Author Archives: Irina

Unit 10 Assignment

  1. What do you think is the most demotivating part of Harper’s job?

Although Harper loves her job, she feels demotivated because she struggles with the work-life balance due to the recent increase of workload and lack of communication from her new manager. She has been in the same role since she was 22 and now being 26, she also feels her development with the company is limited. Finally, Harper doesn’t feel recognized for her additional contributions to the team.

2. If you were an HR manager meeting with Harper’s supervisor, what advice would you give them to reengage with Harper?

First off, I would advise David of reaching out to Harper and establishing better expectations and communication. Before David before Harper’s supervisor, her former manager was only responsible for communicating with her and another colleague so it was easier for him compared to David who has to manage a larger team. Second of all, I would encourage David to talk to Harper about her potential career development or if she is about to continue higher into the company/receive additional benefits for her work. Finally, David should learn how to better distribute work among the teammates and himself so everybody has a better work-life balance and doesn’t feel burnout.

3. What would be the downside of losing Harper as an employee?

Harper’s former manager already left and his position was never replaced which resulted in Harper and her new teammates getting more work. If she left, this would leave more work for her teammates, and them feeling the same way Harper did might result in them also thinking about leaving. The company would have to spend money on training a new employee since Harper has been with the company for years.

Unit 7 Assignment – Veja Sneakers

The brand that I choose to write about is Veja. This is a sneaker brand that promotes sustainable fashion. All the sneakers I currently own or had owned in the past few years are Veja. It is reasonably priced, comfortable, long-lasting, and the designs can go with many different style outfits.

In 2003 the founders established their production chain in Brazil after meeting with organic cotton farmers. The founders are named Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion. The brand officially launched in 2005 in Paris. The following year, their first collection was designed and made with vegetable-tanned leather. Today every part of the sneaker is unique. The sole of the shoe is made out of waterproof bottle mesh. The material from the sole of their trainers is wild rubber sourced directly from the Amazon rainforest. This wild rubber is the only place in the world where it naturally grows in the wild. The company, Veja, also pays more than the market price to the rubber tappers for this wild rubber.

The company makes sure that the farmers don’t use pesticides or any chemicals on its cotton. On top of that Veja pays double the market price for their cotton allowing farmers to make a better wage. 80% of the workers that work in the Veja factories in Brazil belong to a union and the company claims to uphold labor standards set by the International Labor Organization.

Personally, I buy my shoes directly from the Veja store in Manhattan but this brand is in many stores such as Nordstrom. The company’s social responsibility comes in paying fair wages and sourcing their product ethnically. One of the things I recommend is helping the local community in Brazil where the factories are or where the materials are being sourced from. Their factories in Brazil help create jobs for the local community but can be more done to help the community. They also have the option of moving the production line to the United States to help promote local job growth. Since the company uses wild rubber from the Amazon rainforest, the company could donate to organizations that support stopping deforestation or protecting animals within the forest. Finally, despite the company’s claims of ethical production and sourcing, there has never been proof or any study shown to the public of what they claim to do.

The Founder

The brothers and Ray had different visions and goals. The brothers were more focused on improving their products and the quality of the food rather than the quantity being sold. On the other hand, Ray was more focused on how to make more money and faster.

2) It was the brothers’ choice to sell but they weren’t given the best deal by Ray. Ray had a lawyer and the guidance that he needed to expand the business. On the other hand, the brothers were never given credit for their ideas and improving the food which was what they mostly worked on. The contract the brothers signed gave them compensation for their work but it should have been more (ex: a percentage of the profits of the business in the future).

3) Local stores franchisees pay a royalty or fee to the company to open up. They are then allowed to use the company’s name and (in the case of McDonalds) food recipes. Franchisees can be opened by the McDonalds HeadQuarter or be independently operated. These local franchisees would then sell Mcdonald’s products in an effort to make a profit.

4) Ray made the majority of his money from real estate. He would allow people to open new McDonald’s stores (franchisees) and lease the land he originally bought to them.

5) It doesn’t really change my view on Mcdonalds’ because I understand there is always stuff going on behind closed doors for people with bad intentions to try to make more money. I think the brothers were unlucky to fell victim to selling out and not getting the credit they deserve but they should have fought for better benefits in the contract and be careful of who they trusted. Ray wanted to get rich quick but the reason people are in business in the first place is to try to generate maximum profit.

Irina Zheng

Hi everyone! My name is Irina and I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I’m a business major and this is my first semester here at BMCC. Here’s my BMCC email: irina.zheng001@stu.bmcc.cuny.edu