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The focus for today’s class was on sustainability, where we tried to answer the question: “Should companies be concerned about environmental issues?” The answer, of course, is yes. The public isbecoming increasingly aware and concerned about environmental issues. They might select the companies they want to deal with based on their environmental history. If companies are not environmentally conscientious, this could have an adverse effect on their product.

Some companies are concerned and have taken on large green projects, while others aren’t doing very much to reduce their carbon footprints. In the long run, however, it is those companies that take the initiative to invest in environmental products and change their habits that benefit. The article How Going Green Can Make You Rich,  makes the point that “greener companies financially outperform their brown counterparts.” They use the company IBM as an example, whose “stock is up more than 100 percent over the last 5 years” .  Here are two articles, America’s Greenest Companies and The Least Green Companies in America that have a list of companies that have or have not taken up economically friendly habits.

Here’s a video that makes understanding sustainability easy:

It is interesting how two articles that I saw on the same day seem to indirectly make the same point. For any business, if the goal is to think big, then one has to plan big. The first article, “10 surprising stats about small business in Canada” states that only 24% of the surveyed small business owners in Canada “had a succession plan worked out for retirement,” meaning that 76% did not. On the other hand, Steve Jobs, Apple’s cofounder, is one who prepares and plans well for the future.  Just like the title of the article states, Steve Jobs certainly does “control Apple from beyond the grave”, especially since Apple will have four years-worth of projects to work on, thanks to the planning he did during the last year of his life. This goes to show that planning in advance is worth the effort, seeing that Apple is a huge and successful company. Small businesses need to think big and plan beyond tomorrow. They will have to change hands some time as their owners reach the age of retirement, and, with a plan, those who take over will be able to carry on smoothly with the business.

Brand Marketing plays a significant role in popular culture today. We discussed as a class today the various things that affect consumer behavior. Along with the many cultural factors, personal factors, and social factors, the mass media is definitely something that really affects how consumers think and behave. We as consumers are constantly exposed to advertisements on the internet, on telelvision and on the radio. Justin Bieber is an example of someone who has used all of these sources to create a successful brand image for himself. In one article I found online entitled The Secret Behind Justin Bieber’s Brand Success, Justin Bieber is compared to brands like Apple, Dove and Gatorade. For any brand to grow there has to be hard work involved.  Justin achieved gradual recognition and success by performing at shopping malls and visiting radio stations. Also, the article states that the reputation of a brand “is the sum of its parts”, and Justin Bieber has a lot of people behind him to help him with his success and image.  The Bieber brand can deliver because he has talent and can sing. Ultimately, the brand must be able to deliver a desirable product to the consumer.

The protest that Paul Dhaliwal references in his business blog seems to be picking up steam across the US. Not only have individuals gathered in New York with vague claims of protesting greed and corruption of the financial system, but now many other protests have taken place in Boston, St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas and Los Angeles. This started on September 17 and has been going on for more than three weeks.

It is interesting that these protesters do not seem to have a clear message about what they are trying to accomplish. “The lack of a specific central message… has allowed the group to remain inclusive to anyone with a beef against the government, economy or corporate culture.” The police are starting to respond in force.  On Saturday, over 700 people were arrested for blocking traffic as they tried to march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

I respect the fact that everybody has different views and that people should be allowed to express their views freely. Perhaps many of these protesters are unemployed and are frustrated with their personal financial situations. However, they need to have a leader and specific goals if they want to be taken seriously.

Article

This blog entry by Cole Routtenberg is relevant to what we learned today in class because it illustrates how Apple continually seeks to position itself at the “technological top”, targeting “impatient consumers who find themselves willing to pay a substantial premium for ease of use.”

Apple has successfully positioned itself in the mind of the consumer by using brand imagery to make its Macintosh computer exciting, young and dynamic as opposed to an ordinary PC, which is portrayed as outdated, lethargic and uninteresting.

As you can see, it has very successfully used brand imagery in its Mac vs. PC commercials. The Mac is depicted as humble, easily understood and speaking different languages while the PC is more arrogant and slow to react. Apple’s product is desirable, up to date, in touch and capable of delivering what the client needs. In addition, the power of its name evokes the idea of a healthy, nutritious snack, easily consumed and digested by any consumer.

I think that it’s important to realize that everyone has a preferred method of organizing and making sense of information. In class today, we had a few moments to discuss how we all learn best. Whether it’s simply by listening to instructions and information, repeating information out loud, writing down notes, asking questions or participating in discussions, we all learn differently.

Different learning styles are also important to keep in mind in the business world. John Jantsh, a marketing consultant asks: “Does Your Market Appeal to Every Learning Style?” He touches upon something known as the DLSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) Profile which “examines the behavior of individuals in their environment or within a specific situation.” Basically, if you want your marketing to appeal to everyone, you have to be aware of the many learning styles and the many different formats that are available to entice and accommodate them. Each of the four letters in the acronym represents a group with a specific learning style.

Companies would be wise to take into account all learning styles in their marketing campaigns. If a message is to be successfully received, it needs to be given in a variety of forms.

We were introduced to the important discussion topic of Business Ethics. Many businesses claim to be ethical, but overlook the fact that its suppliers are involved in unethical practices. Such practices include the use of child labor. Increasingly, businesses are aware of the importance of being viewed as ethical by their customers. Any labor or safety problems that are uncovered need to be quickly addressed and rectified.

In January 2011, Apple released a report that detailed problems it was having with some of its overseas manufacturing facilities. The report details child labor abuses, where quite a few facilities were employing workers who were under the age of 16. Other workers were exposed to a chemical called n-hexane which left them unable to walk. In addition, it was reported that 12 workers committed suicide and one died of exhaustion after a 34 hour shift. Here are the links for the article and the report:

Click Here For Article

Click Here For Report

I also found an article on what Apple is doing to address the abuses that they discovered. Some of these measures include returning the young, underage workers to their families, improving employee conditions, and hiring counselors. Here is the link to that article:

Article: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apple-supplier-responsibility-report-addresses-foxconn-suicides-underage-workers/

So we had our second class of Comm 101 today and already I am impressed with the amazing technology (video camera, microphone, iClicker…etc.) that we are using. I suppose this echoes how technology is increasingly being used in the business world (teleconferencing…etc.) to facilitate communication.

We read three articles that illustrate how customer choice, motivation and behavior change, company goals, financial performance, competition between rivals and government intervention all play a role in how businesses function and set their policies. Ryanair set its payment policy to discourage its customers from using anything but a specific credit card. Zellers is featuring fresh produce in its stores to increase sales and customer traffic. And, the Russian Government raised duties for vodka to discourage people from purchasing vodka and subsequently reduce its consumption.

In addition, we learned how Tata, a car company in India, appeals to customers by offering an inexpensive vehicle, whereas Lululemon, an athletic clothing manufacturer in Vancouver, appeals to customers by offering an expensive, high quality product.

Here’s a video on the Tata, the “world’s cheapest car”:

And here’s an article on Lululemon entitled “Is Lululemon Built to Last?”

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2011/08/29/is-lululemon-athletica-built-to-last.aspx