1.For the first example, what were the main reasons that the firm reversed their decision and returned to their initial channel mix?

The main reason that made the firm reserve their decision and returned to their initial mis is because there was no significant change in the profit. seeing those type of jeans in a discount store may affect the branding too.

2.Do you agree with their decision?

Yes, I agree with their decision because it is good to try a new strategy to prove the sale, but id it didn’t work it’s better to take another decision or to go back to work the old way at least to keep the firm working.

3. In the second example, do you agree with their choice of channel for their new watches? Why?

I don’t agree with the decision that Swiss watch take. Making a cheaper product and sell it next to the brand name product just make the customer loose the desire to treat themselves with a fancy product.

4. Do you think that most of their existing jewelry stores will be willing to stick and sell these new watches?

I don’t think that the jewelry stores will sell these new watches. most of people who goes to the brand name jewelry store having already a pricing scall in their mind, so giving them a cheaper product will not made them as satisfied as giving them the existing price for Swiss watches.

5. What other channels (retailers) should they also consider?

If there are willing to sell the cheaper brand they should consider Costco, BJs, Burlington and Tj max.

The show demonstrated great ideas to invest in. All of them were good and related to our lives and our consumer behavior, but I would say that the only investment that caught my interest was the last presentation by the co-founder of Incredible Eats, Dinesh Tadepalli. The reason why I chose it is that I think his idea is more efficient and sustainable compared to the others. Since we are now having a big issue with climate change, and I like to support those types of ideas because it’s beneficial to society.

Moreover, we all know that plastic takes a long time to decompose. So this product is a replacement for plastic utensils. In other words, we can eat the spoon, the straw, and even the chopsticks. They come with flavors so that we can enjoy our meal and save the planet too.

As I said, this product encourages us to save the environment. For example, let’s say I’m going to organize a party. Instead of using a plastic utensil, I will use this edible product as an ideal option. First, I’ll save time, and second, I will not have a lot of trash to recycle. It’s also easy to use because the ingredients that it’s made of give a good flavor to any type of food that you use it with instead of feeling the plastic taste.

Furthermore, I believe that consumers will find it a good option instead of plastic for many reasons. One of them is a health concern, as plastic contains various chemicals that are harmful to our bodies. Another reason is to encourage children to eat healthy food. Nowadays, most children are more into junk food than healthy food, and I think this product will encourage them to eat healthy food because of the touch that this product has. It makes it more enjoyable when you eat your spoon after you finish your meal. It is also a good alternative for businesses that will save time in recycling plastics, and it will give a beautiful touch to the business because it will become an innovation that will evaluate the reputation of that business because they care about the environment.

To appeal to consumers for this product, I first liked the idea that Lori suggests marketing it by creating a design on the packaging that says, “Come and eat me.” I think that is more creative. If we add memes like a carton designee of the utensils, so they can look more attractive to consumers, and it will come with eco-friendly packaging, then I will start by targeting small businesses and opening an online store. I will also try to come up with different flavors so I can expand the consumer’s marginal. I’ll make some products that are special for kids, and I’m going to form partnerships with nonprofit organizations that care about the environment in order to gain their support, which will help me improve my market image and achieve the goal that I set for myself.

Whole foods are amazing at philanthropy which is great. Since the establishment of the company, it has invested over 37 million in philanthropy work but more importantly, they give confidence to their customers and people who receive the donations. The good thing about is that with every donation they fund microcredit loans that helps support the poorest entrepreneurs. I find this to be a great way for whole foods to give back but also give entrepreneurs a chance to grow and thrive in the world we live in today.

Let’s dig deeper. Whole Planet Foundation was founded to alleviate poverty in countries where Whole Foods Market sources products and buy their goods. The world around us is all suffering and some countries have more resources and finances than some. I am from a third world country where we don’t have everything and suffers in some areas but to hear and see that an American based company is taking the time to care but help other third world countries adapt, gained experience, own businesses, and have professional and personal growth is amazing.

This is very ethical and socially responsible for whole foods. Another reason is that Whole Foods has consistently ranked as one of the World’s Most Ethical companies for its emphasis on organic food, healthy living, customer satisfaction, quality, and sustainability. The company has shown these factors many times and has earned its badge of keeping up to its ethics and the company’s mission of helping others. The company has also been elected as one of the top companies to work for and that speaks for itself, Amazon has a great deal of customer satisfaction but also it takes good care of its employees. “Although customers are considered to be the company’s highest-valued stakeholder, Whole Foods has adopted a stakeholder orientation that focuses on the needs of its stakeholders, including its employees and the community”. According to the quote, whole foods are implementing ways to better the company but also to keep striving to help others.

Whole foods have outdone itself since it became a business/sustainable company. Although it is kind of hard to give recommendations to a company that has exceeded expectations, here are some of my recommendations.

Ethical Recommendations

Worldwide Expansion
– Whole foods should keep striving in growing as a company. I do believe that they should expand more when it comes to getting resources and helping other countries further and better themselves also. As explained, I am from a third-world country, and I would love to hear whole foods residing in my country and helping my little nation get access to money but more important network and create amazing connections.
Cultural cohesiveness
– They should also consider creating more cultural cohesiveness with the many worldwide communities they reside in and the ones they are looking forward to working with.
Technological advancement for the whole foods Planet foundation
– Whole food should try to also get technology more available for poor entrepreneurs who have access to whole foods microcredit loans. “Even though businesses today are more efficient and use fewer resources to make goods—thanks to technological advances— many ecosystems continue to suffer. This is because the scale of economic activity grows every year, despite environmental improvements by individual enterprises”. This change also will lead to more efficiency in learning, more opportunities, and help create a better understanding of the business world as an entrepreneur. Technology has become a sensation and it Is amazing to see companies investing and trying to help others that can’t help themselves.

Seventh Generation, founded in 1988, Burlington Vermont, is a company that sells eco-friendly personal care products. Their mission is to create a healthier and more sustainable world for the future. Not only are their products both eco-friendly and cruelty-free (meaning they only use plant-based materials over petroleum decreasing carbon footprint) but they actively participate and spread awareness on the impacts of climate change, and how it is affecting our communities and youth. Seventh Generation has reinforced their zero waste goal by removing “individual wastebaskets and replaced it with a recycling system that has a place for everything from a yogurt cup to a plastic bag. We have filtered water in the building and most people use reusable water bottles or glass instead of buying a one-use plastic bottle. To help foster a vibrant, welcoming workplace, we’re also a dog-friendly office.” Maureen Usifer stated as one of the Chief Financial Officers in a Q&A. Furthermore, Seventh Generation’s 2025 goals include operating with 100% renewable energy fully committing to sourcing all-natural or recycled materials. It also plans to use solely zero-waste packaging and increase internal diversity. I believe that Seventh Generation is an amazing example of what a sustainable eco-friendly company is, as a customer I feel like their prices are affordable and you can find their products at local stores like Target, Walmart, and Amazon.

Sources:

Sustainability in Business: Seventh Generation Brings Sustainability Home

https://www.seventhgeneration.com/home

A trip to Trader Joe’s is a part of my weekly routine. I am aware that the organization is a corporation, but its communistic appeal makes it feel that it just harmonizes with my local neighborhood. In this assignment, I will be analyzing Trader Joe’s ethical standards in regard to its corporate social responsibility and pursuance of sustainable business practices. 

Trader Joe’s is a US-based supermarket that is owned by a German retail company, Aldi Nord. On its contact page, the company highlights three areas of focus for the company’s mission to maintain sustainable business practices in regards to corporate social responsibility – Diversity & Inclusion and Sustainability & Packaging. It illustrates how they maintain a diverse and inclusive environment within its business practices of the crew, supplier, and community development. There is a particular emphasis on its engagement with the Black stakeholders of the company in providing examples for the company’s evidence on how they maintain this ethical standard. However, this emphasis gives off a performative undertone that can be sensed throughout the entire statement. Also, noting its publication date, it was issued following the George Floyd protests of 2020, and companies have been increasingly prioritizing off marketing their organization’s values as aligning with certain social movements, similar to greenwashing practices. In an effort to remedy this performative tone of voice, the company could incorporate language and practices that acknowledge all members of their community in consideration of their varying ethnic backgrounds. 

Sustainability is properly becoming a major discussion point for businesses with the impending climate crisis, so Trader Joe’s does appear to be proactive in limiting their use of plastic by improving the packing of their products. Thus far, the company has “[increased] the amount of recycled and sustainably sourced materials, and/or removing non-sustainable material… [and] removed over two million pounds of plastic packaging from [their] products” in 2020. This is a great initiative conducted by a national business because they have so many customers who purchase their products. They also continue to include their “five-point sustainability framework to evaluate each product and identify opportunities for packing improvements:

1. Reducing and removing the packaging
2. Sourcing renewable and recycled packaging materials
3. Choosing packaging that can be realistically recycled
4. Avoiding the use of harmful substances in packaging
5. Providing information to customers that increases understanding of how best to recycle or dispose of packaging”

Trader Joe’s sustainability statement does not include the whole picture, potentially. Green America, a non-profit that focuses on “[harnessing] economic power… to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society,” has reported Trader Joe’s refrigeration is toxic for the environment. Because of this issue, Trader Joe’s has “received the lowest score on the Environmental Investigation Agency’s Climate-Friendly Supermarket Scorecard.” Trader Joe’s refrigeration has leaking issues that need to be addressed. Refrigerants and refrigerant leaks are major benefactors to the emission of greenhouses gases every year. Since being found guilty of violating the Clean Air Act, which is due to the leaking refrigerants, the company has not made any major efforts towards resolving this issue. Trader Joe’s should find solutions to this issue as it will continue to taint their reputation of doing good for the environment, such as converting to more environmentally friendly equipment. 

In my research, I have continued to find incidents where Trader Joe’s does not uphold the ethical standard the company is portraying. There are reports that Trader Joe’s chocolate is linking to the cocoa trade in West Africa where child labor is popularly used. Furthermore, the company lacks transparency in providing information on the manufacturers of Trader Joe’s own-brand products that largely fill the store. Of the few products that have been revealed some of the largest food suppliers have been named as such manufacturers the Green Stars Project found. I found this to be an ethical issue as customers may be gravitating to their products because of their business appearance to dissociate with large corporations. \

After this research, my perspective of Trader Joe’s has shifted. Though the company is making positive improvements to becoming more aware of its sustainability and diversity practices, Trader Joe’s is not being completely transparent with its consumers. 

Sources:

https://greenstarsproject.org/2021/02/28/how-ethical-is-trader-joes-review-rating/

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/contact-us

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/diversity-inclusion

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/sustainability

https://www.greenamerica.org/dont-discount-our-future-tjs