I found myself agreeing with the entirety of Victoria George‘s blog post regarding the need for change when companies include slavery in their supply chain. Evidently, I feel strongly about the need for unforgiving enforcement of moral and ethical conduct in a company, as I have blogged about the topic in the past. I understand that a company’s priority is to maximize profit, and that an efficient way of achieving this is to cut costs, however, I cannot imagine a company justifying the use of such horrific means, such as slavery, as part of their production chain.

Being Chinese, it extremely offends me when companies take advantage of predominantly underdeveloped countries and their cheap labour structures as a way to cut costs. Companies also unwilling to admit their wrongful actions, or avoid providing proper explanations for their actions, only further exacerbates unjust behaviour by using this means of production. This can also potentially damage a company’s image, as it could bring guilt when consumers are considering purchasing their products.

Companies of American culture have no excuse to resort to these means of production. In our history, we have fought decade-long battles to abolish slavery. For a company to ignore ethical standards of such high value to better their net profit puts a huge question regarding their moral code. Using slavery is completely unacceptable and ethically unjust.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/thomsonreuterscapitalize/human-slavery-and-business/article21143153/ 

UBC Commerce graduate, Tom Dobrzanski, is currently putting the finishing touches on his recent project, Monarch Studios. Mr. Dobrzanski, at the young age of 31, is on the path towards a successful career as he now enters the cut-throat music industry. He is at the envy of all business students, as he was able to combine his extensive education in business with his true passion of working with music – and he’s good at it. Working with indie bands such as Said The Whale and Hey Ocean! caught my attention personally, as they are some of my favourite bands. Working with well-known artists immensely boosts his credibility and his network, as he is now in a position to grow and expand his clientele. This article also included an interview with Tom himself, which only further convinced me that he is truly passionate about his career.

This article influenced me greatly because it reminded me of the versatility that a Bachelor in Commerce degree has to offer. The fundamentals that we learn in class provide us with a strong tool-kit to further explore endless career possibilities that we are truly passionate about.

http://www.macleans.ca/work/jobs/tom-dobrzanski-30-owns-recording-studios/

Abi Smithson founded Love Sandal, a philanthropic footwear company, at the age of 10. This Toronto native funded her company through Indigogo, and recently celebrated Small Business Month over October. Abi seems to be primarily motivated by curiosity, as she explained her experience with  learning HTML coding as “fun” and an opportunity to “learn a new language”. Abi’s personality, at such a young age, embodies many of the traits listed by Ron Conway to be possessed by a natural born entrepreneur. She had the curiosity, intelligence, and ambition to act upon to create a product that she felt that the shoe market needed. This is particular case contributes to the debate of whether entrepreneurs develop and grow to become who they are, or are simply genetically born with certain traits common among entrepreneurs.

Because Abi is merely 10 years old, it is easy to say that she was simply born to be an entrepreneur. However, I believe that the most successful innovators are those who grow to posses these certain personality characteristics. It is not enough to have an idea if one is not prepared for the adversity of presenting their idea to the wrath of the business world.

http://www.techvibes.com/blog/abi-smithson-2014-10-23  

Nowadays, the success of a product or service is heavily dependent on more than just quality. The way that a product/service reaches their consumers makes a huge impact regarding how it is perceived as a whole. This is why most companies focus on the implementation of superior customer service to better create a positive image, which helps push marketing in general.

This article praises Starbucks for the company’s ability to provide fast service while taking the time to “linger” to ensure a genuine face-to-face interaction. It also explains what the typical consumer looks for when walking into an Apple Store, which includes an efficient purchase with time spent for “meaningful customer service”. I believe that the memory a merely friendly experience with a retailer, food chain, etc, leaves a longer lasting impression than the majority of corporate marketing strategies currently present in society. Developing a strong sense of care for customer service within a company is a simple way to generate a positive image that will greatly prove beneficial in the long run; consumer turnover rates are less likely to occur, as will the wrath of negative word of mouth being spread. Having the importance of strong customer service embedded into the minds of associates will foster a friendly environment for consumers which will indefinitely benefit a corporation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/11/01/speed-up-your-customer-service-like-starbucks-and-apple-but-never-ever-rush-it/

Lululemon founder and Vancouver billionaire, Chip Wilson, faced several critics due to a controversial comment he made during his interview on Bloomberg TV’s “Street Smart” program. He justified complaints regrading Lululemon tights being “too sheer” by stating that “quite frankly, some bodies actually do not work for it” . Numerous consumers found this comment discriminatory against women of different body sizes and accused the company of only providing their products for a niche market.

Founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, during his controversial interview with Bloomberg TV.

The immense vulnerability of a company’s fate is in the hands of their consumers. The true intentions of a company can be lost in a series of social media bursts and misinterpreted advertising and cause their consumers to question their ethics and morals. Wilson eventually made a public apology for his statement, however, consumers were not satisfied. Chip Wilson  and CEO Christine Day stepped down from their position as Laurent Potdevin, who was the president of TOMS, became the companies new CEO. The perceptions of consumers were so heavily influenced that Lululemon had to remove the figurehead of their company in order to maintain and adequately enforce their values and ethical standpoints.

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/12/10/lululemon-athletica-inc-founder-chip-wilson-to-step-down-new-ceo-named-as-yoga-wear-maker-tries-new-management-on-for-size/

http://globalnews.ca/news/950626/lululemon-founder-says-their-pants-do-not-work-for-some-womens-bodies/

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the American East Coast and was labeled one of the deadliest hurricanes to have ever hit the United States. Initially, marketers of several retailers saw this as an opportunity to promote their products with clever slogans, such as “This Storm Blows But Free Shipping on All Orders Doesn’t” (Urban Outfitters) and “Every cloud has a silver lining” (Singer22) in attempts to boost sales.  However, these marketing strategies soon became distasteful and raised numerous critics as the severity of the hurricane worsened.

American Apparel’s “Sandy Sale”

One company that was faced with setbacks was American Apparel. The company offered a 20 percent discount to customers in the states most affected by Hurricane Sandy by promoting their discount code “SANDYSALE” on their online store.  Although they were armed with an angelic value proposition, which is based on their anti-sweatshop clothing production, they were at an obvious fault ethically and jeopardized the image of their company. Companies are extremely vulnerable to poor timing and misinterpreted marketing strategies that may sway the perception of their consumers, no matter the company. I believe that a strong moral code truly attracts consumers. In this case, CEO Dov Charney was able to combat the critics by publicizing his companies intentions and making donations to various organizations.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-31/american-apparel-ceo-dov-charney-on-his-controversial-ad

In Alex Mei’s blog post, he comments on the versatility of the internet and how it can make both a positive and negative impact. His post allowed me to view the internet through different perspectives as well as create a better understanding of the true power of the internet in modern day society, as well as better relate to the articles I read.

The introduction of the internet has completely altered the mechanics of marketing strategies, as now they are often based on social media websites (ex. Twitter). The shift from billboards and blimps to Youtube promo videos has created for infinite possibilities in marketing departments. However, this change has allowed for consumers, or anyone for that matter, to voice and publicize their opinions freely. On one hand, it has created a virtual community that connects people globally in a optimally convenient manner, however, it also gives everyone the power to promote their opinions, no matter their morals. It has also allowed for business scandals to be spread rapidly and be attacked by critics. The stakes for companies to have their advertisements misinterpreted and get lost in translation are higher than ever. The internet has given power to cyber critics who have the capability to destroy the image of a company from the comfort of their own homes.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/commentisfree/2014/sep/26/internet-changed-everything-nothing-serious-business

Donald Sterling with V.Stiviano attending an LA Clippers game prior to the scandal.

In April, 2014, TMZ Sports publicized Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers owner, to be the center of a racial scandal. A recording of Sterling was released of him making racial remarks regarding his dislike of his female friend, V. Stiviano, being associated with African-American men.

As questions of the moral integrity of Sterling arose, The Clippers found themselves to be represented by a less-than adequate figurehead. Sterling’s single act brought negative publicity towards the entire franchise and had to be handled in a delicate manor in order to uphold the values of the NBA. NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, consequently sentenced Sterling with a lifetime ban from any activities associated with the NBA, as well as a fine of $2.5 million to be donated to charity.

The ethical principals and morals of an individual contribute to the overall conduct of a companies business ethics. Discrepancies and injustices of an individual must be dealt with in order to maintain the integrity and persona of the entire company. Adam Silver was able to demonstrate this by eliminating the source of issue, being Donald Sterling, while making a positive impact by donating his fine to an anti-discriminatory organization, compensating for the actions of Sterling.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2014/04/29/why-adam-silver-was-right-in-banning-donald-stirling-from-the-nba/