Author Archives: Nebel Alsaidy

The Joneses – Nebel Alsaidy

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Nebel Alsaidy

Professor Buckler

MAR 100

15 December 2023

The Joneses

            After watching the film “The Joneses” I would say that the way the Jones family lives is categorized as personal selling. Personal selling involves face-to-face communication between the sales representative and consumer to influence them to buy a product. The Jones family discreetly use this strategy by showcasing various products; like hair shampoo, tracksuits, golf clubs, etc… directly in front of potential consumers. The way they live serves as a persuasive tool, subtly conveying the usefulness and desirability of the products they use daily.

The Jones family uses marketing tactics that relate with some of my favorite brands, particularly in the use of attractive, or skilled individuals to showcase products. A notable example from the film is when Steve Jones demonstrates exceptional golf skills, this made the golfers around him think the golf club is the reason. This is similar to the strategy employed by Nike, a favorite brand of mine, which collaborates with the NBA to create jerseys branded with their logo on every player. Just as Steve’s golf skills increased the appeal of the golf club, associating Nike with skilled NBA athletes enhances the desirability of Nike products.

No, I do not believe the way products are marketed in this film is ethical. Today, there’s a lot of pressure for people to conform and fit in with their peers. This growing need for social acceptance can strengthen people’s insecurities, making people feel “not good enough” until they acquire specific products. The strategies employed by the Jones family in the film are highly unethical as they capitalize on people’s vulnerabilities, manipulating trust for financial gain.

If I were friends with someone in the Jones family before learning about their secret, I imagine my feelings towards them would be similar to those I have for my other friends. While I might not be as susceptible as portrayed in the film to buying their products, I acknowledge that their lifestyle could influence my perceptions of the products they use. However, if I were to find out about their secret afterward, I would feel completely betrayed as a friend. The realization that our friendship was exploited for financial gain would lead me to cut them off completely.

American Center for Human Rights and Social Services – Asylum Program Fundraiser

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 08, 2023

Nebel Alsaidy

American Center for Human Rights and Social Services

Phone: (111) 222-3334

Email: americancenterhrss@gmail.com

ACHRSS Urges Community Support for Asylum Program Fundraiser

Bronx, NY:  The American Center for Human Rights and Social Services is reaching out to the people of NYC, calling for needed support for a cause that is crucial to the community. In response to the pressing need for assistance from many clients, and growing rate of immigrants entering the U.S., ACHRSS is launching a fundraising campaign to establish an asylum program for asylum seekers in need of assistance.

“The increasing rate of clients coming in seeking to apply for asylum is baffling, this fundraiser is crucial for us to be able to better support them.” says Abdulla Saleh, the executive director at American Center for Human Rights and Social Services “As the only non-profit organization within a 10-mile radius that offers free immigration support, our newly established organization faces great pressure, considering our limited staff and funding, we are limited in the types of services we can offer.”

The organization aims to raise $100,000 to fund the upcoming asylum program. These funds will be crucial in enabling ACHRSS to hire new employees, fund legal assistance, and maintain the space (rent, utility bills, etc..), significantly enhancing their ability to provide crucial support to asylum seekers.

The funds raised will be allocated to these key areas within the asylum program:

  • Legal Assistance
  • Asylum applications
  • Work Permits

“We want to be able to offer the services other big name Non-profit organizations offer, with this fundraiser were better able to provide the more crucial services such as legal assistance which is costly due to the high rates charged by immigration lawyers” Stated by Abdulwali Saleh, President of The American Center for Human Rights and Social Services on the fundraiser about page.

The American Center for Human Rights and Social Services is a recently established non-profit organization in the Bronx, NY. This organization is dedicated to serving the local community by providing essential services, including SNAP (food stamps), Cash Assistance, and Medicaid (Health Insurance). They also provide immigration services, such as filing applications and giving consultations. With a committed and multilingual team, ACHRSS provides comprehensive support to individuals from various backgrounds, ensuring that everyone in the community has access to the assistance they need. So far, ACHRSS is quickly building a positive reputation, considering they are the only organization in the community offering these essential services for free, they are making a significant impact on the lives of many who are struggling.

Product Concepts – Nebel Alsaidy

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Nebel Alsaidy

Proffessor Buckler

Marketing 100

December 3, 2023

Shark Tank – The Fidget Games

After watching Season 15, Episode 7 of Shark Tank, Brandi’s pitch for The Fidget Game resonated with me the most. The Fidget Game offers a compelling business idea by combining learning and interactive activities to make “curriculum-aligned educational games that make learning effective and fun for all types of learners”. In a world where a great number of children think of education as a chore (including myself as a child), The Fidget Game could serve as a potential solution, allowing children to have a positive impression of learning. By infusing fun into learning, this product has the capability to transform the educational landscape, creating a generation of kids who actually want to learn. This paper will talk about the various aspects of The Fidget Game, and how it can be best positioned to appeal to consumers.

Brandi’s pitch for The Fidget Game unveils a product concept that is fairly simple, yet engaging for children. By combining things that already exist (fidget mats, Reading cards, dice) to create something innovative. Pitched as a “multi-sensory, aligned with the science of reading,” “not your average board game” that works. The Fidget Game’s concept revolves around “card packs” each made for a specific grade level. These packs feature cards with words to be read, accompanied by symbols that dictate how to player should read it. There are only two symbols: a heart which signifies that the reader must know the word by heart without sounding it out, and a lightning bolt which signifies to the reader to quickly sound out the word. Correct pronunciation earns the player the chance to roll a die, and depending on the number they get, they can pop bubbles on the fidget mat. The first player to pop all the bubbles is the winner; The Fidget Game turns the learning process into an enjoyable and interactive game.

The Fidget Game fills a crucial gap in the early education system, addressing the challenge of engaging children who may struggle to focus on traditional learning methods. The early years of education is very important since it sets the tone for how students feel about school. If they are introduced to a more fun interactive way of learning, students are more likely to look forward to school, and look at it in a positive light. I know this from experience as I used to always have a hard time staying focused on a lesson for long periods of time, it was only when interactive activities like ‘Jeopardy’ or ‘Kahoot!’ were introduced that I found myself genuinely looking forward to learning. That’s why The Fidget Game fills gap in the education system adding another activity that helps students be engaged in what they are learning, instead of learning just to get to the next grade.

This product makes it easier for teachers and parents who are struggling with children who have a hard time studying, or learning. The Fidget Game makes it easier for teachers because it allows students who are always goofing off or at a low reading level to learn in a way that’s engaging. For parents with children who have a hard time studying due to feeling like school is the only place to learn, The Fidget Game makes studying at home more effective and enjoyable for their children.

Consumers should feel The Fidget Game is a need rather than a want, as it serves as a solution for children struggling with reading challenges, such as dyslexia. When searching up “Why is The Fidget Game important” first thing that comes up is “BENEFICIAL TO CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA learning to decode sight words is helpful to children with dyslexia and other learning difficulties”. The marketing strategy specifically targeting children with dyslexia is evident, shown in the majority of their products’ descriptions. Recent reviews further confirm that The Fidget Game’s products are delivering the promised benefits as advertised.

Based on what i learned in this unit’s textbook chapter, The Fidget Game could be best positioned to appeal to consumers by expanding its reach to different locations. If this company decides to expand towards different countries it could be very beneficial, many countries are now implementing English as a subject which requires students to read English words. The Fidget game holds significant potential for marketing to preteen generations in these regions, providing an engaging tool for learning English. If this product is marketed towards schools in different countries, it can serve as a crucial way for non-English speakers to learn while staying engaged.

Consumer Decision Making – Italian Takeout – Nebel Alsaidy

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Finding places to eat in the unfamiliar city of Salt Lake City, Utah, presents a challenge to me as a newcomer. With no prior knowledge of the local area, each step I take becomes crucial to ensure a good experience. The potential consequences of making a bad decision as a consumer ranges from wasting time trying to get refunds or having to suck it up and be dissatisfied with what you paid for. As a consumer with no knowledge on Salt Lake City, Utah I have to start with a blank slate, that means I must rely on the internet for most of my information. I will explain my process in order using the stages of need recognition, information search, and evaluation of alternatives to select the Italian Takeout restaurant that best suits my situation.

I have just moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, my fridge has not yet been stocked; my only other option for food is takeout. What I will be looking for specifically is Italian food; I do not have a lot to spend considering I just paid security so nothing too fancy, and I can only do delivery as I do not want to leave the comfort of my home. I start off my research by searching up on Google for “Italian takeout delivery in Salt Lake City”. I see that Google has filter options, so I put “rating” as “3.5 and up”, and “price” as “$$”. The factors I put the most importance to, is the customer reviews/ratings, and how big the portion sizes are based off pictures.

To evaluate alternatives, i narrowed it down to the best 3 choices based off their ratings. The 3 choices are “Caffe Molise”, “Olive Garden Italian Restaurant”, and “Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant”; I chose these 3 as they have the highest quantity of ratings and over 4+ stars each. I started off by looking at their posted pictures of dishes; “Caffe Molise” had very fancy unrecognizable dishes that would cover about 1/3 of the plate, upon seeing this I decided to cross “Caffe Molise” off the list. On the other hand, “Olive Garden Italian restaurant” and “Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant” had generous portions with dishes that look familiar to me. After looking over the menus for both restaurants, I can see that they serve mostly the same options and are priced relatively the same. That means my final decision will be based off recent customers reviews.

After looking over customer reviews and menu options, I decided that the restaurant of choice that I will be purchasing from is “Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant”. This is mainly because of the fact that many recent reviews on “Olive Garden Italian Restaurant” are people that are saying that their food is very “mediocre and bland”. While “Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant’s” reviews are mostly positive, with some reviews even showing off their finished plates.

After reflecting on my journey as a newcomer searching for takeout, it became clear that the consumer decision-making process plays a crucial role in every purchase. Each consumer has their own taste, so they will more than likely choose the option that best suits them. This experience also taught me that businesses need to think about who they want to attract as customers and what they can do to make sure their target audience keeps choosing them.

When selecting an Italian takeout restaurant, my preference leaned heavily toward affordability, considering I had just recently moved to an urban apartment. Going for a low-budget option, my focus was on something not too fancy yet big in portion. However, I recognize that preferences when considering dining are very diverse and can vary.  For some, the sit-in experience, with food served fresh from the kitchen, may be more important than getting food delivered to their home. There are even those who lean towards the fancier side, prioritizing quality over quantity with smaller portions. These varying preferences show the importance of consumer’s individual tastes, and/or financial situations, and how they can greatly influence whether they purchase something or not.

Apple – Enethical Cobalt Mining? Nebel Alsaidy

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Apple is a globally recognized tech giant, a company with a noticeable impact, even in third-world countries. Over the past decade, Apple has quadrupled in annual revenue, this shows its major influence on the world’s technology. The sleek, minimalistic, and user-friendly design consistently displayed in Apple’s products and websites has garnered them a devoted following. Their products, whether it be iPhones, MacBooks, or AirPods, maintain this theme consistently, this keeps both their loyal customer base and newcomers who are unfamiliar with technology.

However, beneath Apple’s iconic products and global influence lies a big concern, how do they ensure that the resources used to create these products are sourced ethically? This question leads us to look into Apple’s corporate social responsibility efforts and ethical values, examining how they address these concerns and what further steps they could take to create a more ethical, socially responsible, and sustainable business. In this paper, I will explore Apple’s history of unethical supply of resources, and what they are doing to combat it.

When examining Apple’s social responsibility efforts, it’s clear that the company places a strong emphasis on ethical practices, particularly in their supply chain. On their official website, under the section titled ‘Apple Values,’ a dedicated page highlights their ‘Supplier Responsibility.’ This page emphasizes Apple’s commitment to creating safer and more advanced facilities for their suppliers. It is clear that Apple actively enforces its dedication to combatting unsafe and unethical practices in its supply chain.

However, one may wonder whether Apple’s commitment to these values has always been as strong or if it has been influenced by external criticism. In the spring of this year 2023, I had seen many social media reports that drew attention to Apple’s cobalt sourcing practices, a major component in their batteries. Accusations of Apple fueling child labor and slavery in cobalt mining gained momentum across various social media platforms. This became a significant concern, as “more than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)”. I decided to look more deeply into this only to find out that up to 30% of this cobalt was sourced from artisanal and small-scale miners. Artisanal mining of cobalt is known to be toxic and poses substantial safety hazards. The alarming reports prompted numerous lawsuits filed by Congolese families, alleging that their children were harmed or killed while mining for cobalt.

The controversy surrounding Apple’s cobalt sourcing raised serious ethical and social responsibility questions. Consumers worldwide expressed their concern to supporting a company associated with child labor and unsafe working conditions. In response to these concerns, Apple took several steps to address the issue and improve their supply chain practices. In April 13, 2023 Apple’s vice president came out to announce “Our ambition to one day use 100 percent recycled and renewable materials in our products works hand in hand with Apple 2030: our goal to achieve carbon neutral products by 2030,” This quick response to action shows apple strives to keep their consumers happy, noticeable change occurred as well as “ A quarter of all cobalt used in Apple products came from recycled material in 2022, up from 13% a year earlier”

While Apple has made notable improvements in addressing concerns related to their supply chain, there is still room for improvement. To ensure a more ethical, socially responsible, and sustainable business, Apple could consider the following recommendations. Routinely checking detailed information about the sourcing of hazardous materials and regularly examining their suppliers to ensure they are up to par with their ethical and safety standards. Another major recommendation I think will greatly benefit Apple in the future is investing in safe supply chains or actively supporting artisanal miners into getting better equipment and safety gear. I believe this can greatly improve conditions in regions like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In conclusion, Apple, as a tech giant, carries a great responsibility not only in the products they deliver but also in the ethical and social responsibility they uphold. While the company has made significant efforts to address concerns regarding the ethics of their supply chain, recent controversies have shown that they still have a lot of work to do. The reports of unethical cobalt sourcing and the quick response by Apple demonstrate both the potential for positive change and the importance of staying on top of everything in corporate social responsibility. By actively staying on top of supply sources, investing in ethical sourcing, and educating consumers, Apple can continue to evolve into a example of ethical business practices in the modern world.

The consumer base, especially in a world that increasingly values ethics and sustainability, can act as a main factor for companies like Apple to prioritize ethical practices and sustainable business. As technology advances, so should the commitment to making the world a better place.

Sources: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11969607/Apple-use-100-recycled-cobalt-2025-accused-using-child-labor-mine.html

: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/16/apple-and-google-named-in-us-lawsuit-over-congolese-child-cobalt-mining-deaths

: https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/

Nebel Alsaidy

I'm Nebel Alsaidy, im 19 years old, born and raised in the Bronx, with Yemeni ethnicity. My major is business management, which I chose to make better decisions for my small accounting business "NA-TAX & BUSINESS SERVICES INC.". My hobbies are diverse, but one that has stuck with me is playing story-driven games, or soccer.

 

My BMCC email is: NEBEL.ALSAIDY08@STU.BMCC.CUNY.EDU