If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise”?
If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise”?
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Monthly Archives: November 2014
Verizon’s Acquisition of Vodafone: Will it benefit Vodafone or possibly come back to haunt them?
Source:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/09/201392163316939280.html
The link about is an article about the acquisition of Vodafone stakes in the United States by Verizon Wireless. The main changes that are going to occur will be structural which means there will be changes in the organization’s hierarchy, chain of command, management systems, job structure and administrative procedures. This is an internal change because the decision to sell their stake in the US mobile operation was made by the leaders of Vodafone. The acquisition means that Vodafone will have to leave the US mobile market which could be bad for the company because it will mean that the businees is shrinking. However according to Vodafones main aims displayed below:
- Vodafone can help to transform societies by bringing innovative products and services to our 404 million customers, 68% of whom live in emerging markets.
- Our business focus on emerging markets, enterprise, data and new services gives us the ability to achieve our ambition to contribute to global development in this way, while continuing to grow our business at the same time, by developing commercially viable, scalable services that support sustainable development.
It is apparent, according to their goals, that Vodafone’s target market is developing countries and so selling their stake in the US does not hinder them from achieving their aims and objectives because USA is a developed country.
It is inevitable that this acquisition is going to cause downsizing and employees are going to be terminated, but from the perspective of the company and not an individual employee, the acquisition is more beneficial than less, as it leaves Vodafone to focus on the markets in developing countries, and provides the firm with additional funds gained from the acquisition.
Miners Killed as a Result of Wage Strike Gone Out of Hand
Source:
http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Mining/More-miners-seeking-wage-hikes-20120822
Miners working in the rock drill platinum mines that are controlled by Royal Bafokeng Platinum, do not believe that they are being payed adequately. Therefore the miners have gone on strike with the hope of getting an increase in salary. These miners then protested in order to be heard and with the hope of having their demands met.
Days before this protest, miners working for Lonmin mining revolted as well for increased salary, as well as for other territorial reasons unrelated to business. During this strike by the Lonmin mine workers, police force was needed and 34 men were killed with 78 injured.
Thus the protest performed by the Royal Bafokeng Platinum miners was for their fallen equals, and to show that they did not fear and would continue to strike, until their demands were met.
I believe this to be a great example of a stakeholder conflict as it shows the immense range of possibilities that can take place during conflicts and even though it may be in business, it is not always nice and clean. Also this shows the extremities that can take place when things go wrong or out of control.
The fact that over an amount of money, many lives were lost displays the true grittiness of business, business ethics, and the lack of it in many business environments. This truly displays the balance between profitability and ethics that managers in a firm have to make, as a raise in salary would reduce profits, but deaths partially due to the business would not have occurred. Thus a very important question would be: In business, is it worth trying to maximise profits at any cost?
Hyundai’s Controversial Advertisments
Source:
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/25/17913878-car-maker-hyundai-apologizes-for-commercial-showing-attempted-suicide
The source I chose surrounding this topic was one that revolved around a controversial advertisment that Hyundai created.
The advertisment was of an individual sitting, locked in a Hyundai,in a garage wishing to commit suicide by inhaling the fumes from the cars. Alas he could not achieve his goal, as the car does not release gaseous fumes, just 100% water emissions.
Presumably the main message or point of the advertisement was to present to people that the car is environmentally friendly, therefore influencing people who want to reduce pollution, and those who care about the enviornment to go and purchase such a car.
The video went viral, and Hyundai recieved alot of complaints and critical comments regarding the advertisment, many found it unacceptable for suicide to be the main theme of the advertisment as many have lost loved ones to suicide, and to use this traumatic act to promote and market enviornmently friendly cars, and in my opinion Hyundai should not be suprised with the criticism received.
From witnessing the reaction and potentially losing customers, Hyundai realised their mistakes and apologized for the advertisment. Personally I believe that the controversial content was what caused the advertisement to go viral, and by apologising, potential customers can understand and realise Hyundai did not intend any harm. Thus with a large audience viewing that Hyundai designed a car with 100% water emissions, and having no emotion against Hyundai as they have apologised. In the long run, the release of the advertisemnt with the added apology is in fact beneficial towards the sales of the car.This from a marketing and business standpoint is rather impressive and almost ingenious.
Nike V.S Adidas: The Sponsor Showdown
Source:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f1a02a08-6586-11e4-aba7-00144feabdc0.html
Nike and Adidas have always been major competitors, but currently it may seem that Adidas has an edge over Nike. Many athletes and celebrities are eradicating their Nike sponsorships and moving to Adidas.
The list includes Kanye West, Jeremy Lin who both have a great fan base and following that would potentially move from customers of Nike to customers of Adidas. This change of shoe sponsors is mainly due to the fact that Adidas offers better perks and benefits to those who endorse them when compared to Nike. This proves a great threat to Nike, who in the past years was the leading shoe brand. But now with Adidas taking ex-Nike endorsers as well as the fact that over the past year the Adidas sales have increased, closely matching Nike, the number one shoe brand title may be taken away.
The change Nike is facing will definitely impact the marketing department as well as the research and development department. Firstly new marketing tactics and campaigns will have to be constructed, as well as new products that innovate and appeal to a mass market segment of Nike consumers.
Additionally, those dealing with sponsors will be under tight watch from senior executives and board members, as Nike cannot afford to lose a major sponsor at the moment, so the relations between the athletes and the company will have to be very good.
On a whole, if Nike manages and maintains itself well then they have nothing to fear, as they still have an immense number of customers and consumers, which makes the number of fans of the athletes who left to Adidas seem minimal.
The Importance of Human Resources
Source
The article above discusses the city of Milton’s Human Resources department and how with only two employees the department has managed to provide “compensation and benefits, payroll, recruitment and retention, employee relations, safety and risk, and organizational development.” The department was given a “unique opportunity to be proactive and innovative in our approach to HR” and has “been able to build systems that best meet the needs of our employees and to change and adjust those programs as necessary.”
This displays that with the correct amount of motivation and innovative tendencies, a human resources department no matter how small is able to make change and contribute positively.
Although this is not an example of a human resources department found in a business, the human resources department of the city of Milton has been able to provide for all the citizens much like a human resources department in a business provides for all its employees.
I believe that this provides a deep insight into the value of Human Resources in a firm as such a department has the potential to make monumental contributions towards maintaining the efficiency of a company through keeping the morale of the employees up.
A human resource department focuses on the individuals who concentrate on getting their job done to the utmost quality. Therefore if such a department is able to keep the employees doing the jobs in good spirit by providing incentives, promotions and benefits, as well as dealing with those who fail to meet job requirements, the department provides a pathway towards the success of the company. As the employees represent the company and the various departments, and the HR department deals with such people.