Marketing Ethics And Social Responsibility

Objective: Examine ethical dilemmas faced in two international companies and describe the impact to overall organizational health and marketing strategy.  Introduction: Globalization means that more and more organizations are conducting business across borders and encountering different cultures and political, ethical and legal environments in their everyday business affairs. This essay will allow you to explore ethical dilemmas encountered when operating in various international cultures and their impact on the firm's overall market position and marketing strategies.  You will select two case studies involving ethical dilemmas in international companies, examine the challenges of applying codes of ethics in varying cultures, explore the impact of these events on marketing strategy and make recommendations about how managers can deal with ethical practices in international settings.  

Deliverable: The essay for this lesson is required to be a minimum of 750 words that clearly demonstrate your understanding of the activity. Essays should have a clear introduction, thesis statement and conclusion, written in APA format (APAstyle.org). A minimum of three sources must be cited in-text and in the Reference list.  

Step 1: Select companies.  Select two case studies that reflect ethical dilemmas that have occurred in international companies. For example, Nike experienced ethical dilemmas related to using child labor in their foreign factories; other firms have had to consider how to deal with bribery in countries where it is an accepted business practice. 

 Step 2: Conduct research.  Conduct research using the Cline Library, the Internet, the lesson textbooks or other academic resources. Explore how your two chosen companies have dealt with ethical dilemmas when operating in different cultural, political and legal environments.  

Step 3: Read and formulate responses.  Read the following prompts and use what you have learned about this lesson's objective to formulate your responses. •Describe the two companies and case studies that you have selected. Where are their headquarters? What are their main products/services? In which other markets/countries do they operate?

 •Describe the ethical dilemmas that these companies faced. Did these companies have Codes of Conduct or Codes or Ethics available to their international managers? How did these ethical dilemmas conflict with their codes of conduct? 

•Do the companies communicate their Codes of Conduct/Ethics to their stakeholders (managers, employees, suppliers, customers, etc.)? 

•Assess the impact of political and regulatory climates in these situations, as they relate to the described ethical dilemmas. How did they impact marketing strategies going forward? 

•How did these companies manage the specific ethical dilemmas described in the two selected cases? 

•What recommendations do you have that might have also helped the situations?

 •What impact might ethical differences and resulting backlash from mishandling them have on the bottom line of these companies?  

Step 4: Write a paper.   Write a 750-word paper that incorporates your responses to the points above. Please review the essay rubric prior to proceeding.  Use these writing guidelines: •Include a cover page and a reference page in addition to your required page count. •Use APA format. •Double-space text. •Use size 12 Times New Roman font. •Optional: Use section headings to organize.  •Indent paragraphs. •Include in-text citations as appropriate. •Use correct spelling, grammar, sentence structure and verb tense.

Life Applications

Workplace stress can have long-term effects. Our text identifies the following four areas which can increase this type of stress:

• Role conflict: two or more incompatible demands at work or across work and non-work roles

• Role ambiguity: vagueness or unclearness in role responsibilities and functions

• Workload incompatibility: occurs when the amount of work to be accomplished exceeds the employee’s capabilities

• Job insecurity: the feeling that the security of one’s job is unstable

In addition, happiness and positivity can lead to personal success and further indicates the following ideas to increase one’s happiness:

• Setting challenging and meaningful goals

• Disputing negative thinking and deliberately practicing positive self-talk

• Choosing to forgive others and let go of grudges and hard feelings

• Counting one’s blessings and intentionally expressing gratitude for them

• Visualizing future success

• Practicing healthy habits such as a balanced diet, adequate sleep, and regular exercise

Thus, hypothetically these suggestions and ideas can be applied to each of our lives. Whether you are working and going to school, or just going to school, they are applicable since school, too, is an organization.

After reading and viewing all of the required resources this week, consider all of the factors related to a person’s health and the workplace, how can you apply the concepts to your own life right now?

• Identify at least three strategies that you can implement today to increase your level of success in the situation you most identify with.

• Why do you think these strategies can work for you?

• What strategies could you utilize to increase someone else’s happiness level and assist them in increased success based on our content?

• Overall, consider the past five weeks of content. What do you think are two of the most important factors that will be applicable to you and your current goals? What about to your future goals? Why or How?

Your journal should be a minimum of four to five double-spaced pages, adequately discuss all questions posed, and demonstrate maturating self-awareness.

Health Insurance And Quality

Imagine that you are the clinic manager of an urgent care center. Recently, your center has seen an increase in complaints regarding long wait times, inadequate or incomplete information from staff during visits, and the relatively small number of insurance types accepted at the facility.

Write a 2-3 page paper in which you:

1. Examine at least three (3) examples of quality initiatives that could increase patient satisfaction and potentially reduce healthcare cost. Support your response with examples of the successful application your chosen quality initiatives.
2. Defend your position on the decision to accept Medicare or Medicaid as potential pay sources for your urgent care center. Provide support with at least two (2) examples that illustrate your position.
3. Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

Marketing And Organizational Structure

Objective: Explain the alignment of the marketing plan with the organization’s strategic plan and business goals, and describe major elements of a marketing strategy.  Introduction  The primary role of marketing is to create, manage and communicate a company’s brand to consumers. Consumers want to believe, trust and have access to information about a product or service. To accomplish this, a company must have a detailed and effective marketing plan and strategy that is clearly aligned with their company strategic plan. This essay will allow you to explain the alignment of the marketing plan with the organization’s strategic plan and business goals, as well as describe major elements of a marketing strategy.  

Deliverable  The essay for this lesson is required to be a minimum of 750 words that clearly demonstrate your understanding of the activity. Essays should have a clear introduction, thesis statement and conclusion, written in APA format (APAstyle.org). A minimum of three sources must be cited in-text and in the Reference list.  Activity Details

  Step 1: Read the following questions and directives, and apply what you have learned about this lesson’s objective to summarize your responses. 

•What is the role of marketing in an organization and why is it important to organizational success? 

•How is marketing integrated into an organization and its structure? Address how/why the marketing plan should be aligned with the strategic plan, mission and vision. 

•What are some planning tasks necessary for marketing to be successful? 

•What is a brand and what role does branding and brand equity play in the marketing strategy? How is this aligned with the strategic plan?

 •How is branding established, managed and measured? 

•Explain the benefits to a company of having a social media component as part of the overall marketing strategy. Can social media impact a brand? Is social media marketing right for every company?

Presting Your Strategic Intergrated Marketing Strategy

This presentation should be done in a professional and appealing way. It should incorporate a theme, proper supporting graphics (charts, tables, etc.), and it should focus on achieving the bank’s long-term goals as well as your specific objectives. This presentation should be considered as a real-life situation where you are presenting to the bank president and senior management in an attempt for them to approve your recommended strategy. In some ways, you are marketing your marketing plan, so focus on the strong points, especially how your plan will achieve the bank’s long-term strategic goals and your specific marketing objectives.

Part 1

Components of the marketing plan include the following:

• Introduction: (Week 1 IP)
  • Include an introduction with a discussion of advertising and public relations and their relevance regarding achieving the bank’s strategic goals.
• Marketing Objectives: (Week 1 IP)
  • Align specific advertising and public relations objectives to the bank’s strategic objectives using the specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based (SMART) methodology.
• Target Segment Identification: (Week 2 DB)
  • Discuss why this is the best segment to select based on demographics and a detailed discussion of needs, wants, and psychographics of that segment.
• Target Segment Comparison with Current Target Segment: (Week 2 IP)
  • Compare and contrast the similarities and differences regarding the needs, wants, and psychographics of your current and new market segment.
• Channel Comparison and Selection: (Week 2 IP)
  • Discuss whether digital or traditional approaches will provide the best promotional channels for your new target market, and explain why.
• Situation Analysis: (Week 3 DB)
  • Prepare a situation analysis that is comprised of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis that includes relevant banking industry and scenario-specific strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities while focusing on your previously established goals and your new target segment.
• Position Statement and Branding Strategy: (Week 3 IP)
  • Create your branding strategy (position statement) for your new target market based on your situation analysis. Discuss what key messages from a branding perspective you wish to deliver to the new market segment that will provide the greatest impact. Discuss why this message will appeal directly to that market segment.
• Advertising and Public Relations Strategies: (Week 3 IP)
  • Incorporate specifics regarding what specific channels will be used to deliver your message to your target market to increase both reach and frequency. This includes magazine titles, specific newspapers, or actual social media sites as examples. Both traditional and digital must be used.
  • Discuss why the selected advertising and public relations strategies are appropriate regarding specific target segment penetration.
• Public Relations Piece: (Week 4 DB ) New Content
  • Create 1 public relations piece (e-mail, blog, or a newspaper piece) that you will use as part of your public relations program.
• Public Relations Piece Metrics: (Week 4 IP) New Content
  • Include specific metrics to gauge if your public relations piece from the phase 4 Discussion Board is effective and how it will be tracked from a return on investment perspective.
  • The board needs to know that they are spending money effectively. For example, if you are doing a direct mailing, how will you validate if the mailing was successful at achieving its goal? If you are using banner ads on a partner site, how do you know that your investment in that channel is worth the money or that it is achieving your goal for that promotion?

Part 2 Tasks: (Week 5)

• Integrated Marketing: (Week 5 IP)
  • Add a section that discusses how the strategy is integrated between the four components of the marketing mix. This is known as an integrated marketing strategy that involves all 4 Ps of the marketing mix.
• Conclusion: (Week 5 IP)
  • Summarize the key points of your strategic plan.
  • In APA format
  • 15 slides to include cover and references 
  • spelling and grammar need to be checked
  •  
  • look at attached banking scenario for the situation below

    

You have just been hired as the vice president of advertising and public relations. The president of the company has sent you the following message to give you an idea of what the company is about and what is expected from you in your new role:

Introduction

Welcome to the first of our strategic planning meetings. Before we get started, I would like to thank you for joining our bank in the capacity of Vice President, Advertising and Public Relations. Although we only have five branches located throughout our state and are considered a small bank by some, we not only wish to grow, but must grow or we will be swallowed by the big banks that are operating all around us. We have been too stagnant for too long and it is time to move forward. Senior management conducted several strategy sessions, and it was decided that we needed a new approach, which is why we created this new position and brought you on board to lead the charge.

We have never had a strong focus on public relations as a marketing tool, and we have also never really considered advertising as a requirement because we have relied mostly on referrals and word-of-mouth advertising in the past. This has served us well as a local bank, but based on increasing competition and the need for additional revenue, we need to grow beyond our existing customer base. This is where you come in.

I realize you have a very strong marketing background in advertising and public relations and have helped several organizations meet many of the same objectives that we are trying to achieve. By using someone from outside of the bank, we hope to bring in creative and fresh approaches to our strategic initiative. Ultimately, you are responsible for goal achievement. Let’s discuss the situation.

Background and Present Customer Base

As you are aware, we have been around for 30 years and have grown to 5 branches throughout the state. Our customers love us because we treat them like real people, focus on strong customer service, and give every customer the attention they require. We offer basic banking services from our 5 physical locations. Our services include savings accounts, checking accounts, CD’s, and loans.

We love our present customer base and do not want to lose them because they made us what we are today; however, our current local customers create very high expenses and offer little current or future revenue growth opportunities. They have very little money in their checking and savings accounts, so as a bank, we make very little on those assets. In addition, they carry a high cost per customer, which reduces our profit. They tend to be people from older generations who are not technologically savvy, require constant attention from our branch representatives through face-to-face transaction processing, insist on receiving paper bank statements, and refuse to use our ATMs. In addition, these customers are not the type that are taking out big loans and mortgages, which is really where we make a lot of money on the interest. Basically, we love our customers and want to keep them, but they cost us a lot of money and provide a very low return on investment (ROI). We need to penetrate a new market segment, and unfortunately, I do not know who that is.

Our current marketing strategy is to use our present customers to help us find new customers, but so far, we have not grown outside of our present, mostly unprofitable, market segment.

Next, as we have discussed, we currently offer no online banking or e-commerce services. That is rapidly changing because we are already working on the entire technical infrastructure. That will be ready to go soon, but we need to know how to get the word out regarding that initiative to the right new target market. In the marketing world, you call that reach and frequency.

Although this is a marketing-focused endeavor, you must create a strategic marketing plan before launching. This plan will set the bank’s marketing direction and bring the bank’s strategic goals down to an operational level where you can move forward based upon board approval of your plan and recommendations.

Reasons for Change

Based on the information above, we need to change the way that we do business to remain competitive; otherwise, the big banks will wipe us out. Specific reasons for the change include the following:

• Competition
  • We have no competitive advantage
    • The competition is growing, even in our own local geography, and starting to erode our current customer base.
• ROI is minimal based on the current customer base
• Expenses are high based on current customer base
• Limited growth potential in the current customer base
• Public relations is a key channel offering many opportunities
• Embrace advertising to expand beyond our customer base
• Advertising and public relations will be required to announce and successfully achieve the goals for our new branding and direction

The Bank’s Long-term Strategic Goals

• Increase overall profit and ROI
• Create a competitive advantage through our e-commerce initiative
• Identify and penetrate a profitable new market segment
• Use effective advertising and public relations to drive all 3

General Direction Forward

Achieving our long-term strategic goals should be based on the following overall components:

• We must find and establish our presence within a new profitable target segment. This encompasses launching new products and services, including the establishment of a very strong e-banking program that is based on the specific requirements of the new target market.
• We must develop an integrated advertising program that is inclusive of a strong public relations component. The focus of both the advertising and public relations will be penetrating our new segment through effective advertising and public relations, eventually resulting in increased profit.

An Overview of Your Role Moving Forward

The steps that will need to be taken to complete this initiative are as follows:

• Phase 1: Create advertising and public relations objectives that align to each of the 4 strategic goals. These represent the goals that you will achieve through the team’s efforts.
• Phase 2: Identify a new target market, and create service and product offerings that are tailored to that segment by utilizing the marketing mix. You will also investigate appropriate communication channels to reach this market.
• Phase 3: Create your branding strategy (position statement) for your new target market based on your situation analysis. This will start to integrate your goals, your situation analysis results, and your target market. This includes understanding, anticipating, and integrating plan components based on the potential impact of external influences (regulatory, economic, social, technology, etc.) that affect marketing.
• Phase 4: Create a public relations piece that you will use that is based on the target market needs, and include specific measures to gauge if it is effective. This will include tracking from an ROI perspective. You will present a preliminary proposal to senior management in advance of the final presentation to the full board in Phase 5.
• Phase 5: Give a final presentation to the bank president and the board with your overall recommendations. This will include how the strategy is integrated between the four components of the marketing mix.

Modern Management

 Imagine that you are a manager at a brick and mortar store that has an online storefront as an additional source of revenue. The company has tasked you with creating ideas to improve logistics in order to increase profitability. Upload a short (one to two [1-2] minute) video. 

Industry Paper

Assignment 1: Not All Companies Are Viewed as Equal
Due Week 4 and worth 175 points

In the land of free trade, the public does not view all industries as equal. Do you believe that is ethical? Do you believe that some industries are unfairly targeted? Should it be consumers’ choice to partake in products that are not healthy for them, or do those companies have an ethical obligation to protect people? In this assignment, you will choose one (1) industry to write about. Possible industries to research could be tobacco, soda, alcohol, casinos, or candy companies, just to name a few.

Write a one and a half to two (1½ – 2) page paper in which you:

1. Become an advocate for either the consumer or the industry. Prepare an argument explaining the major reasons why you support either the consumer or the industry. 
2. Explain the role capitalism plays in corporate decision making.
3. Discuss if you believe it is possible for a company to cater to both its best interest and that of the consumer conjointly or if one always has to prevail. Justify your response.
4. Use at least two (2) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
5. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
   1. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
   2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
   3. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Determine the considerations for and process of ethical business decision making to balance corporate and social responsibilities, and address moral, economic, and legal concerns.
• Analyze selected business situations using the predominant ethical theories, such as utilitarian, Kantian, and virtue ethics to guide ethical business decision making.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business ethics.
• Write clearly and concisely about business ethics using proper writing mechanics.

Marketing Homework

Marketing short essay questions. There are two lecture slides in the files where you can find the "iceberg" in question 1.

Risk Comparison

For this assignment, you will utilize the different resources listed below (plus your own research strategies) to select a qualified country for your company’s international expansion. To begin, go to the World Bank Group's Website and review the "Economy Rankings" report located at http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings. Choose two (2) countries from the list (one [1] from the top of the rankings and one [1] from the bottom) to complete a comparison of risks. The goal of the risk comparison is to examine the risk factors associated with expanding into the selected countries. You may discuss any of the eleven (11) categories on the report when examining the risk to technology, payment security, physical good / product security, etc. in your risk comparison.

For additional information on the selected countries, you can visit the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) "World Factbook" found at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook. You may also use the Internet or Strayer databases to conduct any additional research. 
Use the basic outline below to draft your paper. Organize your responses to each question (except Questions 1 and 6) under the following section headings:Higher-Ranking Country is Considered the Safer Strategy for Expansion. (for Question 2)Lower-Ranking Country is Considered the Risky Strategy for Expansion. (for Questions 3)Identify which Country You Selected and Why. (for Questions 4 and 5)Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you do the following:Provide a brief (one [1] paragraph) description of the organization you have selected for this project. Present the main drivers supporting the decision to expand internationally. Select your expansion strategy (Export, International, Multinational, or Global) and explain this decision.Provide a brief description of the higher-ranking country you have selected for this project.  Next, analyze the various rankings (provided by the World Bank or CIA World Factbook sites) and discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and key benefits of this selection. You will then examine this country's major existing trade agreements and predict whether they will assist or deter your venture.Provide a brief description about the lower-ranking country you have selected for this project.  Next, analyze the various rankings (using the same websites as stated above) and discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and key benefits of this selection. You will then examine this country's major existing trade agreements and predict whether they will assist or deter your venture.Based on your research of comparative advantage, present the primary risks (economic, political, cultural, language, etc.) associated with expanding into the lower-ranking country versus the higher-ranking country. Next, provide the competitive advantages (economic, political, cultural, language, etc.) associated with expanding into the lower-ranking country versus the higher-ranking country.Based on this comparative advantage study, suggest which country is the better choice and provide a rationale for your selection. Next, state which key factors you can identify to support your decision.Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other websites do not qualify as academic resources.Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:Be typed, doublespaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:Evaluate the economic, political, legal, financial, and cultural factors of global trade.Analyze global segmentation, positioning, and research essential for developing a comparative advantage.Evaluate the importance of risk mitigation associated with implementing a global market strategy.Analyze the main drivers associated with market entry, pricing strategies, and frontline sales in the global marketplace.Use technology and information resources to research issues in global marketing management.Write clearly and concisely about global marketing management using proper writing mechanics.

"Global Segmentation, Positioning, And Marketing Strategies"

Companies utilize market segmentation to meet the needs of various consumer preferences. It is difficult, if not impossible, for one company to meet the needs or wants of every customer. Describe three (3) ways that the global marketing approach to segmentation differs from the domestic marketing approach to segmentation (possible classifications: geography, culture, language, political, wealth, population, age, macro, micro, etc.). Next, determine the main advantages or disadvantages that a regional marketing strategy has compared to a global marketing strategy.