Zeena Al Taher's Blog

In response to Vivek Thakkar‘s blog post

It is surprising to see that a company as strongly established as HP would lay-off employees due to “the decision to buy companies which were not worth the price paid. A wrong decision by the CEO” . they should recognize the importance of job security to the employees.

Employers must not ignore the importance of offering employees  job security, as it allows employees to feel secure, and increase their willingness  to contribute time and effort  into the company. Moreover, employees would be more eager to think of novel ideas  for improving the competitiveness of the company in their field. Ultimately, this is beneficial to the companies as it greatly improves overall performance. Thus, offering long-term job security for employees could be viewed as a  means to motivate  workers and increase productivity.  Evidence to that would be in most motivational theories including Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Hygiene Theory. Those two theories could be summarized in the pictures below.

Herzberg’s Hygiene Theory

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In response to  Penelope Trunk‘s Blog post

Penelope Trunk states that “One of the worst pieces of career advice that I bet each of you has not only gotten but given is to “do what you love.””  However, I’m not quite sure whether i personally agree to what she says.

Throughout her blog she gives various reasons why individuals shouldn’t only strive to find the job that they love doing, and the fact that it might actually be unnecessary.  I agree with her when she says that ” The pressure we feel to find a perfect career is insane” ; constantly searching for this job and not finding it “early enough” might pose a lot of pressure and stress. Moreover, i believe that a person should indeed “Do not what you want, do what you are”, and it could be possible when we find something that caters to our strengths.

On the other hand, as Confucius said “Find a job that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Finding something you love, although it may be extremely hard, and some may not even find it, could help you enjoy a relaxed, confident, clear and productive life. By doing so you will reduce  stress, frustrations, and confusion. You will also produce greater results because you perform so well when you do what you love, which can prove to be very satisfying as you will be rewarded both intrinsically and extrinsically.

In today’s world, corporate presence on the Internet is essential. Various companies may not acknowledge the benefits of having an online website.

Firstly, thanks to Internet technology, business can provide customer support more effectively. This means better customer satisfaction and increase of profitability. Also, it is very convenient for customers since your shop could be only a click away and is open 24 hours a day year round. Not only is customer satisfaction achieved, but sales will also increase.

Furthermore, operating on line will ultimately reduce a lot of costs which contributes to earning higher profits. The World Wide Web allows you to do business from any part of the world, so the physical location, is not as since you conduct your business online, except in some cases. It is also easier to add or make any changes to the company and product related content since is can be done virtually in a matter of hours. In addition, streamlining business processes through online systems, for example: maintenance, repair and operation costs can be minimized by adopting e-business solutions. Adding to that, building a web site does not require large investments. There are numerous low cost tools available today, which can help you create sites.

The business world is a volatile area, businesses need to insure that they are up to date with advancements in technology, and this is an essential factor for them to survive.

In response to Rohanne Taylor‘s blog post

After I heard about this disappointing statement by Abercrombie and Fitch’s CEO, I was astonished. I would like to add more to your post about this disrespectful and inconsiderate comment.

A&F should recognize that plus-sized is no longer a niche market; 67% of the customers fit under this category, and the number in still increasing. 

For too long, this sizable and growing segment has been ignored,” writes Margaret Bogenrief at ACM Partners. “Treated Shabbily, ostracized by the “pro skinny fashion world”. and seemingly discarded by designers, department stores, and retailers alike, plus-size fashion consumers, critics, and bloggers are taking back their spending and sartorial power and, in turn, changing both the e-commerce and retailing landscapes.”

Ignoring this could be very costly for businesses; more brands are featuring curvy, “real-sized,” models. Other companies such as Dove and H&M recognized this fact and have started campaigns that highlight women who aren’t as thin as traditional models.

“Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they’re about to jump on a surfboard,” Lewis said.

The trend of today is to promote women’s self-esteem by emphasizing their inner and outer beauty.

Abercrombie needs to:

• Listen to its target customers.
• Act more on its target customers’ preferences than those of the CEO.
• Act on its promise to diversify more in its employee hiring and its advertising and catalog models.
• Revisit the brand attributes that it wants to put forth and ensure they are positive ones.

Information Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2013/05/13/abercrombie-and-fitch-v-dove-or-how-a-ceo-can-wreck-a-brand-in-1-interview-7-years-ago/

http://elitedaily.com/news/world/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-explains-why-he-hates-fat-chicks/

In 2012, Alice Newstead, an employee of the cosmetics company Lush, took part in a rather unusual window display. Alice covered herself in body paint to resemble a shark, where a pair of meat hooks were then inserted into the skin of her back and was hung in Lush’s window shop. This was part of a campaign against shark finning, the practice whereby sharks are caught, their fins cut off and are then thrown back in the ocean to die.

Lush is one of a number of businesses to have taken corporate social responsibility one step further by setting itself up as an activist company. “We look at issues and we decide which ones are important to us and then we see how we can support them,” explains Andrew Butler, the company’s director of campaigns.

Another Campaign by Lush. The women in the picture is Jaqueline Traide, a volunteer who joined Lush’s campaign to protest again animal testing

By embracing CSR, Lush has differentiated its brand from other cosmetic’s stores for the values and concerns they clearly display to their customers. They were also able to incorporate those values company’s in to their business model.  Furthermore, Using CSR helped Lush engage with customers in new ways. Since the reflected message is about something “good,” it provides an easier way to talk and relate to customers.

Of all established companies that have succeeded to overcome the many obstacles time brings, one stands out: McDonald’s.  How does the company do it?

Firstly, with a franchise business model that allows its franchisee-members, management and shareholders to share the risks and rewards from the discovery and exploitation of new business opportunities. Secondly, by adaptation and innovation; coming up with new products and services to compliment the needs of a varied consumer market.

During the 1970s and the 1980s, McDonald’s adopted the globalization trend by transporting the American lifestyle to numerous countries around the world. Simultaneously, it adapted to each county by franchising to local entrepreneurs.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, McDonald’s made successful efforts to improve its corporate image by initiating the “Fast and Convenient” campaign that involved the essential modification of the company’s product portfolio to emerging food industry trend. McDonald’s restaurants aimed to achieve a more natural dining environment. The “fast” and “convenient” features of the McDonald’s notion were amplified by the “healthy” and “more natural”   element, by including salads, fruits, and carrot sticks to their menu. Furthermore, in recent years,                                                                                                                                    McDonald’s has continued to widen its product portfolio by offering high quality coffee and healthy drinks.                    

For many years, Nike has been accused of using sweatshops to produce footwear and apparel. Jim Keady is a student who investigated the issue by experiencing the Nike workers’ way of life. In the video link below, he describes the heartbreaking living conditions, and the unrealistic financial budget they had to endure. The video is quite unbelievable, even though it’s a bit long I urge you to watch it!

What I found most surprising is how the workers were mistreated and threatened by their employers. The video revealed a side of Nike that I never even imagined existed.

After watching the whole documentary, the only think I could think of is how immoral and unethical this company truly is. Other than the humanitarian aspect, I believe it has completely destroyed Nike’s brand image, at least it has for me. Judging by the way I personally felt I expect you all changed your view of this brand, if not completely maybe slightly. This reflects how critical it is for a company to act ethically and humanely. This hit on Nike’s reputation must have had an effect on sales and profits as well. Furthermore, it shows the impact of pressure groups on companies or organizations, and the extent to which they can affect the consumer’s perception of the brand and their loyalty to it; and thus, altering preferences and behaviour.

Here’s the link! “Behind the Swoosh” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eIgHx_4iJo

• Sweatshops: a shop or factory in which employees work for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions (Retrieved from:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweatshop)

I have watched a short video that is a part of Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign. Even though I do now really purchase Dove products, I found this video quite empowering, and also a very powerful promotional technique.

The video revolves around the notion of women’s self-doubt and hatred towards their physical appearance. In the video a trained FBI forensic artist sits behind a curtain and draws a portrait from the self-descriptions of the subject sitting on the other side of the curtain. This results in skewed caricature-esque sketches. However, the artist then draws a second portrait of the women using the description of a stranger that they were asked to befriend earlier which resulted in softer, more realistic portraits.

The video reflects the idea that women obsess over what they perceive as flaws other than their true beauty.

Dove has provided a significant change in redefining the standards of advertising after they created the campaign. I believe that it was a very successful approach and a relatable issue that clearly emphasises the life-changing message that Dove is trying to promote.

“You are more beautiful than you think”

Here’s the link to the video in case you haven’t seen it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XpaOjMXyJGk

The media has become an ever more powerful force in shaping the world’s perception of itself. Individuals are struggling to maintain a unique identity and self-understanding apart from media influence.

I will focus mostly on the female representations in advertisements. The media presentation of the celebrity body as an object of desire and a tool to attract views and customers.  The media also portrays celebrities’ bodies as attractive, desirable and “good”; whereas bodies that do not meet these physical standards are consciously or maybe unconsciously viewed as “bad” or “ugly”. I have posted a number of Hardies’ advertisements that will perfectly reflect that.

The media sets that, for women, “desirable” physical characteristics include being thin, long legged, slim-hipped and large breasted.

I view this as an unethical and more of an unrealistic and harmful technique that causes both physical and psychological effects. For instance, eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, over- exercising, excessive dieting and over-anxiety over food.

By focusing intensely on the physical aspect, our society risks losing sight of the fuller sense od what people are. Don’t you agree?

Here are the links!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jczfu_hxpq4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBGzcx_7xLk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNBdU0PwWKU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1krJqn3smbI

After our Comm101 classes as well as other classes, such as Comm292, I came to realize that a company’s reputation is of critical importance as it might add to the strengths and weaknesses of a company. I decided to share this surprising article about 6 very well known global companies that have a somewhat bad reputation.

What truly surprised me after reading this is how these companies, that have worked extremely hard to place themselves in the positions they are in, allow for such mistakes and errors to occur. When i first think of these names I cannot but think highly of them believing they are in a way perfectly managed, supervised and trained specifically to prevent such incidences. However, after reading this article i learned otherwise and i think you would too.

Here’s the link! http://www.siliconindia.com/news/business/6-Successful-Companies-with-Bad-Reputations-nid-147052-cid-3.html