Business Ethics

Case Study One

Question 1

The use of smartphones in the work environment raises many ethical issues. First it results in destructions are individuals will automatically get carried away   thus forgetting that their participation in the organizations project is important.  In addition the use of inappropriate communication is promoted thus resulting in inefficiency among the employees (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).  Communication is very important and for the person making the speech and the person listening adequate attention is highly required which helps in ensuring that the particular goals of the organization are achieved.  In addition the use of smartphones discourages effective interactions in the work organization which discourages working as teams.  The use of smartphones encourages inappropriate responses and comments on the speaker.

Question 2

I believe that the conduct in the meeting seemed wrong but it was not wrong.  This is mainly because I paid adequate attention and  was  only  utilizing  technology in taking notes instead on drafting them down on a piece of book  as everyone expected.  The client was offended because he thought that I paid zero attention to the speech which is particularly wrong (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 3

Impolite behaviors during meeting close the line and become unethical conduct at that moment when an individual ignores the speaker   thus making the speaker seems to be making no effort.  This is particularly unethical as it does not provide an opportunity for the listener and the speaker to interact. The behaviors additional become unethical when the listener is completely taken off from the meeting mentally (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 4

I would advise that   corporation utilizes policies that limits the amount of time that should be spend on the smartphones and where and when not to be used to ensure that they are not used in client meeting which would destroy the corporations reputation (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 5

The rules should thus be applied different when conducting in house corporation meeting from when the company is doing meetings with the consumers and the suppliers.  This is mainly because the clients and the suppliers are the main determination of the corporation’s success (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 6

I would have ensured that I write notes in a book to ensure that my attention is complete and to avoid the customer making the perception that I paid no attention.

Question 7

 I am about to say that he should just permit me to take the call from a client before we discuss the issue.  In addition I am about to tell him that that I paid enough attention to the client as I was taking notes.

Case study 2

Question 1

I would respond by telling the colleague that it is not good to use phones during meeting as this would reduce the efficiency of the meeting (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 2

 If the meeting was between the both of us this would be particularly different as I would respond  by ensuring that  I  tell them all  the  risks of  interrupting  conversations.  This would involve direct confrontations.  However if there were external and internal colleagues I would handle this formally.

Question 3

If I received a text from a colleague in the same room meeting I would open and read but not respond. This would help in understanding what they wished to communicate because this might be something important (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

Question 4

The utilization of laptop during meting raises ethical issues as it would be challenging for individuals to concentrate on what is being said.  This is because one can get carried away by things that are not essential.  There are different technologies that ethically affect workplaces such as the use of emails.

Question 5

Yes at the beginning I thought that the boss would have given me little trust to ask whether I concentrated on the meeting.  This does not however affect my response as I know that everything that I did was not correct.

Question 6

The differences in regard to the use of technology should be resolved by ensuring that all the individuals’ ideas are well incorporated.  The users of technologies should be a little bit cautious about their doing because this affects performance.  It is expected that those that resists technology with time they are bound to embrace the changes (Hartman DesJardins & MacDonald, 2014).

            References

Hartman P. Laura, DesJardins Joseph & MacDonald Chris (2014). Business Ethics.  Decision   making for Personal  Integrity and Social Responsibility. Third Edition. Published by   McGrwa-Hill

1. Global Marketing

Global marketing environment

 It will involve the forces and factors inside or outside a firm which influences the marketing strategies adopted in order to maintain competitive advantage and successful relationships with the organization’s targeted customers.  This will cover both the micro and macro environments that every organization considers when developing marketing strategy for increased growth and achieving organizational goals.  

Global marketing strategy

This will cover the basis, scope and challenges encountered in global marketing. This will include the new challenges being faced by organizations such as international competition, slow growth in global economies and markets, deregulation of industries that were formerly protected and emergence of different global brands.  It will also involve strategic effects of targeting, segmentation and positioning and the manner in which they are developed.

2. Sources

Global marketing strategies. http://ebooks.narotama.ac.id/files/Global%20Marketing%20Management%20(5th%20Edition)/Chapter%208%20GlobalMarketing%20Strategies.pdf

This source provides extensive information on global marketing strategy and how it has been adopted by international companies to reach out a wide range of targeted customers. It also covers the research and development on the global market as well as marketing interfaces. It also covers how the global marketing strategy has been regionalized and the competitive analysis of the international market.

International Marketing Environment Challenges and Opportunities. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR): http://www.ijsr.net/archive/v4i8/14081504.pdf

This source provides information on the challenges and opportunities in the international market that is rapidly changing.

3. KFC is one company brand that is adapting to the global market. This is an American brand that is curving out a good share of the global market. The firm has learnt that to be successful especially in the emerging markets, it had to adapt to local attitudes, values and tastes (Smith, 2012).

 Reference

How Change Impact Motivation Of Employees

Changes in the work place must happen as the technology is advancing in everyday life and it is implemented with the best intentions. This is started with innovative ideas and goals in order to ensure that operations in the work place are carried out efficiently (Green, 1999). In this case the implementation of an electronic health record will ensure that the medical history of patients is maintained over time. It will also ensure that all the important administrative information that is relevant to the patient is recorded safely. Change however is not taken lightly by employees as they think that they will lose their jobs. One of the impacts to their motivation is that they experience mental stress because they think a lot on how to cope with the change. Some of them feel that it will take them a lot of time to learn how to use the machine. The other impact is that they lose the loyalty of the Company. This is because the benefits of the employees may be affected as the change is being implemented. This will lead to decreased motivation which will in turn reduce their job performance (Green, 1999).

            One of the ways on how to communicate with employees about change is clarifying everything and being honest on why and what is changing. This will make the employees to listen as they will understand that there is honesty. In this case, the implementation of the electronic health record will bring positive results. This is because it is only one machine that will keep records rather than the old way of piling up files (Sinha, 2013). It will make work easier because it will take a short time to find the history of a patient. The other way is considering the emotional impact to the employees due to the change. This is because the employees may be shocked on sudden changes. It is important to talk to them gently and be ready to listen to their opinions. The other way is telling the employees how they will benefit from the change and in this case, they will not be stressed out when looking for the files of the patients. The other way is explaining to them how the change will happen in order to make them feel reassured. This means explaining to them that nobody will be fired and they will instead go for training on how to use it (Sinha, 2013).

            The employers will explain about the training and how the skills of the employees will change with the implementation through creating a two way communication channel. This means that the employees need to be heard on how they think about training (SCushman, 1995). They should give a feedback on what they feel is good for them. The employer should consult them on setting the date and the time for training. This is to make sure that the working hours are not affected. They should agree whether the training should be held during the weekends or after work rather than working overtime. The skills of the employees will change with the implementation because there will be no paper work again as it will only be the use of the computers. It will be important when the employees embrace the change because technology is changing in the whole world (SCushman, 1995).

References

Green, T. B., & Butkus, R. T. (1999). Motivation, beliefs, and organizational transformation. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Quorum Books.

Sinha, P. K., Sunder, G., Bendale, P., Mantri, M., & Dande, A. (2013). Electronic health record: SCushman, D. P., & King, S. S. (1995). Communicating organizational change: A management perspective. Albany, Ny: State University of New York Press. tandards, coding systems, frameworks, and infrastructures.

HUMAN RESOURCE AND EMPLOYMENT

Q1

Companies should not put into consideration the unemployment gap of possible employees because it is not fair. This is because it is ethically wrong as it violates the company objective of social responsibility that aims at improving the livelihood of the community members and it locks out possible employees who may have special skills and talents that the company can benefit from. However, it has an advantage to the employer as employees who have large employment gap may take longer to adapt to the working resulting in less productivity compared to those who have been employed in the recent past (Gregory, Salverda & Schettkat, 2007).

Q2

The education portion of a computer programmer should at least entail a bachelor’s degree with a certificate or an associate’s degree. A master’s degree can be considered as an added advantage depending on the position available in the company. In order to verify this information first, I would consider the credibility of the institution the education certificate were obtained from, give a sample test to the applicant to assess their relevance in the area and if any experience considered the recommendation of the previous employer (Info Tech Employment, 2012).

Q3

Ethical behavior contributes to high performance as it increases support for good business through strong ethical cultures that result from strong leadership. Ethical cultures improve efficiency on decision making and daily operations as employees are more committed, there is product quality, customer’s loyalty is enhanced and there is improved financial performance (Treviño & Nelson, 2011). Ethical behaviors in an organization promote unity and a conducive working environment where everyone gives their best, increased public relations that enhance the reputation of the organization leading to more profitability.

Reference

Gregory, M., Salverda, W., & Schettkat, R. (2007). Services and employment: Explaining the U.S.-European gap. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Info Tech Employment. (2012). Information technology jobs in America 2012: Corporate & government career guide : why you want one, where they are, how to get one. New York, N.Y: Info Tech Employment.

Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. New York: John Wiley.

Facebook IPO

Before Facebook offering, the U.S stock markets were experiencing a growth to the month of may 2012. This was indicated by the rising of S&P by 21 percent from its lows in November 2011.  Initially, the investors had seen the market falling due to deteriorating political gridlock and economic outlook in United States and Europe as seen by the declining of S&P Index in first half of May by 5 percent. Moreover, the NASDAQ 100 Index seemed has stalled in the same month following a rise to 17 percent from the mid-2011 to middle of May 2012.  The market had strong investor demand before the Facebook’s   IPO, which was indicated by the gross proceeds obtained by the Groupon and LinkedIn. Linked had racked in $353 million and valued at $4.3billion with its shares rising by 109 % on the immediate day after trading and Groupon was able to raise $700 million. This indicated that the market was recovering from the financial crises that had ill-fated the major global economies especially due to European debt crises.

The recent performance of IPOs has actually been on the upside , especially since the year 2013 which was rated the best since the year 2000. The IPO’s good performance for that year was due to lower rates of interests, a stock market that was rising and risk friendly investors. This performance trend continued to the year 2014, whose performance was even better than 2013. However, the IPO market for the year 2015 declined to a tally of 152 which was lower than that in 2014.  The performance in 2015 was , nevertheless , in line with yearly average of 157 IPOs which was observed for over 10 years, preceding 2014.

Facebook, INC: the Initial Public Offering. IVEY Publishing.

Logistics

1.

Time utility is the easy accessibility of services and products at the right time when the customers need to buy or purchase them. The logistical planning of the company is mainly associated with planning of the business and thus ensuring the utility of time is not put at stake, hence deliveries are made on time. When it comes to companies offering, time utility is mainly addressed through offering the services at the right time to the consumers when they need it. This therefore consist of the time in hours and days or weeks, which a company desires to offer services. The main goal of time utility is therefore to offer the potential consumers with an added value. Time is therefore the main thing that any business should be able to keep in order to make sure that they render the best services to their clients and consumers.

Place utility is making the services or goods readily available to the customers and clients. A good example of place utility is a retail store, this is where consumers can be able to purchase the products. In order to be able to reach most customers, increasing convenience is one of the things which should be looked at carefully and thus ensuring that customers easily access the products that they want without any problems. Moreover, opening stores in different places and using the internet to offer directions to the consumers, can help in making it easy for the consumers to access the products. This consequently promotes consumer convenience hence making it easy for the consumers to be able to purchase the products of their choice without any problems at all.

2. What are the benefits/ drawbacks of public or private warehousing?

Both private and public warehouses have advantages and disadvantages based on the way they conduct different services. A private warehouse for instance, is owned and regulated by the same company which owns the goods and products handled and kept in the facility. On the other hand, a public warehouse operates as a self-regulating business offering a wide range of services which include; handling, storage, and transportation at different prices.

Benefits of private warehousing

It offers improved monitoring systems on the handling and storage of products, thus ensuring convenience and proper storage of goods in the facility. Moreover, little or no errors are experienced, simply because the employees of the company handle the products. The cost of warehousing is a bit lower simply because the company stores and handles its own products.

Drawbacks of private warehousing

It is costly for a company to be able to start its own warehouse, thus making it hard for most companies to be able to have private warehouses. On the other hand, private warehouses have a low rate of returns, and may therefore lead the company to bankruptcy if proper measures are not put in place. Moreover, private warehousing is very expensive to run and maintain, and may easily lead the business to the wrong direction.

Benefits of public warehousing

Public warehousing is cheap and more efficient, and it is also effective in achieving increased customer service level. Moreover, they are well situated and easy to locate, thus making it easy for customers to be able to work with them. On the other hand, public warehousing saves a lot of capital due to the distribution of service in the warehouses by its employees.

Drawbacks of Public Warehousing

Poor communication between a pubic warehouse and the manufacturer may lead to poor transfer of information and thus leading to an increase in administrative and inventory costs. Moreover, it lacks specialized services which are required by a company, hence making it hard for a public to render services effectively to a company. On the other hand, they have capacity problems, thus making it hard for companies to be able to store large amounts of goods.

Camel Cookies Case Study in Dubai

Camel cookies is a coffee which basically deals in camel cookies of different shapes and sizes. The business performs very well due to its unique cookies which are very different from other cookies in the country (Bricault, 2013). On the other hand, the shop is also located at a very good place where customers can be able to easily locate and thus enjoy their very unique cookies at a very affordable price. The cookies are offered in different flavours, and the packaging is also good and eye catching, thus making many people to like the services offered by camel cookies. Even though the business is unique and it also performs well, it also has its own challenges which make it hard for the business to be able to reach its goals (Dubai, 2013). The main challenge that camel cookies faces is stiff competition from other cookies companies in the Asia. These companies offer similar services as that of camel cookies but, and thus taking most of the market share hence making camel cookies to experience challenges. These challenges include very stiff competition from other Asian cookies companies which offer the same services but in a very different way as camel cookies does. These companies include the following; Home Bakery, Ben’s Cookies, Home Bakery, Monkey cookies, Panda cookies, and Marks and Spencer.

Despite of facing competition from other companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), food and beverage companies are also increasing at a very high rate in the UAE (Bricault, 2013). This has therefore led to an increase in number, thus leading to an increase in supply than demand, thus making it hard for food and beverage companies to be able to receive huge returns from the business. In as much as Camel cookies produces very unique cookies and the services it offers are also unique, increase in the number of food and beverage companies has made it to receive low returns due to the dropping of prices (King, 2013). Moreover, the prices of food prices are very high, and the customers are price sensitive. This consequently makes the beverage companies to experience very many challenges which include incurring losses (Spraggon & Bodolica, 2014). Finding a good location to locate the business is also a big problem, since most of the food and beverage companies are all over in the United Arab Emirates.

Competitor’s comparison Table

According to the table above, most of the company’s competitors are Monkey cookies, Home Bakery, and Ben’s Cookies. All of these companies are using very good strategies in making sure that they win over the customers. Some of this strategies include reducing the prices, and increasing the quality of the cookies (Bricault, 2013). This move consequently allows the customers to stick to the company since it offers equally the same product as that of other companies but at a very lower price, hence saving the customer from spending a lot. Monkey cookies and Home bakery have really lowered their prices per box, and compared to Camel cookies, they stand a better chance of winning a large number of customers. This is basically because, they have been in the UAE market for a longer period of time as compared to camel cookies.

Moreover, most people know about these two companies and they also produce high quality products, thus they can easily outsmart camel cookies in the competitive market (King, 2013). Ben’s cookies on the other hand, has been in the market for more than two decades, and this consequently makes it to be able to understand the marketing trends in the UAE. Even though they do not offer deliveries, their prices per piece are very affordable and thus they can easily attract most customers (Bricault, 2013). Finally this consequently means that in order for Camel cookies to be able to outsmart its competitors, it will need to change most of its marketing approaches thus making it easy to win the hearts of most customers.

Monkey Cookies in Sharjah

In the year 2012, Mr Abdullah Al Ansari began a home grown baking which was as a trial. This trial therefore gained recognition and it evolved into a professional business. Monkey cookies therefore became the people’s favourite, and in no time it hard gained demand in different parts of Kuwait. The company currently offers the following types of cookies; white cookies, Nutella cookies, Hershey’s black and marshmallow cookies (Bricault, 2013). According to Mr. Sharjah he wanted to make unique cookies through combining different ingredients due to the passion that he had in baking. The company has therefore grown and it currently has three different outlets in Shajah/ Al Muwailh, Al Ain in the Bawadi Mall and Um Al Quwain in the Careefour parking.

Panda Cookies

Panda cookies is manufactured by Meiji Seika and it is also Japanese biscuit’s brand. The company produces cookies with different types of flavours which include the following, strawberry, vanilla, matcha green tea and double chocolate. These cookies were first launched in Japan by the biscuit company, Meiji Seika (Bricault, 2013). The cookies are made in the shape of the koala bear, thus making children to be attracted to it. Meiji Seika started producing the cookies in the year 1974 and in the same year started exporting it to most developed countries all over the world (King, 2013). These countries included the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and the different countries in the Middle East.

The cookies are packed in an eye-catching packet which attracts the attention of the children thus making them to like the company’s products.

Ben’s Cookies

Ben’s cookies owns a chain of cookie selling shops located in England. The company was founded in the year 1983 by Helge Rubinstein and his co-founder Karen Brooke Barnett (Dubai, 2013). The company sells readily cooked and cookies, and they can be served while hot to the customers. The company later grew and opened major stores in different parts of England and the Middle East. It currently has 180 stores in the world, with eight of the stores in the Middle East (King, 2013).

Home Bakery

Home bakery was a branch of the Elimear when it was initially opened in the year 1953 by Annie Maguire in the Joceyln Street. In the year 1958, after the death of Annie Maguire, Paddy Keelan her sister opened another branch in 38 Clasbrassil street. In the year 1964, Paddy’s son Michael Keelan opened another branch at Joceyln Street, which saw the expansion of the bakery and was later converted into a coffee shop (Bricault, 2013). In the year 2006, after a series of family ownership of the company, the company expanded its branches and opened outlets in different parts of the world which included the Middle East. The company mainly specializes in baking ancestral breads, decorated cakes and pastries. This has consequently made the company to be one of the top performing food and beverage companies in the Middle East.

Reference

Bricault, G. C. (2013). Major Companies of the Arab World 1992/93. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

King, S. D. (2013). When the money runs out: The end of western affluence.

Dubai, 2013. (2013). Place of publication not identified: Oxford Business Group.

Spraggon, M., & Bodolica, V. (2014). Managing organizations in the United Arab Emirates: Dynamic characteristics and key economic developments.

Business ethics

1. The advice which I would give to a friend who wants to downsize the firm is that in planning the lay-off decision, he must value respect, intelligibility and consistency (Hartman, 2014). In general, ethics should be the key factor in guiding the process of decision making. All representatives must be included so that they can share ideas and raise facts. Other point is that before downsizing, employees should be informed about the condition of the organization and the reason for taking that action (Hartman, 2014). After listing the employees who will be terminated, they should be given notice earlier. In addition, he should refer to the theory of justice by John Rawls. There should be fairness and consider the consequences to both terminated and the existing workforce.
2. It is permissible to institute a diversity program in organization through affirmative action. There are important elements required in the affirmative action and these elements will help in implementing the programs. First are the legal requirements, judicial affirmative action and voluntary affirmative action (Hartman, 2014). The organization has all the relevant facts and understands that the program of the affirmative action should be nondiscriminatory and should be guided by corrective actions. The program should not be related with stereotyping assumptions (Hartman, 2014). In addition, the organization understands that the affirmative action should have less exclusionary policies and eliminate gratuitous barriers. The program should also act as a monitoring devise and comply will the nondiscrimination principles. The steps to take in the affirmative action include the following. The first step is designing the plan. In this case, there should be a formal document with institutional policies, academic expertise, design goals and timetables for providing equality and opportunity. The next step is implementing the plan. This should be done by developing an affirmative-action office and selecting an officer with faculty experience to improve cooperation (Hartman, 2014). Implementation of the plan will also be done through recruitment, screening, appointments, advancements and retrenchment. The last step is monitoring the plan. This will include the qualified faculty within the organization to play the role of promotion, retention and implementation of grievance procedures and nondiscrimination policies. The common pitfalls to avoid in implementing affirmative actions are data accuracy and effect of underrepresentation. If the data is inaccurate, it may contribute to adverse effects and people will admit that underrepresentation is as a result of discrimination of which is not true (Hartman, 2014).

3. Employers monitor employees at work for various reasons. First, they monitor to gather information through the use of technology. Monitoring helps the employers to have an effective management in the place of work and to implement the best affirmative action. Through monitoring, employers prevent the use of technology in inappropriate way thereby improving performance and effectiveness (Hartman, 2014). Monitoring is also a method of protecting resources through securing proprietary information.

 Employees are monitored in drug testing where employers ensure that employees are committed in their work. Ethical issues related with drug testing includes poor concentration, carelessness, failure to take risk, lower productivity, increased absenteeism, regular excuses and poor personal hygiene (Hartman, 2014).  In addition, monitoring is also done in polygraphs where employers are supposed to use health information such as medical record in employment process. Third, employers conduct genetic testing to get information on both employees and customers. Genetic information provides general personal and family information and this helps in eliminating discriminatory treatment.  Ethical considering with the genetic testing is that the information collected will help in offering Medical Leave Act and other specific condition (Hartman, 2014).  It is important to note that monitoring also has some costs which affect both employers and employees.  On the side of employees, monitoring creates a hostile workplace. Their freedom is limited and they are unable to have control on their environment. The restrictions causes stress and pressure which then causes physical disorder hence affecting performance. This will affect employers in that as a result of poor job performance and low productivity; there will be fewer returns (Hartman, 2014). However, there can be a balance of interest through implementation the following monitoring policy. Private areas should not be monitored, monitoring within the place of work should be limited, the information gathered through monitoring should be revealed to employees, the reason behind monitoring should be related with business interest and  information collected should be job-relate (Hartman, 2014).

4. The information is persuasive that term papers serve different purposes. The term papers are helpful in career development in that students can use them in doing their research. They can also refer to them as an example and improve their skills on writing (Hartman, 2014). In addition, faculty can use the term papers in setting assignments rather than repeating assignments which were done before. The important thing with term papers is that they follow the education system and so they present new topics and ideas which faculty can use in testing the students’ knowledge. However, term papers raise unethical issues and the person responsible in this case is the ultimate user. This is because, using someone’s information is referred to as plagiarism and it is illegal (Hartman, 2014). Unethical issue arises when the user does not use his or her ability to research but rather uses the exact information in the internet.

Reference

 Hartman P. Laura, DesJardins Joseph & MacDonald Chris (2014). Business Ethics.  Decision making for

Personal  Integrity and Social Responsibility. Third Edition. Published by McGrwa-Hill

Business ethics

Brief Overview

Ethics is an important aspect in organization. Companies with higher ethical standards enjoy higher profitability and long-term returns. On the other hand, organizations which fail to comply with ethical standards face many challenges like employee turnover, lack of productivity, poor performance, lack of cooperation, and lack of company credibility and more (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014).  One of Apple’s factories known as Foxconn is involved in unethical issues, following those workers in this factory work in poor working conditions and with little payment. Despite the fact that they are paid less, they are forced to work overtime and this unethical behavior brings negative consequences where a large number commits suicide (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014).

Strategic Issues

The strategic issue which Foxconn organization is facing is poor management.  As a result of poor management, there is no strategic planning of ethical principles. Managers do not comply with their overall responsibilities and as a result, they are unable to plan, organize, control, motivate and lead (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014). Lack of strategic management and planning has contributed to adverse effect on the organization team since the life of workers is uncertain and out of control. Due to lack of management, the organization is unable to set goals, vision and mission and thus there is no strategic performance. Due to lack strategic management, the organization is lacking an effective communication, leadership and motivation (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014).

Key problems

The key problem which the organization is facing is suicide. Employees are unable to bear with the harsh condition in the place of work.  According to the research, employees have to comply with the policy of ‘silence mode’ which means that they should keep silence and persevere with the harsh condition or else they will be terminated.  In all organizations, employees expect a positive condition which helps them to meet their goals and sustain their lives. For example, they need flexibility, autonomy and transparency (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014).  However, employees in Foxconn organization experience a great difference between what they expect and what they come across. They are unable to cope with the situation and this causes them to lack future goal. Other important point is that employees need compensation and this is another key problem which is causing suicide. It is a fact that the company has employed 1.3 million workers and these employers asserts that their value the jobs.  However, they commit suicide due to lack of good payment and benefits which will sustain their lives (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014).

Key issues

The key issue which is contributing to all the negative consequences in Foxconn Company is poor working condition.  Employees are forced to work overtime, the dormitories are crowded, they are imposed heavy fines and they have to comply with strict enforcement. It hurts when an employee works for more that 8hours while standing and the appalling thing is that he or she will get poor payment no matter the struggle (SACOM, 2011).  There is lack of relationship between employees and security personnel. They are treated unfairly and monitored to an extent that their freedom is limited. For example in year 2010, a phone prototype was missing and an employee was asked about it by security personnel. Shortly after, the man jumped from apartment building and when a research was made, the man had said that he was physically punished and humiliated. The bad thing with the organization is that it does not create a permanent residence to the workers. The latter lives with ‘unfinished proletarianization’ or in other words they do not belong to the organization or to the city (SACOM, 2011).  This makes them to feel angry and frustrated and at last they opt to commit suicide.

 The organization strategic issues and problems have clearly shown that there is   a need for ethical business strategy. The ethical strategy helps in creating business ethics and the latter is created through identifying the ethical goals. Ethical goals which create ethical business are achieved through setting ethical standards, ethics committee, and ethical awareness, ethical monitoring, implementing actions and creating a sustainable ethical culture (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014). In Foxconn organization, there are strategy implementation issues which are hindering successful operations. First, the company fails to value the employees’ rights and the moral implication of rights violation. Other point is that it cannot implement ethical strategy if it does not   first solve the cost-management issues. Thus, the company has the moral obligation in order to implement ethical strategies (Hartman, DesJardins & MacDonald 2014). Other factors which are hindering ethical incorporation is that  the leadership and management do not understand the environment, they have partial commitment,  they are unwilling to bring change , they have unrealistic goals and they are  do not have the accountability.

Analysis and Evaluation

Foxconn, being the Apple’s largest manufacture of electronics, have a great role in serving the global customers.  Even though the working condition is poor, Foxconn is planning to reform the manufacturing industry and create safe and conducive environment where workers can feel comfortable and improve their performance. In addition, the company said that it wants to provide compensation and benefits, food allowances, housing and other employee compulsory needs (Quarterman & Strategoz, Inc. 2012).  Foxconn business model which is known as eCMMS has played an important role in helping the organization maintain its competitive edge in the market.  In production, it focuses on producing high quality, flexible, innovative, fast and cost saving products.  This acts as the marketing strategy which is incorporated in the manufacturing system.  In addition, the company has main manufacturing strategies which help it to meet the goal of marketing. For example, it uses assembly lines, unskilled labor SMT automation, supervision and support (Quarterman & Strategoz, Inc. 2012).

The information below demonstrates the valuation, profitability, efficacy, capital structure and Liquidity.

Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd.

Company Description 2016

Retrieved from: http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/2354/profile?countrycode=tw

Though the key issue facing the organization is poor working condition, it has developed a hardwork culture.  The model   which is called “e-nabled Components, Modules, Moves and Services” acts as a strategic success as it helps the business to combine all capabilities related with optical, mechanical and electrical solutions (Quarterman & Strategoz, Inc. 2012).  In manufacturing the products, the organization is guided by manufacturing strategy. Starting from 2003, the company’s annual growth rate was 50% and gross income was $10 billion. The company competes with global markets given that it entered in American market and established a branch in California. Its unique products such as Camera Canon, Motorola and Nokia cell phones, iPhones, iPads, Xiaomi and other many products helps the company to gain it position in the global market (Quarterman & Strategoz, Inc. 2012).  The competitive position of the company is influenced by two completive forces namely rival sellers and new entrants.  Foxconn is ranked as the largest manufacture and employers. It has more that 10,000 million employers worldwide who manufactures many different products in order to meet the demand of different customers.  On the other hand, the new entrants weaken the company’s competitive position. This is because it has a poor working condition which affects the production and employees performance.  The condition affects time management and production process which them weaken the competition position in the global market (Quarterman & Strategoz, Inc. 2012).  

Recommendations and course of action

Foxconn should introduce a business proposal which will provide guidance for eliminating business issue. In the proposal, there should be upper management information related with employee and employers relationship.  In addition, the proposal should have training programs. This will help managers in understanding the employment law, communication and leadership (Cliff Lin, 2013).  Given that there is ineffectiveness in resources allocation, the proposal should include proficient resources allocation and should be set for the purpose of reinforcing employee welfare.  Last, the proposal should include employee satisfaction which will be achieved through teamwork, effective communication, limitation in monitoring and employee breaks (Cliff Lin, 2013).  Other point in recommendation is that efficiency should be maximized. Since ineffective compensation is contributing to suicides, efficiency should be increased through limiting the working hours for all employees.  This will eliminate the exhaustion, reinforce work-life balance, and improve performance as well as the productivity.  On the same note, the company should also introduce the piece rate system. This is a method of payment where an employee is paid with respect to the job done (Cliff Lin, 2013). This payment is fixed and it will help the workers who work overtime to be motivated to work efficiently without complain.  This will also benefit the organization as a result of higher job performance.  Last, the organization should create a positive culture where all employers and employees follow ethical standards. This will be created through transparency, empowerment and effective communication.

Conclusion

Foxconn Company also called Hon Hao Co., Ltd. is a multinational company in Taiwan.  It is ranked as the largest manufacture of electronics and   also as the third-largest company with higher revenue.   For many years, the company’s reputation has not been good due its unethical behaviors.   Poor working condition has affected the lives of workers to an extent that they decide to commit suicide than to bear the unbearable.  The working condition is related with long working hours, maltreatment,   low payment, lack of relationship and ineffective communication.  However, the company has opportunity to develop in the global economy and maintain its competitive edge in the market if it improves its working condition. Being the largest company, it has employed more than 10,000 workers who manufacture different products to meet the customer needs in the worldwide.

Reference

Hartman P. Laura, DesJardins Joseph & MacDonald Chris (2014). Business Ethics.  Decision making for

Personal  Integrity and Social Responsibility. Third Edition. Published by McGrwa-Hill

 Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehvaior (SACOM) 2011. Slave Behind the iPhone Foxconn

Workers in Central China

Retrieved from: http://sacom.hk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/20110924-islave-behind-the-iphone.pdf

 Cliff Lin (2013). Apple Inc & Foxconn Technology Group. Retrived from: http://www.cliffordlin.com/apple-and-foxconn

 Quarterman Lee & Strategoz, Inc. P.E. (2012).    Apple, Foxconn & Manufacturing Strategy

Retreived from:  http://www.strategosinc.com/downloads/Apple-Foxconn-dl1.pdf

The Honest Company

According to Bloomberg (1), Unilever PLC has initiated talks with The Honest Company with the intent of buying the company. The amount for the purchase is rumored to range in between 1 billion and 1.7 billion dollars. However, the negotiations to buy are still in eats early stages and The Honest Company has not ruled out the possibility that it will not go for a public offering instead of the deal by Unilever PLC. The reason behind selecting this article is because it talks about an opportunity that could help The Honest Company in various ways such as Marketing, increasing the number of clientele and expansion into new markets (Bloomberg 1). This is important because if the purchase occurs, The Honest Company will greatly benefit from the financial support and income generated from being associated with a company as large as Unilever Company.

            The element in the financial news that has the most significance to my life is the information of the intent by Unilever Company to Purchase The Honest Company. Since The Honest Company deals with products such as bath, body, baby and health products, it will greatly benefit from the skills and expertise Unilever Company has gained through experience over the years (Bloomberg 1). The Honest Company has had to settle various lawsuits related to the quality of its products. Partnering with a company like Unilever will help not only to improve the quality of its products and marketing skills, it will also increase the number of customers since Unilever Company had a large number of loyal customers (Bloomberg 1). The merger itself will therefore have the most potential to create the most benefit as it will give The Honest Company the marketing skills and customer base needed to give a competitive advantage. This will boost the sales and may even change the negative image that people may have of The Honest Company

Work cited

Bloomberg, “Unilever reportedly in talks to acquire The Honest Company” 2016, retrieved from,             http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=140952960

APPLYING MARKETING KNOWLEDGE

Ferrari

For the longest time, Ferrari has been busy building a long lasting brand. By having unique cars build with precision after big considerations of the performance, innovations, design, technology and more fundamentally the driving pleasure and experience (Grant, 2016). Branding strategy is recommended as the first step for Ferrari to manage the trading down strategy aimed at amassing the medium priced type customer base within the reach and even spread further. Similarly, the strategy would work as the perfect tool for large scale deed that would set the direction of the Ferrari Company. With thorough branding strategies in terms of sales in which as a matter of fact it is being adopted by other competitors and believe it or not it works wonders. Having such brand name equity, multi-branding ought to be employed as this is seen to fetch totally different market segment (Grant, 2016).

All the same, company has to move in the direction of preceding choices in the sense that only what is viable should be considered. For Ferrari to achieve this narrowing of the target market position would put the company is the good shape as this would mean sales would be deodorized (Grant, 2016). Trading down strategy could strike a very risky move since it could mean losing the profitable, indulgence market base for they known super refined and expensive cars but at the same time raising and familiarizing another base which s good strategy. Additionally, the unfortunate manufacturing new cars would promote company heritage. Dissimilar name reduces the chances of sway and obviously such approach to Ferrari means the spending stretch would go higher in promoting the name. Shifting the markets has some consequences to bear and with good strategy Ferrari, automotive have the potential to succeed.  

Reference

Top of Form

Grant, R. M. (2016). Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases.

Bottom of Form

 Executive Summary

Whole Food Market is a supermarket chain company headquartered in United States which offers organic and natural foods. The company was founded back in 1980 by john Mackey, Renee Lawson, Craig Weller and Mark Skiles after borrowing $45,000 from their families (Whole Foods Market, 5). By the time, the business opened as SaferWay Supermarket with only 19 employees. The supermarket developed successfully and swiftly since there were less than ten natural foods supermarkets in US. However, in the first fiscal year, the business experienced a history making event when its inventory was wiped out by the floods that devastated Austin city. The supermarket recorded losses of approximately $400,000 in terms of property. By this time, the supermarket had no insurance to cover the losses which obligated the owners of the business to look for help from the customers and neighbors. Whole Foods Market recovered by the help of vendors, creditors and investors who made contributions within 28 days after the floods to reopen the supermarket. By 1984, Whole Foods Market had expanded to other markets out of Austin including Dallas, Houston and New Orleans (Whole Foods Market, 5). By 1989, continued to extent their customer base by opening more stores in West Coast which started with Palo Alto, California. As the supermarket was enduring enormous growth, it started the new millennium by mergers and acquisition where it merged with Harry’s Farmers Market and Food for Thought in 2001. In the next year, Whole Foods Market decided to go overseas and expanded to Canada. Furthermore, the supermarket chain entered United Kingdom in 2004 and made acquisition with Seven Fresh & Wild Stores. Currently, the corporation has employed more than 90,000 workers both locally and internationally (Whole Foods Market, 5). More than 27,000 employees work part time whereas more than 2,000 are seasonal employees. For the year ended September 2015, the company generated approximately $15,389 in terms of revenues. Though the company generated more revenues in 2015 than in 2014, it was exhibited that the net profit and operating profit had decreased by 7.8% and 7.4% respectively (Whole Foods Market, n.p). This can be cited from the fact that the corporation implemented more marketing strategies in 2015 as an approach of adopt current market trends. Whole Foods Market obtains its raw materials from local, national and international suppliers who deal with wholesale services. Some of the products offered by Whole Foods Market include meat, coffee, seafood, beer, tea, bakery products, pet foods, body care products, and nutritional supplements among others. Since 2007, Whole Foods Market has been at the top 10 best companies to work for as listed by Fortune Magazine. Generally, by the turn of the millennial era, the company has dominated the natural foods industry among other companies such as The Kruger Co., Wal-Mart Stores, Weis Markets, Asda Stores Limited, Costco Wholesale Corporation and Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.

Table of Contents

Introduction. 4

7Ps of Marketing Mix Analysis. 4

Product 5

Price. 5

Place. 6

Promotion. 6

Publicity. 7

Packaging. 7

Partnership. 7

Ideas for Improvement 8

Conclusion. 8

Work Cited. 9

Appendices. 10

Whole Foods Market