negative Impact of Conflict Conflict is a negative force which the unitary system believes that should be avoided. According to the Unitary approach, a unitary method of managing industrial relations will do away with the negative impacts of conflict. The bottom line issues in the causes of conflicts are the distribution of wealth and power. The employers’ interest in wages is completely different from those of the employees. Employees seek to minimize costs and will always seek to reduce the wages of employees. At the same time, the employers need the workers so that they can record profits. When managers misuse their powers by poor working environment, the workers retaliate. This retaliation causes conflicts in industrial relati

Free Market Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Free Market Economy - Essay Example The fact that a free market economy operates automatically is one of its major advantages. Moreover, when firms, consumers and workers pursue their own self interest through buying and selling in competitive markets, it helps in minimizing the central economic problem of scarcity, by encouraging the efficient use of resources (Lipsey 2003). In an actual scenario, however, markets fail to achieve maximum efficiency in the allocation of scarce resources resulting in inequality and unfavorable externalities therefore governments feel it necessary to intervene thus, in practice, perfect free market economies do not exist. Even in countries like USA, Germany and France, which are considered to be practicing free market to a great extent, there are many areas that are in government’s control. For example, in USA, there are laws proposed to verify illegal trade practices. They also have a government department called the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) that ensures all consumer products that are taken in to the body are toxic free. There are number of reasons as to why a free market ascends level of inequality and inefficiency in the economy. Firstly, a perfectly performing price system, as the case in a free market, does not provide for the issue of an ethical income distribution. In such a system, the limited supplies of goods and services are rationed out to those who can afford it. In other words, the scarce resources are usually diverted to the production of luxuries for the rich before an adequate output of commodities for the poor is produced. In addition, essential goods and services that are socially desirable may not be produced in sufficient amount under the price system because they are not profit yielding. These goods and services include health, education, defence, lighting, etc. This is the reason why the state provides, in most countries, for what are considered to be basic needs. Furthermore, a free market economy fails to consider all the costs and benefits associated with the production and c onsumption of commodities. Since they are profit motivated, producers tend to ignore the costs they impose on society as a result of their activities (Begg 1997). In this kind of economy, there is limited competition between firms. A few giant firms may control an industry, in such a case consumer sovereignty is affected; the bargaining position of consumers is weakened considerably while the sellers position is enhances resulting in higher prices and restricted output. Lack of competition and high profits also tend to reduce the incentive for firms to be efficient and resourceful. Due to the imperfection in market mechanism, market economy tends to further increase the disparities between people, that is, those with power and property gain at the expense of those without it. It also, due to its self interested behavior, tends to encourage greed, materialism and the acquisition of power (Sloman 1997). In my opinion, an economy should use the market mechanism to some extent and allow a certain degree of government intervention. Such economies are called mixed economies and all real world economies are a mixture of the two systems. Such a system proves beneficial for all the parties as it gives everyone the freedom to choose and produce while maintaining equality in the economy. 2.1 According to demand and supply analysis, there is an inverse relationship between the price and quantity demanded for a product. When the price for a product is too high, the quantity demanded eventually falls. Likewise, when price is low, quantity demanded increases. The movement along the demand curve is

Do we need government If so, what should be its role Essay

Do we need government If so, what should be its role - Essay Example The most significant part of the economy stability is the Fiscal responsibility. Debts of the government can easily be an economy burden and make its foundations weak. Sound microeconomic policies improve the government credibility and strengthen the institutions of politics. Therefore, the government has a responsibility in stabilizing the economy. Government acts as policymakers in the role of gaining a stable economic environment for growth in economics. It defends and enforces property rights, maintain currency stability and give an oversight assurance to private citizens on accountability of their transaction partners. Therefore, it allows the participants in the market to start placing their resources again to work in most beneficial areas (Atkinson, 1997). The economy performs with a massive and increasing the amount of regulation. The appointed regulators introduce price controls mainly in most utilities like electricity, telecommunication and gas (Barr, 2004). Economists of free markets criticize the control scales in the economy saying that it forms unnecessary costs burdens for businesses. Therefore, regulation can impose new competition in the market. For example, attempt to impose competition for the British Telecom. President Barack Obama responsibility on Fiscal last February showed his understanding on the need of Fiscal discipline. The president’s proposed budget and Congress enactment of Reinvestment Act and the American recovery make the goal of a budget that is sustainable (Geoft, 2013). It also addresses long-termed nation’s fiscal priorities like liabilities entitlement, even vaguer. The government controls the country debt deficit to stabilize the economy. Large deficit can lead to instability of prices and inflation if it finances the deficit through printing money. Inflation is as a result of depreciation of the currency that makes goods from foreign countries more expensive. Hence, it results to

The Language Of Ethics And Preventing Ethical Problems Philosophy Essay

The Language Of Ethics And Preventing Ethical Problems Philosophy Essay What is ethics, and what does it mean to put business and ethics together? What would it mean for a company to do this well? Ethics is a foundation of principles of moral conduct that is based on the philosophies of those involved in a life situation. Therefore, the melding of business and ethics is following these moral guidelines in a business life situation. This can be a slippery slope, as there needs to be an agreement between the moral behavior and the mission of the business, which at times seem to be at odds. It is important to recognize that ethics has a mission it is attempting to accomplish. That mission is not to create the perfect business world but to limit the harm on all stakeholders in their business life situations. What the discipline of business ethics can and must do is to provide an approach for improving the lives of the stakeholders who, with business, live in an imperfect, and sometimes harmful, world. (D. Robin, 2010). So the answer to doing business ethics well requires understanding the possibilities of the harms that could occur for the stakeholders. In order to do that it is vital to understand the stakeholders and their needs through a stakeholder analysis. This is a helpful way for managers to identify the relevant purposes and consequences in a given case (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). In determining what ethical or moral code of conduct will be employed to eliminate or minimize a harm it is a waste of time to establish a code that does not resolve an issue that for any of the stakeholders. If this arbitrary moral code that has no positive or negative effect on any stakeholders is employed it is meaningless. However, if an issue is identified that applies to one or more stakeholders a meaningful moral code can be establish that is useful to all. So an organization that starts first by understanding their stakeholders through a stakeholder analysis and what their needs are will be able to employ meaningful and useful et hics that will allow them limit the harm and do business ethics well. What are the three traditions of ethics, and how do they provide guidance to help inform your managerial decision-making? The three traditions of ethics according to Business Ethics: A Managerial Approach (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010) are; Actions or means people use to achieve their goals; Agent or persons who are acting in the situation; and Ends or goals that are outcomes of actions. At first glance some comparisons between the traditions would seem to suggest that they are opposites. However, they are really a view of situations from different angles or approaches. They each provide a value in their own right. An actions based approach focuses on the standards that we are using in the decision making process. Is the decision maker following the rules of decency in coming to his moral decision? In an actions based approach it is believed that the means is paramount in the ethical decision that is being made. An actions based approach may be the most useful when stakeholders are going to see the entire process and expect things to be done in a certain way. An Agents based approach does not d eal with how its done nor does it deal with what the the outcome is. Instead it centers on what the decision says about the person making the decision. Does this decision prop up his or her character or does it undermine it? This approach would likely be used when the decision creates a lasting impression that will cause a long term affect of the decision maker or the organization. Finally, an Ends based approach does not look back. It does not concern itself with how it was done or what the decision says about the individual or organization. Instead it looks to the end and assesses the result. Did it yield the positive result that was desired? Focusing on the Ends would be desired when there is little to no harm in how things are done or what the process means but instead what the bottom line becomes. Each of these traditions has its place and its value in providing the guidance to conclude what ethical decision is needed. Before this class discussion in module 1, what was your sense of why organizational ethics like Enron, Arthur Anderson, and Worldcom, happen? I dont like to cast full judgment on people or an organization without completely understanding the entire story. However, I did have a very dim view based on the details of which I was aware. My perspective was that a very large company was taking advantage of the federal government. To mount more trouble on top of it, in the case of Enron, Arthur Anderson who should have held them to a higher standard as an auditor allowed the corruption to continue. The irony of all of this is of course the largest more corrupt offender of all, the federal government, was holding both of these organizations to a standard that they themselves cannot follow in terms of accountability, which is evidenced based on their balance sheet. I certainly did not have an understanding that the 3 traditions of ethics could be applied in this situation. It would seem at some very cloudy level they were applying the Ends tradition. I say this is cloudy in that it brought with it the baggage of corruption to get t o the ends that should have almost obscured the view of it. I would suggest that it would have been more prudent for them to employ the Action, Agent or a combination of these traditions of ethics as it would have likely caused a different outcome. The long term result of this is much more than the harm these organizations caused themselves and their stakeholders. The constraints that often come from harmful situations such as saddling all companies with Sarbanes-Oxley will unnecessarily felt by the business community for years to come. Which factors seem to be most important in diagnosing why bad things happen? What role does the individual, and individual conscience, play in making sure good things happen organizations? To determine within an organization what is the cause of bad ethical decisions it is important to understand the morality and conscience of individuals within the organization and what is driving the decisions that they are making. This includes not only the leadership of an organization but all members from the top down. It can be valuable to look at not only the moral development of the individual but what forces that affect decision making are in play (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). First moral development, which is postulated by Kohlberg to be progressive, should be looked at and considered. While not all theorists agree with this approach it can be used as a good model for understanding causation of ethical problems. What is the tendency of individuals in terms of moral development? Is there a tendency to make ethical decisions based on the earlier stages of fear or are they at a point of maturity in this process? Knowing where individuals are in this spectrum can help us understand if it is part of the problem (Forsyth, Donelson R, 1992). Also, if the leadership of the organization is at the early point of the moral spectrum they are going to feed this type of decision making down through the rest of the organization. Understanding not only the individuals moral development but also the leaderships moral development all the way through the organization will help in the diagnosis of the problems. Second, we need to look at the forces in play for decision making. In considering each of the forces discussed in the text it can be assumed that it can be applied at the individual level if we want to understand the problems and want to see good decisions within the organization. Attempting to apply these forces at an organizational level becomes abstract and makes it very difficult to see or directly affect individuals. For example, to see how authority is properly communicated in an organization it is necessary to look at specific examples of this. That is, how a particular individual in authority communicates to other individuals in the organization is important in the making of good ethical decisions. Likewise, how an individual responds to that authority will play into it as well. This can be done with each of the other forces, Distance from Responsibility, Tunnel Vision, Rationalization, External Pressure and Communication Breakdowns. Applying individual notions to each of the se will help in both the diagnosis and resolving to better decision making. Therefore the consideration of the individual conscience both in the diagnosis and the resolution of good decisions is a key element. Read the case, Marge Norman and Miniscribe Corporation, pages 58 67 of your textbook. Provide a summary of this case including the ethical dilemmas and how they were handled in this case. Draw on what you learned in chapters 1 2 as part of your response. The case of Marge Norman and Miniscribe Corporation is a good example of some of the central forces that affect the decision making process, chief of which is the authority force (Freeman, Martin, Werhane Wicks, 2010). In addition, the findings and results suggest the rationalization played a major role in the decisions that were made within the company that caused the downfall of the corporation. Chronologically, the case begins with a company in a difficult position financially. Initially it appeared as if things were moving in a good direction with new leadership, Q. T. Wiles, being very decisive and with a solid influx of investors. One of the dilemmas that initially showed it head was in the area of communication breakdown, as all information was required to be communicated from the very top. In doing this it can be completely controlled as to what is being communicated. This created a fertile ground to allow the story to become whatever the leader wanted it to be. This also ti es into the central force of authority, which played a major role. With Q.T. Wiles being a strong personality with his 13 disciplines it would appear that the company was being lead in the right direction with strong accountability. From the outside this might give the appearance of a solid ethical foundation ensuring those doing the work are being held accountable. As the case continues and we see in the end that cooking of the books had occurred, this suggests that the authority force did indeed play a major role. In addition, the case states that there were many employees involved in the cover up. To have a large number involved it would require an authority figure guiding them and providing rationalizations in the process. There was also the external pressure force placed on the leadership by the accountability structure to come up with the correct numbers, which has the possibility of causing bad decision making. For the scandal to be this successful it had to cause dilemmas fo r all areas of the company. The accountants had to decide if the numbers forced to them should be used. The sales department always watches the numbers closely and would have had to wonder about the inflated numbers. Even the shipping department, who day to day knew what would be going into the boxes, must have faced a moral dilemma. As lies or deceptions occur within a company there is a need for consistency in the store and an escalation tends to occur (Kidwell Martin, 2005). As deceptive dilemmas began to mount with each bad decision more bad decisions were made until it was impossible to conceal as indicated by MiniScribes 13 successful quarters. Looking back had any of the employees overcome the central forces and employed even one of the rationalization tests earlier in the process, the scandal could have been less severe. Far too late, Marge Norman applied the publicity test in a small way by communicating her findings to her supervisor. Had this been done earlier the story would have been different. Had the leadership put themselves in the place of the stockholders, using the reversibility test, it would have brought to the surface the lack of ethics in the decisions. And certainly, using the generalizability test and comparing the situation even to ones personal finances it would be clear that this situation would eventually be found out. The mounting power of the authority force and rationalization along with a failure to apply any of the rationalization tests to the situation proved to be the down fall of MiniScribe. Sadly, this affected not only the company itself but many others in the process.

Containment Early Cold war Essay -- miscellaneous

Containment Early Cold war In the early years of the Cold War, both the Truman and Eisenhower administrations pursued a policy of containment to counter perceived Soviet aggression. Generally, the presidential administrations pursued this policy to maintain stability in the international arena, to maintain a balance of power, and also in a sense, to express disapproval of totalitarian, non-democratic regimes. Containment was expressed through a variety of policies and institutions: economic, political and, of course, military. The ways the early presidential administrations defined and implemented containment strategy inevitably changed in focus, importance, and emphasis over time. While both external and internal reasons accounted to an extent for the specifics of the containment policies of both administrations, the Truman administration was more concerned with maintaining a balance of power within the international community than necessarily appeasing internal pressures, especially fiscal pressures. The Eis enhower administration, on the other hand, assigned a greater importance to domestic politics in formulating its containment policies. First I will outline the differences of the two administrations, and then I will argue that the differences in the two administrations stem from their predominant influences: whereas external threats mainly shaped the Truman administration's containment policy, internal politics mainly shaped the Eisenhower administration's containment policy. First of all, both administrations had different economic priorities. Although Truman was concerned about keeping taxes low and government spending capped, he also saw the need for military expenditures in Europe and Asia to keep an adequate balance of power. Truman implemented an assortment of aid packages to Europe and Asia, in effect, to help those countries help themselves. He saw economic stability as essential for peace and stability in the intentional arena. Moreover, he saw giving aid to these countries as a way to subtly influence the ideology of their constituents. Furthermore, Truman accepted ongoing government economic intervention as an appropriate way to direct resources within the economy. Eisenhower, on the other hand, was more interested in a conservative fiscal policy, and tight control on government spending. He was more intent on trading with the countrie... ...endencies, they took their influence for policy from different sources. Thus, their foreign policy had a different approach. The Truman administration was more concerned with Stalin’s expansionist tendencies, and sought to contain him by the best means possible, which he considered to be conventional warfare. Truman used rhetoric and threat to sell his policy to Congress and the American people, because his policy was expensive. Eisenhower, on the other hand, was more concerned with his popularity and cutting taxes than pursuing expensive overseas militaries. He was able to cut costs by using nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against the Soviets. Thus, he used a more capital-intensive, and less labor-intensive means to detract Soviet expansion. Because he was able to cut costs so effectively, it was not as important for him to sell him policy to the public. That is namely why Eisenhower was such a popular president. References www.globalsecurity.org/military/ library/report/1992/MJA.htm www.nwc.navy.mil/CNCSCaseStudies/cases/case09.htm www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/truman/ regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/ presidentialactions/commander.cfm

Human Resource Management Essay

The first stop at the place of employment on the first day of work is human resource management (HRM) office. Known in the past as the personnel department is now HRM; the place where contracts and all necessary documentation is processed before employment begins at the workplace. To some this is a friendly place and to other is threatening. Definition To understand what human resource management means and does, it is necessary to begin with a definition of its terms: Human: of, relating to, or characteristic of humans, consisting of humans (Merriam-Webster). Resource: a source of supply or support; an available means usually used in plural; a natural source of wealth or revenue often used in plural; a natural feature or phenomenon that enhances the quality of human life; a source of information or expertise (Merriam-Webster). Management: the act or art of managing; the conducting or supervising of something (as a business); judicious use of means to accomplish an end; the collective body of those who manage or direct an enterprise (Merriam-Webster). From these definitions an idea of human resource management forms and can be states as: The art of conducting or supervising the source of supply or support of humans. The purpose obviously is to perform tasks assigned in exchange for a wage or salary during a specified period of time or shift. Primary function HRM can be seen as the welcoming door to the company for new employees, but it represents much more than that. As part of the organization, HRM deals with the changes in the world affecting the company and its employees. Preparation is constant in this fast-paced world to cope with the newest changes in globalization, technology, workforce diversity, and labor shortages (DeCenzo 2007 p4). In today’s world, skill requirements are constantly changing and the improvement of the workforce is also continuous. HRM is responsible for overlooking the fulfillment of these needs in the company and all its different locations throughout the world. Globalization expanded the horizons for business and requires a deep understanding of the cultural diversity. Organizations like McDonalds, Exxon, BMW, General Motors, Sears, and many more like these generate their revenue from  different parts of the world. Making a presence in different countries requires knowledge and understanding of their cultures, not only the language and and typical traditions. HRM is responsible for the training of the company representatives asigned to the various countries where the company has operations. The primary function is no longer just the hiring and processing of new employees, but the primary function is now to manage the human resources available and their labor relations for the company’s operations locally or globally. Role of HRM in an Organization’s Strategic Plan The organization’s strategic plan is the core for the entire operation and the goals set to accomplish. HRM plays a very important role in this plan and the success or failure of the strategy starts off by how three of the management principles are applied by HRM. Oganizing, as a management principle, falls under the responsibility of HRM for specifying tasks, establishing departments, establishing channels of authorities, delegation of authorities, and coordination of subordinates activities. Basically this represents the foundation bricks for the strategic plan (Bateman, 2009). Leading is another management principle that falls under the HRM role and it is getting others to get the job done and motivating subordinates. Standard operating procedures, code of ethics, employees benefits, and other tools are used by HRM to accomplish this part of the role in the organization’s strategic plan (Bateman, 2009). Controlling is the management principle used to set standards for expected results and implement corrective actions when not going in the right direction. HR managers measure the efficiency of persons employed for the tasks and maintain turnover to low levels. HRM is responsible for the control of labor practices to keep them within legality, the avoiding of discriminatory actions and potential losses due to lack of training (Bateman, 2009). HRM is the backbone for any organization and is critical that human resource managers keep updated on all the changes affecting business. References Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2012). http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management?show=0&t=1347165029 DeCenzo, D. and Robbins, S. (2007) Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, 9e p4 John Wiley & Sons Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, by Bateman and Snell (8th edition, 2009) Retrieved from EBook Collection, https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/classroom/ic/classroom.aspx

Marketing Essay

Marketing Essay What is a Marketing essay? A marketing essay is an essay which is for the promotion of a product or it talks about marketing strategies or it talks about marketing principles and policies set by different organizations or it is written for making a market plan. A marketing essay is written for many purposes. Teachers assign marketing essays to students to enhance their capabilities in terms of market assessment and evaluation. In marketing essays, different kinds of approaches are used. Some marketing essays are for the evaluation of market, some marketing essays talk about market value while other market essays are about various market trends. Students who are assigned to write a market essay must identify the nature of market essay that is given to them. After identifying the nature of market essay that is assigned, the students have to collect relevant information to that essay on marketing. Marketing writing is of many kinds such as marketing papers, marketing research papers, marketing term papers and essays on marketing. For all kinds of writing related to marketing papers and essays on marketing, read materials that are relevant. Never try to include irrelevant information even if you are aware of too much information regarding marketing. Make your marketing plan essay or marketing strategy essay as concise as u can and use clear and simple words for the description of your arguments related to marketing. Marketing is the backbone for the growth of any business in today’s world so the students who are linked with the education of marketing should know how to write a custom marketing essay so that they can use this information in their practical field. Because of marketing, any product or brand can be easily introduced among general masses. Always introduce the topic and the thesis sentence in your introduction, then move forward towards the body where you will give details related to the marketing essay topic that you have selected and after giving all the details required in the body paragraphs, move towards the conclusion where you will summarize all your discussion and will also come to a final point which you have raised in your introduction. Your introduction and conclusion should be simple and straightforward. In your custom marketing essay, you must following the rules and regulations that are there for marketing and you must show the awareness of these rules in your writing due to which your teachers will be able to judge your eligibility and learning. If you think you are unable to write an essay on marketing, you can contact us and we will provide you with custom marketing essays of high quality.

Champion Is a Transitive Verb

Champion Is a Transitive Verb Champion Is a Transitive Verb Champion Is a Transitive Verb By Maeve Maddox I read the following sentence in a newspaper article: He often champions for the rights of many individuals. As a noun, champion can be followed by the preposition for: â€Å"She is a champion for gender equality.† But as a verb, champion is transitive; it takes a direct object: â€Å"She champions gender equality.† The noun champion is first documented in the 13th century with the meaning â€Å"a brave fighting man.† Because trial by combat was still part of the English legal system, by the 14th century, champion could also mean â€Å"one who fights on behalf of another.† Note: Until the 16th century, it was possible to settle a legal dispute in England by fighting a duel. A litigant unsuited for combat could arrange for someone else- a champion- to fight in his place. In the novel Ivanhoe, the knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe volunteers to be Rebecca’s champion. Apart from its use in the context of competitive sports, the noun champion refers to a person who protects and defends the defenseless or who fights for a worthy cause. For example: Two Champions of Children Are Given Nobel Peace Prize We cannot be both the worlds leading  champion of peace  and the worlds leading supplier of the weapons of war.   World welcomes Pope Francis as humble champion of poor As a verb, to champion is â€Å"to maintain the cause of, stand up for, uphold, support, back, defend, advocate.† Here are examples of champion correctly used as a transitive verb: Now that youve reclaimed your wounded inner child, you need to champion him.   James Brady became a symbol of the fight for  gun control,  championing  tighter regulations. People living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) will pay tribute later this year to the woman who, for decades,  championed their  cause. Patricia Arquette Champions Gender Equality in Nights Best Oscar Speech Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?50 Nautical Terms in General Use20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Film Critique Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Film Critique - Movie Review Example The issues presented in the movie, regarding concerns of women In the film, almost all the main problems faced by women folk in a male dominated and racially prejudiced society are portrayed in a vivid manner. For instance, the main female characters in the film do not enjoy liberty in the mainstream society. They are forced to act according to the will of the male characters. The most important female character in the film (Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish widow) leads a grim life similar to other widows in a male dominated society. The loneliness and alienation faced by Daisy Werthan in her private and public domains is vividly portrayed by the director. The problem of racism is another issue presented in the movie regarding concerns of women. Besides, prejudice against Afro- Americans and the Jews, and marginalization faced by them is another issue presented in the movie regarding concerns of women. Scheuer and Scheuer (2003), opine that â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy tells us, as much more about the difference between North and South, and racial attitudes in America as any sociology textbook will† (p.106). The main female characters in the film are not considered as important in their families. The problem of marginalization in the mainstream society without any decision making capacity leads to mental and emotional problems in female characters. The issues presented in the movie regarding concerns of women are still relevant because male domination, marginalization, alienation, prejudice and racism curb the growth and development of women in the society. Loneliness, racism, and male domination illustrated in the movie The most important issues presented in this movie regarding concerns of women are related to male domination and racial prejudice. So, three issues (loneliness, racism, and male domination), and three female characters (Daisy Werthan, Idella and Florine Werthan), are selected to expose how these issues and characters are illustrated in the m ovie. 1. Loneliness and alienation faced by Daisy Werthan The most important female character in film, Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tandy), an elderly Jewish widow faced alienation in her private (home) and public (society) domains. When Daisy Werthan’s husband was succumbed to death, she gradually got alienated herself from the mainstream society. For instance, her son did not allow her to drive her car. Besides, her maid servant was aware of the alienation felt by Daisy Werthan in her home and society. The director gave ample importance to the issue of loneliness and alienation faced by widows in the society. To be specific, the character of Daisy Werthan represents the sad plight and emotional detachment of widows in the society. 2. Racism and prejudice faced by Idella Idella (Esther Rolle), Daisy Werthan’s Afro-American maid servant is one of the best examples of racial segregation and marginalization faced by the African American community in America. One can easily ide ntify that racism or marginalization from the main stream society is the most important problem faced by African American community in America. Racism is a social evil which hinder the progress of African Americans in the American society. On the other side, Daisy Werthan, a Jew by birth was also a victim of racism. The best example of racism was the

Cultural diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cultural diversity - Essay Example It is anchored not only in these cultural resources, but organizational resources as well. In other words organizational culture is not fully dependent on the culture of the employees alone, but the organizational environment, work or business philosophy, attitude of the management etc can also influence the organizational culture. This paper briefly analyses the role of culture and diversity in organizations. Cartwright & Cooper (2002) have mentioned that there has been much optimism since the "global revolution" about how well an organization will do when it goes "global." Moreover, there has also been much risk in the acquisition and merger of organizations from various cultures to create organizations that are compatible and profitable. The expectation is that these multicultural organizations will appeal to more customers, creating an organization that can get ahead of all the rest (Cartwright & Cooper, 2002). Cross-border mergers have increased by about nine times of what they were just a few years ago. In fact M& A is adopted as a popular business strategy by big organizations in order to expand their wings to different countries and to reduce the competition. But in many cases, the expectations before the M&A have not been fulfilled after the M&A. The integration of the multicultural organizations into a single entity caused more problems than expected. Many of these takeovers and mergers fail because there is actually a production slow down based of the inability of two or more distinct cultures of people unable to work together. Culture is dynamic; everything about the human is immersed in cultural belief. According to Cartwright & Cooper, (2002), culture refers to everything that makes up a way of life including language, which is the oldest institutional medium of expression, thought which is what creates perception of others and understanding of the world, spirituality which is