Tag: Social

How to Explain Observing Trends in Entrepreneurship?
Identifying Opportunities for Observing Trends; The First approach to identifying opportunities is to observe trends and study how they create opportunities for entrepreneurs to pursue. Also learn, What is the Difference between Leadership and Entrepreneurship? This article explains to the question How to Explain Observing Trends in Entrepreneurship? The most important trends to follow are economic trends, social trends, technological advances, and political action and regulatory changes. As an entrepreneur or potential entrepreneur, it’s important to remain aware of changes in these areas

Learn and understand, Explaining are Observing Trends in Entrepreneurship.

This sentiment affirms by Michael Yang, the founder of Become.com, a comparison shopping site, who believes that keen observation skills and a willingness to stay on top of changing environmental trends are key attributes of successful entrepreneurs: One of the most important attributes of a good entrepreneur is having a keen observation ability. Seeing what’s needed in people’s everyday lives and coming up with innovative new ideas and services that meet those needs . . . I always believe the entrepreneurs that anticipate trends and maintain observations of what’s needed . . . to solve those needs will have a higher chance of succeeding in the marketplace.

When looking at environmental trends to discern new business ideas, there are two caveats to keep in mind. First, it’s important to distinguish between trends and fads. New businesses typically do not have the resources to ramp up fast enough to take advantage of a fad. Second, even though we discuss each trend individually, they are interconnecting and should consider simultaneously when brainstorming new business ideas.

For example, one reason that smartphones are so popular is because they benefit from several trends converging at the same time, including an increasingly mobile population (social trend), the continued miniaturization of electronics (technological trend), and their ability to help users better manage their money via online banking and comparison shopping (economic trend). If any of these trends weren’t present, smartphones wouldn’t be as successful as they are and wouldn’t hold as much continuing promise to be even more successful as is the case.

A summary of the relationship between the environmental factors just mentioned and identifying opportunity gaps. Next, let’s look at how entrepreneurs can study each of these factors to help them spot business, product, and service opportunity gaps. Read more, What are the Participation and Organizational Climate?

Economic Forces:

Understanding economic trends help determine areas that are ripe for new business ideas as well as areas to avoid. When the economy is strong, people have more money to spend and are willing to buy discretionary products and services that enhance their lives. In contrast, when the economy is weak, not only do people have less money to spend, they are typically more reluctant to spend the money they have, fearing the economy may become even worse and that in turn, they might lose their jobs because of a weakening economy.

Paradoxically, a weak economy provides business opportunities for start-ups that help consumers save money. Examples include GasBuddy and GasPriceWatch.com, two companies started to help consumers save money on gasoline. A similar example is e.l.f., a discount retailer of women’s cosmetics. The company (which stands for Eyes Lips Face) sells cosmetics products for as little as $1.00.

First:

A poor or weak economy also provides opportunities for firms to sell upscale and everyday items at a “discount.” For example, daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have experienced rapid growth by providing consumers’ access to local providers of massages, trips to museums, high-end restaurants, and similar products or services at deep discounts. A similar example is Gilt Groupe, which sells luxury goods at a discount on time-limited sales. Brick-and-mortar retailers are affected by the search for discounts too.

For example, in 2009, Neiman Marcus reported a 14.8 percent drop in sales while Family Dollar experienced a 25 percent increase in revenues. The same mindset is contributing to people wanting the most value for their money, across the spectrum. For example, the recession has caused an upswing in the number of people frequenting local farmers markets, where people can buy locally grown produce, meats, and other food products that are fresher and often cheaper than similar products at the grocery store.

Second:

It’s also important to evaluate how economic forces affect people’s behaviors beyond looking for discounts and the most value for their money. For example, when the economy is weak, more people go back to school; largely as a result of poor employment prospects. This trend provides opportunities not only for traditional and online colleges and universities but for businesses that develop products to assist them.

An example is BenchPrep, the student-initiated business profiled in the opening feature. BenchPrep, which sells Apple iPhone and Android apps that help people prepare for college admission tests, is benefiting from an increase in college enrollments. Similarly, when the economy is poor, more people start businesses. Web-based businesses like Etsy, which provides a platform for people to sell handmade items; thrive when an increasing number of people are looking to open full-time or part-time businesses.

Third:

An understanding of economic trends can also help identify areas to avoid. For example, this is not a good time to start a company that relies on fossil fuels; such as airlines or trucking or perhaps even local transportation-related businesses such as a taxicab company, because of high fuel prices. Certain product categories suffer as a result of economic circumstances. This is not a good time to open a store or franchise that sells premium-priced food products like cookies or ice cream.

Social Forces:

An understanding of the impact of social forces on trends and how they affect the new product, service, and business ideas is a fundamental piece of the opportunity recognition puzzle. Often, the reason that a product or service exists has more to do with satisfying a social need than the more transparent need the product fills. The proliferation of fast-food restaurants, for example, isn’t primarily because of people’s love for fast food but rather because people are busy and often don’t have time to cook their meals.

First Things:

Similarly, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter aren’t popular because they can use to post information and photos on a Web site. They’re popular because they allow people to connect and communicate with each other, which is a natural human tendency. Changes in social trends alter how people and businesses behave and how they set their priorities. These changes affect how products and services are built and sold. Here is a sample of the social trends that are currently affecting how individuals behave and set their priorities:
- Aging of baby boomers,
- The increasing diversity of the workforce,
- Increasing interest in social networks such as Facebook and Twitter,
- The proliferation of mobile phones and mobile phone apps,
- An increasing focus on health and wellness,
- Emphasis on clean forms of energy including the wind, solar, biofuels, and others,
- Increasing the number of people going back to school and/or retraining for new jobs, and
- Increasing interest in healthy foods and “green” products.
Each of these trends is providing the impetus for new business ideas. An increasing emphasis on alternative forms of energy is spawning business ideas ranging from solar power to biofuels.

Second Things:

The aging of the baby boomers is creating business opportunities from vision care to tech assistance to senior dating sites. An example is Glaukos, a company that’s developing new approaches for treating glaucoma, which is an age-related eye disorder. There are now 76 million baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) in the United States. Many baby boomers will develop glaucoma and similar age-related ailments. The fact that roughly 10,000 baby boomers in the United States are now retiring daily also creates entrepreneurial opportunities related to social trends associated with this population of senior citizens.

Third Things:

The proliferation of mobile phones and mobile phone apps is a social trend that’s opening business opportunities for entrepreneurs across the globe. For example, both Runkeeper, the focus of Case 1.1, and ScriptPad, the focus of Case 2.1, are mobile phone apps. In the past 10 years, the worldwide penetration of mobile phones has grown from 1 billion to 4 billion active users. One company, PharmaSecure, the focus of the “You Be the VC 2.1” feature, is leveraging this trend to save lives in developing countries. It’s estimated that 10 percent of medications sold worldwide are counterfeit. In India alone, 1 million people a year die from ingesting counterfeit drugs.

Forth Things:

PharmaSecure provides drug companies the ability to place a nine-digit alphanumeric code directly on the blister pack, medicine bottle or vial, or on the product’s label, along with a phone number. Consumers can verify the code and by extension make sure the drug they have purchased isn’t counterfeit by texting it to the accompanying phone number. In India, PharmaSecure’s initial market, 55 percent of the population has a mobile phone, and it’s the fastest-growing market for mobile phones in the world. If it weren’t for the proliferation of mobile phones in India and elsewhere, PharmaSecure’s business wouldn’t be possible.

Fifth Things:

The booming interest in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is a highly visible social trend. Nearly half of all Americans are now members of at least one social network; double from just two years ago. Social networks not only provide people with new ways to communicate and interact with each other, but they act as platforms for other businesses to build on. Zynga, for example, the maker of popular online games like FarmVille and Scramble; became popular by making browser-based games that worked as application widgets on Facebook and MySpace. Similarly, entrepreneurs have launched businesses to start social networks that cater to specific niches. An example is PatientsLikeMe, the subject of Case 1.2, which is a social networking site for people with serious diseases.

Technological Advances:

Advances in technology frequently dovetail with economic and social changes to create opportunities. For example, there are many overlaps between an increased focus on health and wellness and technology. Airstrip Technologies, a recent start-up, enables doctors to monitor critical patient information remotely on a smartphone or computer. The company’s founding was motivated by a desire on the part of doctors to stay in closer contact with their critical care patients while away from the hospital and while those patients are receiving treatment in locations outside a hospital.

Tech first:

Advances in wireless technologies made the system possible. In most cases, the technology isn’t the key to recognizing business opportunities. Instead, the key is to recognize how technologies can use and harness to help satisfy basic or changing needs. It’s always been difficult for doctors to leave the bedsides of critically ill patients, for example. Now, as a result of the advent of smartphones and wireless networks; a company like Airstrip Technologies can develop products to help doctors remotely monitor their patients’ conditions.

Technological advances also provide opportunities to help people perform everyday tasks in better or more convenient ways. For example, OpenTable.com is a Web site that allows users to make restaurant reservations online and now covers most of the United States. If you’re planning a trip to San Diego, for example, you can access OpenTable.com, select the area of the city you’ll be visiting, and view descriptions, reviews, customer ratings, and in most cases the menus of the restaurants in the area.

You can then make a reservation at the restaurant and print a map and the directions to it. The basic tasks that OpenTable.com helps people perform have always been done looking for a restaurant, comparing prices and menus, soliciting advice from people who are familiar with competing restaurants and getting directions. What OpenTable.com does is help people perform these tasks more conveniently and expediently.

Teah second:

Another aspect of technological advances is that once a technology is created, products often emerge to advance it. For example, the creation of the Apple iPod, iPhone, iPad, and similar devices have in turned spawned entire industries that produce compatible devices. An example is H2OAudio, a company that was started by four former San Diego State University students; which makes waterproof housings for the Apple iPhone and iPod. The waterproof housings permit iPhone and iPod users to listen to their devices; while swimming, surfing, snowboarding, or engaging in any activity where the device is likely to get wet.

A similar industry is the one dealing with smartphone apps. As of May 2011, there were over 381,000 third-party apps available in Apple’s App Store and over 294,000 in the Android Market (Google’s app store).13 The app market is large and growing, all because of the advent of wireless networks and smart devices like the iPhone and iPad. To provide perspective on how big the app market is, at 10:26 A.M. GMT on Saturday, January 22, 2011, the 10 billionth app was downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Political Action and Regulatory Changes:

Political and regulatory changes also provide the basis for opportunities. For example, new laws create opportunities for entrepreneurs to start firms to help companies, individuals, and governmental agencies comply with these laws. For example, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002; which is based on the notion of outcome-based education requires states to develop criterion-based assessments in basic skills to periodically give to all students in certain grades. Shortly after the act was passed, Kim and Jay Kleeman, two high school teachers, started Shakespeare Squared; a company that produces materials to help schools comply with the act.

Extra information:

On some occasions, changes in government regulations motivate business owners to start firms that differentiate themselves by “exceeding” the regulations. For example, several years ago, the Federal Trade Commission changed the regulation about; how far apart the wood or metal bars in an infant crib can be. If the bars are too far apart; a baby can get an arm or a leg caught between the bars, causing an injury.

An obvious business idea that might spawn by this type of change is to produce a crib; that advertises and position as “exceeding” the new standard for the width between bars and is “extra safe” for babies and young children. The change in regulation brings attention to the issue and provides ideal timing for; a new company to reassure parents by providing a product that not only meets but exceeds the new regulation.

Business change:

Some businesses and industries are so dependent on favorable government regulations that their literal survival threatens if a regulation change. An example of a business that fits this profile is Almost Family, a company that provides home health nursing services. Almost Family receives the majority of its income via fixed payments from Medicare based on the level of care that it provides its clients. As a result, the company’s profitability is highly sensitive to any changes in Medicare reimbursement policies.

Political change:

The political change also engenders new business and product opportunities. For example, global political instability and the threat of terrorism have resulted in many firms becoming more security conscious. These companies need new products and services to protect their physical assets and intellectual property; as well as to protect their customers and employees. The backup data storage industry; for example, is expanding because of this new trend in the tendency to feel the need for data to be more protected than in the past. An example of a start-up in this area is Box.net; which was funded by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Box.net allows its customers to store data “offsite” on Box.net servers, and access it via an Internet connection.

How to Explain Observing Trends in Entrepreneurship? Also, the Image from the Internet.
March 1, 2018
Positive Relationships with Individual and Organization Outside

How to Develop Positive Relationships with Individual and Organization Outside of Your Business

It’s vital for a business to develop as many external contacts as possible. This simple approach can lead to valuable/positive relationships and opportunities that would not otherwise have occurred. How Do You Know Your Company Wants Help From The Outside? Below are some of the best ways you can develop relationships with individuals and organizations outside of your business. Do You Really Want to your Own a Business?

What is Meaning about Positive Relationships? Positive, productive relationships demand the best of us. For a friendship or marriage to allow both people to flourish, each person is an active participant in helping create the other one’s positive future.

“A direct relationship between two variables in which as one increases, the other can be expected to increase, Also called direct relationship. Compare negative relationship.”

“Positive relationships with others, Will be happier and more fulfilled and feel more supported, supportive, and connected.”

Define of Positive Relationships; “Positive correlation is a relationship between two variables in which both variables move in tandem. A positive correlation exists when one variable decreases as the other variable decreases, or one variable increases while the other increases. In statistics, a perfect positive correlation is represented by 1, while 0 indicates no correlation and negative 1 indicates a perfect negative correlation.”

Develop Your Communication Skills and Communication Channels

Before you reach out to certain individuals and organizations, it’s important to prepare properly and have the skills and knowledge required for communicating in an effective way.

For instance, if you want to interact with local government representatives and agencies in a more productive way, you may need to hire a consultant or someone who has completed an online masters in public administration and who has a great working relationship with the public sector.

“Communication is the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.”

In other situations, it may be a good idea for you or someone in your organization to enroll in an online master in public administration degree course or similar program provided by universities like Norwich University, so that you have a permanent person in your company who can deal with government entities that can help your business.

Attend Networking Events

Most people prefer to deal with other individuals and businesses they are familiar with. This means you and your business need to get public exposure.

Attending networking events like Chamber of Commerce meetings, conferences, and industry seminars is an effective way to do this. The more times you are seen at these events, the more people will become familiar with you and start to trust you.

Give Your Own Presentations

Initially, when you attend networking events you may be there to listen to other people. However, eventually you could participate more in these events by giving your own presentations in the area you have expertise in. This once again could lead to a lot of new opportunities, including business offers and referrals from those who listen to your presentations. Why You Should Be Balancing Your Books on Every Single Month.

Join Online Communities

Today’s business owners live busy lives and it’s not always possible to attend networking events. In other cases, the people you want to interact with may not attend these types of events or they live a long distance away. This is where the Internet can come to the rescue because a wide range of online business communities exist.

These communities are usually open to novice business owners, established business owners and people who have a keen interest in the same industry or niche. Interacting with other community members is extremely easy and most members of these websites are more approachable online.

Build Your Own Online Social Profile

It’s important to maintain professional online social media profiles. A huge number of people prefer to use the Internet to find out about a business or the people in a business. Become an Instagram Millionaire but How?

The more informative your social media profiles are, the more impressed others will be, and the more likely it is that they will want to find out more about you and your business.

Networking and building positive relationships with individuals and businesses outside, your own organization is an important step if you want your business to succeed and grow. This is not as difficult as it may sound, especially if you follow the steps above.

November 11, 2017
Case Study Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks

Starbucks Case Study; It is the world’s largest and most popular coffee company. Case Study; Since the beginning, this premier café has aimed to deliver the world’s finest fresh-roasted coffee. Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee, Case Study; Today the company dominates the industry and has created a brand that is tantamount to loyalty, integrity, and proven longevity. Starbucks is not just a name, but a culture.

Case Study in Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks!

It is obvious that Starbucks and its CEO Howard Shultz are aware of the importance of corporate social responsibility. We try to explain the case study of Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee; Every company has problems they can work on and improve in and so does Starbucks. As of recent, Starbucks has done a great job showing their employees how important they are to the company. Along with committing to every employee, they have gone to great lengths to improve the environment for everyone.

Ethical and unethical behavior is always a hot topic for the media, and Starbucks has to be careful with the decisions they make and how they affect their public persona. The corporate social responsibility of the Starbucks Corporation addresses the following issues: Starbucks’ commitment to the environment, Starbucks’ commitment to the employees, Starbucks’ commitment to consumers, discussions of ethical and unethical business behavior, and Starbucks ‘ commitment and response to shareholders. The following Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee few explain below are;

Commitment to the Environment.

The first way Starbucks has shown corporate social responsibility is through its commitment to the environment. To improve the environment, with a little push from the NGO, Starbucks’ first main goal was to provide more Fair Trade Coffee. What this means is that Starbucks will aim to only buy 100 percent responsibly grown and traded coffee. Not only does responsibly grown coffee help the environment, but it also benefits the farmers as well. Responsibly grown coffee means preserving energy and water at the farms.

In turn, this costs more for the company overall, but the environmental improvements are worth it. Starbucks and the environment benefit from this decision because it helps continue to portray a clean image. Another way to improve the environment directly through their stores is by “going green”. Their first attempt to produce a green store was in Manhattan. Starbucks made that decision to renovate a 15-year-old store. This renovation included replacing old equipment with more energy-efficient ones.

To educate the community, they placed plaques throughout the store explaining their new green elements and how they work. This new Manhattan store now conserves energy, water, materials, and uses recycled/recyclable products. Twelve stores total plan to be renovated and Starbucks has promised to make each new store LEED, meaning a Leader in Energy and Environmental Design.

LEED improves performance regarding energy savings, water efficiency, and emission reduction. Many people don’t look into environmentally friendly appliances because the upfront cost is always more. According to Starbucks, going green over time outweighs the upfront cost by a long shot. Hopefully, these new design elements will help the environment and get Starbucks ahead of their market.

Commitment to Consumers.

The second way Starbucks has shown corporate social responsibility is through their commitment to consumers. The best way to get the customers what they want is to understand their demographic groups. By doing research on Starbucks’ consumer demographics, they realized that people with disabilities are very important. The company is trying to turn stores into a more adequate environment for customers with disabilities.

A few changes include: lowering counter height to improve ease of ordering for people in wheelchairs, adding at least one handicap accessible entrance, adding disability etiquette to employee handbooks, training employees to educate them on disabilities, and by joining the National Business Disability Council. By joining the National Business Disability Council, Starbucks gains access to resumes of people with disabilities.

Another way Starbucks has shown a commitment to the consumers is by cutting costs and retaining loyal customers. For frequent, loyal customers, Starbucks decided to provide a loyalty card. Once a customer has obtained this card, they are given incentives and promotions for continuing to frequent their stores. Promotions include discounted drinks and free flavor shots to repeat visitors.

Economy talk:

Also, with the economy being at an all-time low, Starbucks realized that cheaper prices were a necessity. By simplifying their business practices, they were able to provide lower prices for their customers. For example, they use only one recipe for banana bread, rather than eleven!

It doesn’t end there either! Starbucks recognized that health is part of social responsibility. To promote healthier living, they introduced “skinny” versions of most drinks, while keeping the delicious flavor. For example, the skinny vanilla latte has 90 calories compared to the original with 190 calories. Since Starbucks doesn’t just sell beverages now, they introduced low-calorie snacks. Along with the snacks and beverages, nutrition facts were available for each item.

Also, one big way to cut costs was outsourcing payroll and Human Resources administration. By creating a global platform for its administration system, Starbucks is able to provide more employees with benefits. Plus, they are able to spend more money on pleasing customers, rather than on a benefits system.

Commitment and Response to Shareholders.

One way Starbucks has demonstrated its commitment and response to shareholder needs is by giving them large portions. By large portions, Starbucks is implying that they plan to pay dividends equal to 35% or higher of net income. For the shareholders, paying high dividends means certainty about the company’s financial well-being. Along with that, they plan to purchase 15 million more shares of stock, and hopefully, this will attract investors who focus on stocks with good results.

Starbucks made its commitment to shareholders obvious by speaking directly to the media about it. In 2004, Starbucks won a great tax break, but unfortunately, the media saw them as “money-grubbing”. Their CEO, Howard Shultz, made the decision to get into politics and speak to Washington about expanding health care and the importance of this to the company. Not only does he want his shareholders to see his commitment, but he wants all of America to be able to reap these benefits.

In order to compete with McDonald’s and keeping payout to its shareholders high, Starbucks needed a serious turnaround. They did decide to halt growth in North America but not in Japan. Shultz found that drinking coffee is becoming extremely popular for the Japanese. To show shareholders there is a silver lining, he announced they plan to open “thousands of stores” in Japan and Vietnamese markets.

Commitment to Employees.

The first and biggest way Starbucks shows their commitment to employees is by just taking care of their workers. For example, they know how important health care, stock options, and compensation are to people in this economy. The Starbucks policy states that as long as you work 20 hours a week you get benefits and stock options. These benefits include health insurance and contributions to the employee’s 401k plan.

Starbucks doesn’t exclude part-time workers, because they feel they are just as valuable as full-time workers. Since Starbucks doesn’t have typical business hours like an office job, the part-time workers help to work the odd shifts. Another way Starbucks shows its commitment to employees is by treating them like individuals, not just number 500 out of 26,000 employees. Howard Shultz, a CEO, always tries to keep humanity and compassion in mind.

When he first started at Starbucks, he remembered how much he liked it that people cared about him, so he decided to continue this consideration for employees. Shultz feels that the first impression is very important. On an employee’s first day, he lets each new employee know how happy he is to have them as part of their business, whether it is in person or through a video.

His theory is that making a good first impression on a new hire is similar to teaching a child good values. Through their growth, he feels each employee will keep in mind that the company does care about them. Shultz wants people to know what he and the company stand for, and what they are trying to accomplish.

Ethical/Unethical Business Behavior.

The last way Starbucks demonstrates corporate social responsibility is through ethical behavior and occasional unethical behavior. The first ethically positive thing Starbucks involves itself in is the NGO and Fair Trade coffee. Even though purchasing mostly Fair Trade coffee seriously affected their profits, Starbucks knew it was the right thing to do. They also knew that if they did it the right way, everyone would benefit, from farmers to the environment, to their public image.

In the fall of 2010, Starbucks chose to team up with Jumpstart, a program that gives children a head start on their education. By donating to literacy organizations and volunteering with Jumpstart, Starbucks has made an impact on the children in America, in a very positive way.

Of course, some negatives come along with the positives. Starbucks isn’t the “perfect” company like it may seem. In 2008, the Starbucks mobile app decided to close 616 stores because they were not performing very well. For Starbucks to close this many stores in one year, they had to battle many landlords due to the chain breaking lease agreements. Starbucks tried pushing for rent cuts but some stores did have to break their agreements.

Other thing:

On top of breaching lease agreements, Starbucks was not able to grow as much as planned, resulting in their future landlords were hurting as well. To fix these problems, tenants typically will offer a buyout or find a replacement tenant, but landlords are in no way forced to go with any of these options. These efforts became extremely time-consuming and costly, causing Starbucks to give up on many lease agreements.

As for Starbucks ethical behavior is a different story when forced into the media light. In 2008, a big media uproar arose due to them wanting to re-release their old logo for their 35th anniversary. The old coffee cup logo was basically a topless mermaid, which is Starbucks’ opinion is just a mythological creature, not a sex symbol.

Media critics fought that someone needed to protect the creature’s modesty. Starbucks found this outrageous. To end the drama and please the critics, they chose to make the image more modest by lengthening her hair to cover her body and soften her facial expression. Rather than ignoring the media concerns, Starbucks met in the middle to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Maybe you definitely understand above the information and case study of Corporate Social Responsibility of Starbucks Coffee.

Case Study in Corporate Social Responsibility of Coffee Starbucks!

September 6, 2017
The aspect of International Advertising in Social Life

What is International Advertising? This article about an aspect of International Advertising in Social Life, deeply explains. Why global market need International Advertising? Global advertising or international advertising consists of collecting, processing, analyzing, and interpreting information.

The aspect of the International Advertising Essay in Social Life.

There are two main purposes of international advertising research: (1) to assist business executives to make profitable international advertising decisions for their specific products and services and (2) to contribute to the general knowledge of international advertising that is potentially useful to a variety of business executives, educators, government policymakers, advertising self-regulatory organizations and others interested in understanding the process and effects of international advertising.

Aspects of Advertising on Social Life:

When we consider International Advertising from the advertiser’s point of view, according to them the primary objective of an advertisement is that the product or services which they are offering should sell in the market. And in achieving the main objective of selling the product or services there are other profound consequences.

Advertising puts an influence that is both persuasive and pervasive. Through the selective reinforcement of certain language and values and social goals, it acts as important force attitudes that underlie behavior not only in the marketplace but also in all aspects of life.

Global Advertising:

In an international marketing concern, advertising has an important social influence in several ways: many of the international advertising is designed to promote and introduce new products from one market to another.

Often this results in the sudden change in lifestyles, behavior patterns of a society, stimulating, for example, the adoption of fast food, casual attire or hygiene, and beauty products.

International advertising encourages a desire for products from other countries; it creates expectations about “the good life”, and establishes new areas of consumption. Advertising is thus a potent force for change, while selectively reinforcing lifestyles, certain values, and role models.

Global Market:

We can see examples of brands like Levi’s, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Marlboro, and McDonald’s. Which are familiar in almost every corner of the world. These brands have become an object of desire by the teen and young adults throughout the world. Even the scenes and images which have been shown in international advertising are either in western in origin or reflect western consumption behavior and values.

Even where it had been adapting to local scenarios and role models these shown often come from sectors of society. Such as the upwardly mobile urban middle class. Which embrace or are receptive to Western values and mores. As a consequence, a criticism frequently leveled at international advertising is that it promulgates Western values and morals; especially from the US.

Global Localization:

This is generally regarded as negative in societies with strong religious and moral values. Which is run as a counter to those of the west? For example the Islamic societies in the Middle East. When Western advertising shows sexually explicit situations or shows women in situations. Which is considering as inappropriate or immoral? It is likely to consider a subversive force undermining established cultural mores and values.

Similarly, in some countries such as France, there is strong opposition to the imposition of US culture, values, and use of English in advertising. Promotion of tobacco products by US and UK companies in countries. Where there is no legislation regulating or banning cigarette advertising has also been criticizing.

Global Communication:

At the same time, international advertising also acts as an integrating force across national boundaries. It makes the message known using universal symbols and slogans and establishes. A common mode of communication among target audiences in different parts of the world. At the same time, multicultural values are reinforcing by advertisers. Who adopt images incorporating peoples of different nations and diverse cultural backgrounds. For example, the Colors of Benetton campaign or the British Airways “Peoples of the World” campaign.

Consequently, while, on the one hand, international advertising can view as a colonizing force propagating Western values and morale throughout the world. It is also an important force that integrates societies and establishes common bonds, universal symbols, and models of communication among peoples in different parts of the world.

The aspect of International Advertising in Social Life.

July 31, 2017
What is CSR?

What is CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to business practices involving initiatives that benefit society. A business’s CSR can encompass a wide variety of tactics, from giving away a portion of a company’s proceeds to charity, to implementing “greener” business operations.

Definition of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The movement aimed at encouraging companies to be more aware of the impact of their business on the rest of society, including their own stakeholders and the environment. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a business approach that contributes to sustainable development by delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.

CSR is a concept with many definitions and practices. The way it is understood and implemented differs greatly from each company and country. Moreover, CSR is a very broad concept that addresses many and various topics such as human rights, corporate governance, health and safety, environmental effects, working conditions and contribution to economic development. Whatever the definition is, the purpose of CSR is to drive change towards sustainability.

Although some companies may achieve remarkable efforts with unique CSR initiatives, it is difficult to be on the forefront on all aspects of CSR. Considering this, the example below provides good practices on one aspect of CSR environmental sustainability.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Example; Unilever is a multinational corporation, in the food and beverage sector, with a comprehensive CSR strategy. The company has been ranked “Food Industry leader’ in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for the 11 consecutive years and ranked 7th in the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.”

One of the major and unique initiatives is the ‘sustainable tea’ program. On a partnership-based model with the Rainforest Alliance (an NGO), Unilever aims to source all of its Lipton and PG Tips tea bags from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms by 2015. The Rainforest Alliance Certification offers farms a way to differentiate their products as being social, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Other Definitions

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in its publication Making Good Business Sense by Lord Holme and Richard Watts used the following definition:

Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large The same report gave some evidence of the different perceptions of what this should mean for a number of different societies across the world. Definitions as different as CSR is about capacity building for sustainable livelihoods. It respects cultural differences and finds the business opportunities in building the skills of employees, the community and the government of Ghana, through to CSR is about business giving back to society from the Philippines.

Traditionally in the United States, CSR has been defined much more in terms of a philanthropist model. Companies make profits, unhindered except by fulfilling their duty to pay taxes. Then they donate a certain share of the profits to charitable causes. It is seen as tainting the act for the company to receive any benefit from the giving.

What is the Social Responsibility of Business?

Ever since Milton Friedman famously proclaimed “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” (NYTimes 1970), pundits have pondered whether his purist interpretation was really the only way.

Profit is certainly a lot easier to quantify than something like ‘happiness’, but the intangible benefits of good, honest business clearly go way beyond pure finance Must the word ‘profit’ always refer to money in the strictest sense?

Collected on this page are various interpretations of the idea of “social responsibility” and the responsibility of business to take an active, passive or indifferent role in building a more sustainable world.

There are a few broad categories of social responsibility that many of today’s businesses are practicing:

I) Environmental efforts: One primary focus of corporate social responsibility is the environment. Businesses regardless of size have a large carbon footprint. Any steps they can take to reduce those footprints are considered both good for the company and society as a whole.

II) Philanthropy: Businesses also practice social responsibility by donating to national and local charities. Businesses have a lot of resources that can benefit charities and local community programs.

III) Ethical labor practices: By treating employees fairly and ethically, companies can also demonstrate their corporate social responsibility. This is especially true of businesses that operate in international locations with labor laws that differ from those in the United States.

IV) Volunteering: Attending volunteer events says a lot about a company’s sincerity. By doing good deeds without expecting anything in return, companies are able to express their concern for specific issues and support for certain organizations.

Examples of Corporate Social Responsibility

While many companies now practice some form of social responsibility, some are making it a core of their operations. Ben and Jerry’s, for instance, uses only fair trade ingredients and has developed a sustainability program for dairy farms in its home state of Vermont. Starbucks has created its C.A.F.E. Practices guidelines, which are designed to ensure the company sources sustainably grown and processed coffee by evaluating the economic, social and environmental aspects of coffee production. Tom’s Shoes, another notable example of a company with CSR at its core, donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair a customer purchases.

However, Stevens said companies need to really understand what their core social purpose is and how that aligns with their stated mission, to create a cohesive CSR strategy.

For example, Stevens said that Kashi, a Kellogg’s brand, wants to increase organic farming and is one of the few certified organic kinds of cereal. Since only 1 percent of U.S. farmland is actually organic, the breakfast brand worked with Quality Insurance International to help certify new organic farmers across the nation.

March 10, 2017
Social Responsibility

What is Meant by Social Responsibility?

Social responsibility is an ethical framework and suggests that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. A trade-off may exist between economic development, in the material sense, and the welfare of the society and environment, though this has been challenged by many reports over the past decade. Social responsibility means sustaining the equilibrium between the two. It pertains not only to business organizations but also to everyone whose any action impacts the environment. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing activities that directly advance social goals.

Businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. For instance, if a company follows the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for emissions of dangerous pollutants and even goes an extra step to get involved in the community and address those concerns that the public might have; they would be less likely to have the EPA investigate them for environmental concerns. “A significant element of current thinking about privacy, however, stresses “self-regulation” rather than market or government mechanisms for protecting personal information”. According to some experts, most rules and regulations are formed due to public outcry, which threatens profit maximization and therefore the well-being of the shareholder, and that if there is not outcry there often will be limited regulation.

Social responsibility means that the government (including public corporations), NGOs, business organizations, and individuals have a responsibility to society to eliminate corruption and irresponsible or unethical behavior that might harm its people or the environment.

Corporate social responsibility, therefore, refers to a business’s obligation to set policies, make decisions, and follow courses of action that are desirable in terms of the values and objectives of society — its customers, employees, and people in the community.

Businesses accept social responsibilities when they take their objectives beyond what the business, the economy, and the law require and do what they feel are ethically and socially desirable. For example, such ethical and desirable actions might include raising the safety standards of product and continuously striving to care for the well-being of workers and their customers.

These ethical and desirable actions that businesses may choose to undertake may be well above the legally required standards.

Look at the following examples of Namibian businesses fulfilling their social responsibility towards the Namibian society:

Many companies are increasingly working on cultivating a social responsibility, whatever their actual practices. They are eager to prove that you can save the planet, help the poor and make money at the same time.

As an entrepreneur how can you behave in an ethically social responsible way towards the following?

Employees Responsibility

The main responsibility of any business is towards its employees. It is imperative that a business always looks for ways to support and empower its employees. A happy workforce, a well-motivated and a loyal workforce, leads to improvements in productivity and quality. Your responsibility towards your workers goes beyond just paying them salaries. A socially responsible business tries to ensure that its working environment is free from sexual harassment and discrimination.

Customers Responsibility

Even if you are an entrepreneur, you are also a customer at a business where you buy your products. It is, therefore, important that you live and practice the notion, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. That means that you should treat your customers in the same way as you expect to be treated as a customer by other businesses. A business’s social responsibility actions towards its customers are rewarded by loyal customers and by their word-of-mouth advertising.

Government Responsibility

The acceptance of social responsibility has increased in the government because through policies, the government is forcing businesses to act responsibly. When a firm act in a socially responsible manner, it sets policies, makes decisions and follows courses of action that are desirable in terms of the values and objectives of its different stakeholders. To pay tax is a business’ responsibility towards the Government of a country.

Society/Community Responsibility

Social investment looks at what a business is doing for a community. Businesses can engage in social responsibility programs to help the community fight their social problems, such as drug addiction in impoverished areas or providing recreation activities for the youth. These programs normally aim to improve standards of living and create more stable and peaceful communities.

Corporate Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility or CSR has been defined by Lord Holme and Richard Watts of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s publication “Making Good Business Sense” as ” the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large.” CSR is one of the newest management strategies where companies try to create a positive impact on society while doing business. Evidence suggests that CSR taken on voluntarily by companies will be much more effective than CSR mandated by governments. There is no clear-cut definition of what CSR comprises. Every company has different CSR objectives through the main motive is the same. All companies have a two-point agenda to improve qualitatively (the management of people and processes) and quantitatively (the impact on society). The second is as important as the first and stakeholders of every company are increasingly taking an interest in “the outer circle”-the activities of the company and how these are impacting the environment and society. The other motive behind this is that the companies should not be focused only on the maximization of profits.

Social responsibility, therefore, is about holding a group, organization or company accountable for the effects it has on the people within the company, people working with the company, the community in which the company operates and those who buy from the company.

How Does an Individual Become Socially Responsible?

The Workshop for Civic Initiatives Foundation (WCIF), Bulgaria, describes ISR in its position statement on Social Responsibility as, “The individual social responsibility includes the engagement of each person towards the community where he lives, which can be expressed as an interest towards what’s happening in the community, as well as in the active participation in the solving of some of the local problems. Under community, we understand the village, the small town or the residential complex in the big city, where lives every one of us. Each community lives its own life that undergoes a process of development all the time. And every one of us could take part in that development in different ways, for example by taking part in cleaning of the street on which he lives, by taking part in organization of an event, connected with the history of the town or the village or by rendering social services to children without parents or elderly people. The individual social responsibility also could be expressed in making donations for significant for the society causes – social, cultural or ecological. There are many ways of donating, as for example donating of goods or donating money through a bank account or online”

Social Responsibility can be “negative,” in that it is a responsibility to refrain from acting (resistance stance) or it can be “positive,” meaning there is a responsibility to act (proactive stance). Being socially responsible not only requires participating in socially responsible activities like recycling, volunteering and mentoring, but to actually make it a lifestyle. Only through a commitment to embrace and embed social responsibility into your personal value and belief system can you truly become socially responsible in all you do.

What is a Social Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur Social Responsibility

Social entrepreneurs work to solve critical social problems and address basic unmet needs through entrepreneurship. Their innovations create system change, improving the lives of underserved or marginalized groups.

Despite the increased attention that social entrepreneurship has received in recent years, there is no precise definition. Various organizations describe social entrepreneurship differently:

Ashoka defines social entrepreneurs as “individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems” who “find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to move in different directions.”

The Skoll Foundation calls social entrepreneurs “society’s change agents, creators of innovations that disrupt the status quo and transform our world.”

In the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Roger L. Martin and Sally Osberg offer a more rigorous definition. A social entrepreneur is “someone who targets an unfortunate but stable equilibrium that causes the neglect, marginalization, or suffering of a segment of humanity; who brings to bear on this situation his or her inspiration, direct action, creativity, courage, and fortitude; and who aims for and ultimately affects the establishment of a new stable equilibrium that secures permanent benefit for the targeted group and society at large.”

March 10, 2017