Differences Between Puritanism And Franklins Deist Views Religion Essay

Differences Between Puritanism And Franklins Deist Views Religion Essay In the mid to late 17th century, New England settlers were attempting to break away from Britain and begin a new society. They wanted to reinvent their own culture, govern themselves, and begin what they hoped would one day become a prosperous nation. One thing they wanted to have the liberty of practicing was religion, and having the choice of which particular religions they wished to follow. Puritanism and Deism were two different religions that were practiced in 17th century New England, and the differences between them sometimes were grounds for confrontations and conflict. The Puritan standpoint depicted in the works of John Winthrop, Michael Wigglesworth, John Dane, and Mary Rowlandson, and the Deist views of Benjamin Franklin differed in how they viewed their respective Gods, the way in which He created human beings, the view of life after death, and how God interacted in their everyday lives, while also holding the similar belief that God created everything in the universe wi th a purpose. The first difference between Puritanism and Franklins Deist views can be analyzed through their various views on how God created each individual human being. Puritans held the belief that all humans were inherently evil, so to speak, and that no one was worthy of eternal salvation from God. This view can also be called original sin, and the only way that Puritans could begin to fathom being rewarded through salvation was by living for the glory of God and serving Him in everything they do. In a word, Puritans held the belief that humans were not created equal, and certain individuals were destined for heaven, while others were not to be as fortunate. On the other hand, Deists were strong believers in the concept that every individual was created equal. In Benjamin Franklins piece entitled A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain he writes, If He is all-powerful, there can be nothing either existing or acting in the Universe against or without his Consent; and what H e consents to must be good, because He is good; therefore Evil doth not exist (Franklin, 26). This statement shows Franklins view of our Creator, which is the belief that no evil existed in the world, so humans were not created with the notion that they are unworthy and undeserving of Gods grace. Franklin goes on to say, And therefore every Creature must be equally esteemd by the Creator (Franklin, 27). According to Deists, their God was not a biased God, and every human was created equal, with no one having a better chance to make it to heaven than others. The Puritan and Deist views on afterlife are also an area where these two religions are not in sync with one another. Puritans believed in the concept of predestination, meaning that it was determined whether one was going to spend afterlife in heaven or hell at the time of their creation. In Day of Doom, Michael Wigglesworth, a minister in Massachusetts during the 17th century, explains how there will come a day when Christ returns to earth to judge who will be destined for heaven or doomed to hell. He writes that Christ explains to those who are being sent to hell deserve their eternal punishment, despite the fact that it was a foregone conclusion due to the fact that it had been predetermined. He also explains that in order to accept the offer of Gods salvation, one must be able to comprehend the meaning of such an offer. This puts certain members of society at an obvious advantage over others. For example, a middle-aged white male who has had some degree of education would surely have a greater understanding of the Bible than a new born baby would. A baby lacks the mental capacity to understand simple terms such as Mommy and Daddy, so attempting to gain an understanding of something as complex and powerful as the Bible would be far outside the realm of possibility. Due to this fact, babies fall into the category of those who are predestined to hell, an assumption that is sickening to think about. Deism is based on the grounds that the concept of afterlife does not exist. This view is mainly based on another belief that the Deist Franklin holds, which is pain and pleasure are always in perfect balance with each other throughout ones life. Every pleasure someone experiences will be followed by a pain of the same magnitude, and vice versa. Since there is no possibility of experiencing an excess of either pain or pleasure, then an afterlife would have no effect on a person because they would not be able to experience the immense joys of heaven or the pain and s uffering that is to be experienced in hell. Another difference among these two religions is the ways in how they view God interacting in everyday life. Both religions have stances on the role God plays in each persons life, however, they are quite different. On the Puritan side, their stands the belief that God tests individuals through trials and tribulations. By doing this, Puritans believe that God is showing that he loves them and cares for them. In a piece entitled A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson writes, Affliction I wanted, and Affliction I had, full measure, (I thought) pressed down and running over; yet I see when God calls a person to any thing, and through never so many difficulties, yet he is fully able to carry them through, and make them see and say they have been gainers thereby (Rowlandson, 20). Rowlandson experienced many hardships in her life, such as enduring a raid by a group of Indians, and even having to deal with the deaths of her children. However, Rowland son knew that this was only happening because her tough love God was only testing her ability to cope with these tragic events. She believes if she puts all her trust in God, then she will have the strength to overcome these obstacles and be a stronger person by it. On the other side of the spectrum, Deists believe that no evil actions can be done by God, and that because of this, God will not test humans by making them suffer through pain and sorrow. An all-powerful God is also an all-good God, and whatever is done by Him must be good. Franklin writes, For whatever an infinitely good God hath wise Ends in suffering to be, must be good, is thereby made good, and cannot be otherwise (Franklin, 26-27). According to Franklin, it is not possible for God to put one through pain and suffering, because these are evil things, and whatever God does must be good. This point relates back to the pain versus pleasure concept. Since pain and pleasure are always in balance throughout ones life, th ere is no way that one would suffer through these so called trials and tribulations that the Puritans believe in. The excess of pain that is surely to result from this is something that the Deists simply do not believe in. One of the few similarities between Puritanism and Franklins Deism was the belief they shared in that God created the world and universe, and that everything that He put on this earth was here for a reason. Puritans believed that God created the universe, and he held a more active role in the day-to-day lives of humans. Franklin also believed God indeed created the universe and everything it encompasses, but God was more distant from his creatures and that He did not intervene with peoples lives. Both Puritans and Deists also believed God had a reason for creating everything and everyone that is on this earth. They learned not to question the actions of God, because they knew Him to be an all-powerful and all-knowing God. Puritanism and Deism were two of the main religions practiced in 17th century New England, yet they clearly had their differences in beliefs in how God interacted with His world. The Puritan views captured by the works of Winthrop, Wigglesworth, Dane, and Rowlandson emphasized a strict following of the Bible and serving Him in everything you do. On the other hand, Franklins Deist belief was that God was more distant from the goings on of the everyday lives of human beings. He held a more loosely interpreted understanding of the Bible, yet still believed that as humans, you were still dependent upon God. One belief that was common to Puritanism and Deism was that God had an intended purpose behind everything he put on earth, and followers of both of these religions learned not to question His actions. The freedom to practice religion was one of the principles this country was founded on, and the practice of Puritanism and Deism during 17th century New England was an influential period that eventually helped lead to declaring independence from Great Britain.

The Role of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in Business Management

INTRODUCTION It is important to note that business ethics and CSR go hand in hand. In order to understand CSR, one must also understand ethics. Also, a socially responsible firm should also be an ethical firm and an ethical firm should also be a socially responsible firm. However, one might wonder as to why business ethics and CSR receive so much importance. Researchers are making it increasingly clear that the two concepts are essential for long term sustainability of an organisation. In today’s highly competitive business environment, business ethics and CSR are no more an option but a necessary practice activity for all organisations. Therefore, business ethics and CSR continue to be important to organisations and strong ethical value shall take a organisation a long way forward. 2. 1 INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ETHICS * 2. *1. 1 DEFINITION OF BUSINESS ETHICS Definitions of ethics abound. These include among others: The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and right and wrong or with moral duty and obligation (Hurn, 2008). Hurn (2008) testifies that ethics is also considered as the study of â€Å"human duty in its wider sense†, underlining the common thread of the recognition of obligation and acceptance of responsibility for how one's actions would impact on other people. However, Seital (2001) as cited by (Papasolomou-Doukakis et al. , 2005) defines ethics as the values that guide a person, organization, or society and the differences between right and wrong, fairness and unfairness, honesty and dishonesty. From another point of view Sutherland and Canwell (1997) as cited by (Papasolomou-Doukakis et al. , 2005) define ethics as â€Å" a particular code of behaviour, which to most people is considered to be a morally correct approach†. Cutlip et al. (2001) propose that an individual’s conduct is not only measured against ones conscious but also against some norm of acceptability that has been determined by the society, the profession or the organisation, as cited by (Papasolomou-Doukakis et al. , 2005). It is generally agreed that ethical principles are devised mainly from the undamental beliefs and value systems developed within a culture, such as religious beliefs, traditions, importance of the family structure, national identity and cohesion (Hurn, 2008). From my understanding, ethics attempts to tell us what is and what is not morally acceptable within a particular society or culture and how people ought to behave towards each other in various contexts, including busine ss. According to Trezise (1996), Business ethics tries to answer the question: â€Å"What is the role and function of business in society†? In doing so it explores the difference between ethical values in the private, economic and political spheres of human activity, and does this by borrowing eclectically from law, philosophy, economics, politics, history and psychology. However, Hurn (2008) believes that Business ethics, therefore, can be defined as the application of moral and ethical considerations in a business setting. Furthermore, Nisberg (1988) as cited by (Kilcullen and Kooistra, 1999) defines business ethics as â€Å"as a set of principles that guides business practices to reflect a concern for society as a whole while pursuing profits†. text:list-item} There are mainly three types of Business Ethics which would affect the organisation in one way or the other. The different types of ethics, each bringing a different outcome to an organisation is such as: Social ethics: an approach that came from Greek society and is based on the Greeks’ idea of basic rules for civilized living, but which is differ ent from one group or society to another. In other words, organization A may have different ethics to organization B by virtue of a different set of values and/or principles (Orme and Ashton, 2008). In short, it is likely to be based on a firm’s beliefs about the integrity and quality of the information provided. But the starting points for its ethical stances differ, according to a firm’s particular values or principles. These differences in approach are valuable in differentiating a particular company from its competitors in a difficult marketplace. Transcendental ethics: rely on the absolute concept of right and wrong and a sense of justice, which is applied equally regardless of any social, geographical or cultural restriction. The author claims that it is our view that organizations are moving towards this particular understanding of ethics, and that it represents the next phase of evolution for companies across the world. It involves taking some unpopular decisions that ultimately will have beneficial results in the long term. It relies on leaders being able to operate ethically (Orme and Ashton, 2008). 2. 1. 3 IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS Fisher (2003), states that the main reason for businesses to do the right thing is that the readers believe that good ethics is good for the bottom line. The workplace is a collection of different cultures that differs in their ethical behaviour. Therefore, organisations cannot afford to ignore ethics. Indeed ethics has been added to the corporate value of many organisations (Orme and Ashton, 2003). Business ethics helps generate trust between an organisation and its stakeholders (Holme, 2008). For example, while looking for a supplier, an organisation would rather work with one that has clear ethical values rather than a supplier who is known to be unethical. Therefore, the higher the level of trust with a supplier, the better the relationship hence the better the business. When a problem arises, that is when trust build up over a period of time really pays off . 2. 1. 4 BARRIERS OF BUSINESS ETHICS There are some areas of ethical dilemma which organisation will encounter during the practice of Business Ethics. The two main barriers an organisation may encounter are: Bribery and corruption Counterfeiting According to Hurn (2008), corruption is intrinsically immoral and at times downright criminal, causing harm to the economy, public life and individuals, and, if accepted, may encourage organized crime. Corruption can include: attempts to secure government or other contracts by bribery; payments because of extortion, blackmail and protection; facilitating government services that companies are entitled to receive but whose provision is delayed by excessive bureaucracy; and price-fixing. As a result of the spotlight on bribery and corruption, many companies have designed their own code of ethics. Their development has been strongly endorsed by K. Rushton, the Director of the London-based Institute of Business Ethics, as â€Å"a code of ethics underpins the values of any business. Without it a corporation will have no moral compass† (Hurn 2008). As confirmed by Hurn (2008), counterfeiting or the production of fake goods, which is the result of the theft of intellectual property, is another area of ethical concern in business. It can have the following effects: stealing jobs and revenue from legitimate producers; flooding the market with cheap counterfeit goods; potential health hazards for customers, e. g. fake pharmaceutical products, cigarettes, unsafe manufactured goods, e. g. tyres, toys and electrical goods.. With the barriers above, respect for the genuine brand drops when a large numbers of fakes are produced which leads to low performance by the organization. 2. 2 INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Stewardship CSR – obligation towards those in need or affected by their company’s action Corroll (2001) as cited by Lantos, (2002) states that economic responsibilities includes being profitable for shareholders, while proving economic benefits to other corporate stakeholders, such as fair-paying jobs for employees and good quality, fairly-priced products for customers. Legal responsibilities involve conducting business legally. Ethical responsibilities go beyond the law by avoiding harm or social injury; respecting people’s moral rights; and doing what is right, just, fair (Smith and Quelch, 1993) as cited by (Lantos, 2002) and caring. Philanthropic responsibilities entail â€Å"giving back† time and money in the form of voluntary financial giving and service. However, Friedman (1996) as cited by Lantos (2002) famously argued that a corporation’s only social responsibility is its fiduciary duty to maximize shareholder wealth, while obeying the law and basic canons of ethics. Here, Friedman laid the groundwork for arguments against Carroll’s (2000) philanthropic responsibilities Lantos (2002) proposed that the confusion about the meaning and legitimacy of CSR could be clarified by suggesting three types of CSR, which are: Ethical CSR Altruistic CSR (Humanitarian CSR) Strategic CSR (Refer Appendix 3) Similarly, Lantos (2002) states that Ethical CSR is morally mandatory and goes beyond fulfilling a firm’s economic and legal obligations, to its ethical responsibilities to avoid harm or social injuries, even if the business might not appear to benefit from this. Hence, a corporation is morally responsible to any individual or group where it might inflict actual or potential injury from a particular course of action. Altruistic CSR relates to Corroll (2000)’s fourth type of CSR, Philanthropic Responsibility. These entail voluntarily â€Å"giving back† time and money to good works which contribute to the well-being of various societal stakeholders, even if this sacrifices part of the business’s profitability (no author, 2003). Philanthropic Responsibility- â€Å"giving back† time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving – is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies. Lantos (2001) proposed that there are a number of arguments for Altruistic CSR. The most basic justification for humanitarian CSR is the social contract argument previously discussed. â€Å"Business is a major social institution that should bear the same kinds of citizenship costs for society that an individual citizen bears† (Davis, 1983) as cited by Lantos (2001). Furthermore, it is said that just as you and I have an obligation to take into consideration all of the parties that we directly and significantly affect, so too are businesses required to take into consideration all parties that they will affect. However, (no author, 2003) argues that from ethical perspective Altruistic CSR is immoral as it violates shareholder property rights, unjustly seizing stockholder wealth, and bestows benefits for the general welfare at the expenses of those for whom the firm should care in close relationships such as employees and customers. Furthermore, the author also states that corporation need not guiltily â€Å"give back† to society since a business pays taxes in return for any benefits it receives. Altruistic CSR, to me has a two face view as it may be unjust on one hand and at the same time it may do a great deed. However, I believe that no one is in the position to seize ones wealth and force one to sacrifice it. Strategic CSR is done to accomplish strategic business goals – good deeds are believed to be good for business as well as for society. With strategic CSR, corporations â€Å"give back† to their constituencies because they believe it to be in their best financial interests to do so. As cited by Lantos (2001) this is â€Å"philanthropy aligned with profit motives† (Quester and Thompson, 2001) – social goals might be profitable in the long run since market forces provide financial incentives for perceived socially responsible behavior. The greatest benefit of such activities to the firm lies in their marketing communications value and accrued goodwill among publics. Strategic CSR activity should improve corporate image and increase motivation and loyalty, primarily among employees and customers, but also with other key constituencies such as suppliers of marketing services and retailers. For instance, â€Å"socially responsible† firms like Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. , the Body Shop, and Tom’s of Maine have clearly benefited in immense goodwill from their good works, which means that, as Ben & Jerry’s mission statement tellingly reveals, â€Å"As we help others, we cannot help but help ourselves† (no author, 2003). Thus, corporations contribute to their constituencies not only because it is a kind and generous thing to do, but also because they believe it to be in their best financial interests to do so, thereby fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities to the stockholders. Strategic CSR is moral and commendable because it benefits stockholders while helping other stakeholders. This not only minimizes harm to the firm’s image but also ensures that stockholders are not unknowingly fund activities that go against their own values. When volunteerism leads to higher employee morale and hence productivity gains, or contributes to the local community, gaining better quality recruits for the business, there is a â€Å"win-win† situation that benefits both the firm and its constituencies (no author, 2002). All the authors mentioned above have very strong point of view of their own, however I strongly be of the opinion that CSR would do best with just Ethical CSR and Strategic CSR, which cover a slight element of Philanthropic CSR. From my point of view Altruistic CSR is inequality to certain group that are closely related to the organization who practice it. 2. . 3 IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY It has been argued that all organization have an impact on society and the environment through their operations, products and services and through their interaction with key stakeholders and therefore CSR is important in all firms, large and small ( Williams, 2005; Hopkins, 2003) as cited by Sweeney (20 07). CSR is of relevance to a broader section of people than just stakeholders. It has political significance for governments of poorer and developing countries. Corporate conduct which is informed by CSR can, for example, contribute to the integration of foreign workers, o general education and training, employees’ retirement conditions and health benefits. CSR can also help governments address social and economic development needs in developing countries; it can help fight corruption and contribute to the implementation of human rights. Under these criteria, CSR can contribute in a major way to the welfare of their employees, and set examples for competing employers (Buhmann, 2006). Prout (2006) strongly believes that CSR plays a very important role in all organisations as CSR works ethically in many manner that brings benefits to all. According to Prout (2006) CSR is important as it is: Cost effective Reduce costumer’s risk and financial exposure and Gives firm a competitive advantage. He further states that, pollution prevention makes sense not because of end of pipe regulation, but because it has become cost effective approach to materials management. Product stewardship makes sense not because of waste disposal laws, but because it can reduce the customer’s risk and financial exposure. And the development and commercialization of clean technologies that reduce inputs as well as outputs makes sense because it can give one firm a competitive advantage. However, as argued by Moir (2001), CSR plays a part in solving social problems that arise in an organisation. He also further states that CSR would enhance reputation and greater employee loyalty and retention. The Commission of the European Communities (2002) as cited by (Jones et al . , 2005) argues that CSR has gained increasing recognition amongst companies as an important element in new and emerging forms of governance because it helps them to respond to a new set of fundamental changes in the overall business environment. These changes include globalisation and the responsibilities companies feel the need to address as they increasingly source products and services in developing countries; the issues of image and reputation, which have become increasingly important elements in corporate success; and the need for companies to recruit and retain highly skilled personnel. Girod and Bryane (2003) as cited by (Jones et al. , 2005) adopt a strategic marketing perspective arguing that CSR is â€Å"a key tool to create, develop and sustain differentiated brand names†. National and international governments have also been active in promoting CSR. Carlisle and Faulkner (2004) as cited by Sweeney (2007) has argued that SMEs are likely to experience a wide range of barriers including, a perception that CSR does not relate to SMEs and resource constraints such as financial, human and time limitations. Large firms tended to agree with this and argued that small firms, in comparison to themselves may lack resources such as finances, human resources or time to devote to CSR and this can act as a barrier preventing them from undertaking CSR. It was also mentioned from some large firm respondents that smaller firms may not feel CSR is an issue for smaller firms to concern themselves with and as such the main barrier may simple be a perception that there is no need for them to concern themselves with CSR (Sweeney, 2007). One of the main crucial barriers of CSR is corruption according to Lewicka-Strzalecka (2006), corruption is accompanied by economic stagnation and social decline. Therefore, it may be not ungrounded to suppose that there is a relation between the level of corruption in a country and social responsibility of companies of this country. Lewicka-Strzalecka (2006) believes that the high level of corruption discourages managers and businessmen from creating positive, long-standing relations with specific stakeholders, because the position of their companies is hardly dependant on their customers, employees, partners, and the local community. They are instead likely to get involved in corrupt deals with high-ranking state officials, in order to win tenders, ensure their access to the market, or get various licenses. Members of various social, consumers', and other non-governmental organisations use the resources assigned for social and ecological goals for their own private interest (Lewicka- Strzalecka, 2006). Lewicka- Strzalecka (2006) claims that one of the theoretical problems of CSR is the question of precisely defining a company's duties towards its stakeholders. The author then further states that if the demand towards business is specified too broadly, authorities and individuals feel exempted from their responsibility. One of the unintentional results of the CSR policy can be growing expectations from specific stakeholders, as well as indifference of the local and central government, which is only too glad to dispose of a part of its duties. When a company helps people in other than purely financial terms, it may be perceived as an example of paternalistic attitude towards the employees. For instance, dismissed employees think that the company would do better if it gave them specific sums of money instead of financing their outplacement, i. e. covering costs of training and providing psychological help (Lewicka- Strzalecka, 2006). Lewicka- Strzalecka (2006) also alleges that another of the results of CSR is the development of the welfare-state mentality. The author further explains it as; if a company voluntarily helps individuals or groups, after a certain time those groups can go on to regard it as something that is rightfully theirs, or even propose other demands. Systematic help may encourage acquired helplessness, damp entrepreneurship, and even establish a dependency between the business and those who could otherwise act on their own in the market or society 2. 3 BUSINESS ETHI*CS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT It is extremely important for managers to behave in ways that are ethical and consider the greater good of the organisation and its employees. Since ethics plays a major role in business management future managers therefore need to be aware of the positive and negative implications with one’s behaviour and hence this will allow them to think about how ethical and unethical behaviour has future effects. One of the main rolesof business ethics in business management is for managers to act as a role model by demonstrating ethical behaviour in order to set a leading example for other employees to look upon (Duarte, 2008). Another role of Business Ethics in business management involves creating a competitive advantage by creating resources that are socially complex, difficult to imitate and pass through critical time dependent stages (Dierickx and Cool, 1989; Barney, 1991; Amit and Schoemaker, 1993) as cited by (Galbreath, 2009). Such resources can be created based on reputation and trust which is not so easily imitated by competitors (Fombrun and Shanley, 1990; Barney and Hansen, 1994) as cited by (Galbreath, 2009). Similarly, Jones (1995) as cited by (Galbreath, 2009) argues that firms who develop relationship with stakeholders based on honesty, trust and corporation are in a better position to gain an advantage over firms that do not. The reason being is that developing trust and corporation between stakeholders takes time, which in turn leads to mutually beneficial value exchanges which help gain advantages that lead to improved performance. Business ethics also plays a vital role in helping an organisation in creating a strong positive corporate image which is believed to be the foundation for building successful commercial relationships with different target publics. However, business ethics is also central in generating faith and trust between an organisation and its stakeholder (Papasolomou-Doukakis et al. , 2005). Furthermore, Chajet (1989) as cited by (Papasolomou-Doukakis_ et al_. 2005) postulates that a company with a good image can more easily attract audiences that influence the success of the organisation such as investors, partners, employees and customers. Therefore Business Ethics highly contributes to enhanced performance. CSR undeniably plays a very important role in Business Management. According to Moir (2001) CSR plays a major role in building a sustainable growth for business in a responsible manner. The author further states that CSR brings many forms of business benefits which include enhanced reput ation and greater loyalty and retention. Furthermore The World Business Council for Sustainable Development on CSR (WBCSD, 1999) as cited by (Moir, 2001) states that CSR plays a major role in controlling risk, identifying market opportunities, improving reputation and maintaining public support. Buhmann (2006), reports the example of international companies who are recruiting employees that might otherwise find it difficult to get employed; this includes the recruitment of immigrant, refugees and disable people. In such a scenario, CSR plays a leading role in achieving a profile of decency within communities, and can have the advantage of attracting goodwill from governments in their efforts to integrate migrant workers or refugees who would otherwise have to be supported out of public funds. Organisations firmly believe that long term economic viability is in the interest of all stakeholders and that by integrating CSR into their organisation, it will play a role of providing long term growth and financial security for those stakeholders and to aintain or enhance their market position for example health and safety at work, training and management development all help to promote stability, security and efficiency within the workforce (Jones et al. , 2005). CSR also plays a role of giving organisations a competitive advantage over their competitors. CSR can take form of taking care of employees by providing them with benefits which could be a source of competitive advantage (Smith, 2007). A c ompetitive advantage also depends on reputation as well as on people, products and prices. Therefore, an organisation’s position in the market place depends on its acting in a socially responsible manner and how socially responsible its publics perceive it to be (Papasolomou-Doukakis et al. , 2005). Lantos (2001) states that prior to the 1960s, business ethics was not a major concern of business people. Rather, it was left to theologians to discuss issues of fair wages, unfair labor practices, and the morality of capitalism. The Protestant work ethic taught people to work hard and be successful – this was the essence of business’ social responsibility. He also declares that, beginning in the 1960s ethical issues in business were raised on an unprecedented scale. Consequently, we heard consumer outcries against insensitive and immoral business practices. As a reaction to the negative publicity, by the mid-1970s, the concept of raising corporate USA’s consciousness was in vogue in both corporate boardrooms and college classrooms. The idea was that enterprises should not single-mindedly pursue profit without regard to morality. Thus, since the 1970s, society’s expectations of business ethics have been climbing. Unlike yesteryear, productivity alone is no longer considered sufficient morally to justify a business organization. Also important is how wealth generation affects non-economic aspects of society, such as the welfare of employees, customers, and other members of the business system, as well as other outside groups and the natural environment (Lantos, 2001). Here is where CSR comes in. As the finding of Kilcullen and Kooistra (1999) states that CSR have canteredon the long-term advantages of socially responsible behaviour, advantages such as greater customer and employee loyalty and a more supportive external environment. 3. CONCLUSION To understand CSR one must also understand Business Ethics. Organisations need to have a commitment to developing and maintaining an ethical organisational culture. This organisational culture is considered Social glue by Serpa (1985) as cited by (Wood and Rentschler, 2003), as it binds the organisation around its values, beliefs and ways in which it e stablishes and executes organisational practice. If CSR is practiced effectively, it can be extremely beneficial to an organisation by creating customer loyalty and also helps in gaining a competitive advantage. However, I disagree with Altruistic CSR as I feel it is immoral. I strongly contemplate that seizing one’s wealth for another is immoral and therefore Altruistic CSR is partially inequitable, in my point of view. Albeit the above, from my understanding I consider Business ethics and CSR to be about similar to one another. Reason being; when an organisation practices CSR, indirectly Business ethics is being practiced. This can be proven as CSR is practised with betterment of both the society and organisation in mind. Therefore, having in mind the interest of a party that may not matter to the organisation shows ethical responsibility which is a part of Business ethics. Hence CSR and Business Ethics are similar in their own manner. REFERENCE JOURNALS Amit, R. and Schoemaker, P. (1993), ‘Strategic assets and organisational rents’, _Journal of Strategic Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 33-47, as cited by Galbreath, J. (2009), ‘Building corporate social responsibility into strategy’, Journal of European Business Review_, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 109-127. 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Serpa, R. 1985), ‘Creating a candid corporate culture’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 4, pp. 425-430. Smith, A. D. (2007), ‘Making the case for the competitive advantage of corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Business Strategy Series, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 186-195 Sweeney, L. (2007), ‘Corporate social respons ibility in Ireland: barriers and opportunities experienced by SMEs when undertaking CSR’, Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 516-523. Tresize, E. K. (1996), ‘An introduction to business ethics for human resource management teaching and research’, Journal of Personnel Review, Vol. 5, No. 6, pp. 85-89. Williams, A. (2005), ‘Consumer social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Policy, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 34-35, Sweeney, L. (2007), ‘Corporate social responsibility in Ireland: barriers and opportunities experienced by SMEs when undertaking CSR’, Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 516-523. Wood, D. J. (1991), ‘Corporate social performance revisited’, _Journal of Management Review, Vol. 16, pp. 691-718, as cited by Moir, L. (2001), ‘What do we mean by corporate social responsibility? ’, Journal of Corporate governance_, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 16-22. Wood, G. and Rentschler, R. 2003), †˜Ethical behaviour: the means for creating and maintaining better reputations in arts organisations’, Journal of Management Decision, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 528-537. BOOKS Carroll, A. B. (2000), ‘The four faces of corporate citizenship’, McGraw-Hill, Guiltford, as cited by Lantos, G. P. (2002), ‘The ethicality of altruisic corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 205-232. Carroll, A. B. (2001), ‘Ethical challenges for business in the new millennium: Corporate social responsibility and models of management morality’, McGraw-Hill, Guilford, as cited by Lantos, G. P. (2001), ‘The boundaries of strategic corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp. 595-632. Cutlip, S. M. , Center, A. H. , Broom, G. M. (2000), ‘Effective Public Relations’, Prentice Hall, Saddle River, New Jersey, as cited by Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. , Krambia-Kapardis, M. , Katsioloudes, M. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility: the way forward? Maybe not! ’, Journal of European Business Review, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 263-279. Davies, K. (1983), ‘An expanded view of the social responsibility of business’, 2nd ed, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, as cited by Lantos, G. P. (2001), ‘The boundaries of strategic corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 18, No. 7, pp. 595-632. Friedman, M. (1996), ‘The social responsibility of business is to increase profits’, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, as cited by Lantos, G. P. (2002), ‘The ethicality of altruisic corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 205-232. Hopkins, M. (2003), ‘The Planetary Bargain, Corporate Social Responsibility Matters’, Earthscan Publications Ltd, London, Sweeney, L. 2007), ‘Corporate social responsibility in Ireland: barriers and opportunities experienced by SMEs when undertaking CSR’, Journal of Corporate Governance, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 516-523. Mackiewicz, A. (1993), ‘Guide to Building a Global Image’, McGraw-Hill, New York, as cited by Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. , Krambia-Kapardis, M. , Katsioloudes, M. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility: the way forward? Maybe not! ’, Journal of European Business Review, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 263-279. Seitel, F. P. (2001), ‘The practice of public relations’, 8th ed, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, as cited by Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. Krambia-Kapardis, M. , Katsioloudes, M. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility: the way forward? Maybe not! ’, Journal of European Business Review, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 263-279. Smith, N. C. and Quelch, J. A. (1993), ‘Ethics in Marketing’, Irwin, Homewood, Illinois, as cited by Lantos, G. P. (2002), ‘The ethicality of altruisic corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 205-232. INTERNET ARTICLES Commission of the European Communities (2001), ‘Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility’, available at: http://europa. u. int/eur-lex/en/comg pr/2001/com2001_0366en01. pdf , as cited by Jones, P. , Comfort, D. , Hillier, D. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility and the UK’s top ten retailers’, Journal of Retail and distribution Management, Vol. 33, No. 12, pp. 882-892. Commission of the European Communities (2002), ‘Communication from the Commission concerning Corporate Social Responsibility: A business contribution to sustainable development’, available at: http://europa. eu. int/comm? Employment_social/soc-dial/csr/csr2002_en. pdf, Jones, P. , Comfort, D. , Hillier, D. 2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility and the UK’s top ten retailers’, Journal of Retail and distribution Management, Vol. 33, No. 12, pp. 882-892. Confederation of British Industry (2001), ‘CBI response to the European commission green paper on: ‘promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility’, available at: www. europa. eu. int/comm/employment_social/soc-dia l/csr/cbi_uk_en011219. htm, as cited by Jones, P. , Comfort, D. , Hillier, D. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility and the UK’s top ten retailers’, Journal of Retail and distribution Management, Vol. 33, No. 12, pp. 82-892. The World Bank Group (2004), ‘Corporate social responsibility’, available at: www. worldbank. org/development communications/where1/environment/csr. htm, as cited by Jones, P. , Comfort, D. , Hillier, D. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility and the UK’s top ten retailers’, Journal of Retail and distribution Management, Vol. 33, No. 12, pp. 882-892. CONFERENCE PAPERS Kitchen, P. J. , Schultz, D. E. (2002), ‘Managing reputation: global issues and problems’, paper presented at the 7th Annual Conference on Corporate and Marketing Communications, 29-30 April, as cited by Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. Krambia-Kapardis, M. , Katsioloudes, M. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility: the way forwa rd? Maybe not! ’, Journal of European Business Review, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 263-279. Poiesz, T. B. C. (1988), ‘The image concept: Its place in consumer psychology and its potential for other psychological area’, paper presented at the 24th International Congress of Psychology, Sydney, as cited by Papasolomou-Doukakis, I. , Krambia-Kapardis, M. , Katsioloudes, M. (2005), ‘Corporate social responsibility: the way forward? Maybe not! ’, Journal of European Business Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 263-279. To amass this literature review, the most applicable or significant source would be secondary sources as it is very reliable and valid. Although there are many secondary sources available but journals retrieved from emerald insight database are mostly used in this literature review. The reason being is that journals published in the site have been permitted by many other researchers who hold high ranks. The credibility of the journals used is also considered much higher because journals on emerald are reviewed before being published. However most of the journal authors hold high ranks in universities. For example, Geoffrey Lantos is a professor of Business Administration at Stonehill College, USA. Maureen Kilcullen is also an assistant professor at Kent University, USA. Lance Moir is a senior lecturer in Finance and Accounting at Cranfield School of Management. Moir also has a considerable amount of work experience as he was the Head of Corporate Finance and Planning at Storehouse plc from 1985 to 1990 and the director of Corporate Finance at Bass plc from 1991 to 1994. He is also the author of Managing Liquidity. Therefore, from their positions and experience, it can be seen that the authors are very well established in their qualification. All journals are also found to be very consistent, well presented with a valuable amount of information and include a good number of references. All the journals used in this literature do not have pre assumptions and are not biased. In addition, all these sources are up to date, considered to be reliable and valid and they have been picked from an authentic source. Appendix 2: Mind Map Appendix 3: Types of CSR {draw:frame} Source : Lantos (2001)

Manchester United Essay

We aim to increase our revenue and profitability by expanding our high growth businesses that leverage our global community and marketing infrastructure. The key elements of our strategy are: Expand our portfolio of global and regional sponsors: We are well positioned to continue to secure sponsorships with leading brands. Over the last few years, we have implemented a proactive approach to identifying, securing and supporting sponsors. In addition, we are focused on expanding a regional sponsorship model, segmenting new opportunities by product category and territory. As part of this strategy, we have opened an office in Asia and are in the process of opening an office in North America. These are in addition to our London and Manchester offices. Further develop our retail, merchandising, apparel & product licensing business: We will focus on growing this business on a global basis by increasing our product range and improving distribution through further development of our wholesale , retail and e-commerce channels. Manchester United branded retail locations have opened in Singapore, Macau, India and Thailand, and we plan to expand our global retail footprint over the next several years. In addition, we will also invest to expand our portfolio of product licensees to enhance the range of product offerings available to our followers. Exploit new media & mobile opportunities: The rapid shift of media consumption towards internet, mobile and social media platforms presents us with multiple growth opportunities and new revenue streams. Our digital media platforms, such as mobile sites, applications and social media, are expected to become one of the primary methods by which we engage and transact with our followers around the world. In addition to developing our own digital properties, we intend to leverage third party media platforms and other social media as a means of further engaging with our followers and creating a source of traffic for our digital media assets. Our new media & mobile offering s are in the early stages of development and present opportunities for future growth. Enhance the reach and distribution of our broadcasting rights: The value of live sports programming has grown dramatically in recent years due to changes in how television content is distributed and consumed. Specifically, television consumption has become more fragmented and audiences for traditional scheduled television programming have declined as consumer choice increased  with the emergence of multi-channel television, the development of technologies such as the digital video recorder and the emergence of digital viewing on the internet and mobile devices. The unpredictable outcomes of live sports ensures that individuals consume sports programming in real time and in full, resulting in higher audiences and increased interest from television broadcasters and advertisers. We are well positioned to benefit from the increased value and the growth in distribution associated with the Premier League, the Champions League and other competitions. Furthermore, MUTV, our global broadcasting platform, delivers Manchester United programming to 54 countries around the world. We plan to expand the distribution of MUTV by improving the quality of its content and its production capabilities. Diversify revenue and improve margins: We aim to increase the revenue and operating margins of our business as we further expand into our high growth commercial businesses, including sponsorship, retail, merchandising, licensing and new media & mobile. By increasing the emphasis on our commercial businesses, we will further diversify our revenue, enabling us to generate improved profitability. The five forces model of Michael Porter looks like the following if applied to Mu Ltd.: SUPPLIER POWER High diversity of suppliers Volume is important to supplier MU differentiates of inputs Inputs have a high impact on costs and differentiation Switching costs of firms in the industry are low There is a low Presence of substitute inputs BARRIERS TO ENTRY There is quite an easy access to inputs The is a government policy promoting quite free entry in case certain registration type of requirements are fulfilled There is economies of scale High capital requirements There are strong brand identity in the succer sector of the sports industry Switching costs are high Easy access to distribution Low expected retaliation THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES Low switching costs Buyers are not highly inclined to substitute Price-performance, to a certain level, has no influence on the preffered team Trade-off of substitutes DEGREE OF RIVALRY High exit barriers Low industry concentration High fixed costs/High value added Low industry growth Low product differences Low switching costs High brand identity High diversity of rivals BUYER POWER Bargaining leverage is neither high, neither low Buyer volume upon successful times are high Buyer information can be considered high Brand identity is strong Price sensitivity is not extremely high Product differentiation is very high Buyer concentration vs. industry is low Many substitutes are available Source: http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml Key Performance Indicators (KPI) The other, as mentioned before, is the KPI, or key performance indicators. As the Affiliated League Club lists, the KPI of a sports klubs must be the following( p.3,http://nemjfa.homestead.com/BUSINESSPLAN.pdf ): Sound business plan Stable administration, close communication between all levels of Club Management High quality coaches at both senior and underage levels High profile and acceptance within the community Strong Club presence in schools, both primary and secondary Sound oval management, high standard of club facilities Sound financial management, expenses kept in line with income base Development of Juniors, particularly local based players Manchester United Ltd. is a very professional company, and is in possession of these characteristics. It actually needs so, if it wants to achieve its declared goal, „to be the most successful teem in football† (http://ir.manutd.com/manutd/about/bustrat/). As to the last part of the question, identifying internal and external factors, please refer back to the Porter’s Five Forces Model above Major cost categories of the company, the drivers behind these costs, and the internal and external factors that influence costs the most There are three major cost categories, those related to the operation and development of the corporate Manchester United, the costs related to the operation and development of the sporting club, and other, related costs. The corporate costs include such costs as dept and maintance costs, and costs related to the commercial activities of the company. Examples of club related cost include the compensation of the players and staff, and purchase of new players and stuff. The other costs include, for instance infrastructural costs, such as the maintance and development cost of the stadium of MU, the „Old Trafford†. The drivers of the costs of Manchester United, and the internal and external factors that influence the cost structure and levels of these cost in all the three major categories can be observed in the second part of question 1, in the Porter’s Five Forces Model. What companies are comparable companies Other English football club corporations like Chelsea and Arsenal of London, Everton, and Liverpool. Companies operating football clubs are very dinstinct from companies of other industries, and the larger football clubs are probably very similar to each other in how they conduct their business, all having some income sources, tickets, clothing, that are the same. Method most appropriate to assess the value of the company, advantages and disadvantages of the relative and the DCF methods. If we are looking at the performance of the company, probably the profitability is the measure that should be used, because it measures the efficientcy of the financial performance of the company. DCF Method: Advantages: As DCF analysis is based on the assumptions of the CAPM, it is an analytically correct valuation method. In contrast to the Comparable Companies analysis, volatile market conditions do not have an impact on the results. DCF therefore is often used as an additional point of reference. Since the discount rate is usually derived from the WACC, the DCF takes account of the relative riskiness of the projected cash flow. Accounting rules do not influence this approach, as valuation is based on projected cash flow. growth period period of stable growth. Multiples appropriate for the comparison of the company with other comparative companies, what financial and non-financial measures should be a basis of compari Probably the best multiple to measure the success of a club is the games won to the sum of tied and lost games. This is important, because the more games a club can win, the more the corporate club can achieve in its merchadising, and the more sponsors it will be able to attract. This multiple would be considered to be a non-funancial measure. A financial measure applicable to football corporations would be profitability if the company, as it, though with limmitations, measures how efficiently the club is operating. Another financial measure would be the revenues per players in a complete season. Shortcomings: Since the terminal value often represents more than 50% of the entire DCF value it is therefore highly sensitive to the underlying assumptions, especially regarding the growth component in the terminal value and the discount rate. Using historical stock returns when estimating the beta depends heavily on the choice of the index. For volatile companies the beta is very high, resulting in a relatively high discount rate and a low net present value of cash flows. Estimating a â€Å"correct† value by applying the DCF approach therefore depends to a large extend on the expertise and industry knowledge of the person doing the valuation. Moreover, the DCF approach neither considers different management options nor future investment opportunities. It only works if cash flows are subject to little uncertainty and the company is managed by a static management team. It does not capture the â€Å"true† value if there are large initial losses, highly  volatile earnings or immense initial growth rates.† (WEITZEL, GELLINGS, BEIMBORN and KÃâ€"NIG, 2003, IS Valuation Methods- Insights from Capital Markets Theory and Practice –, p.5-6.) Relative method: Advantages: As the comparable companies method is based on public information, market moods and perceptions are reflected, since it measures the relative and not the intrinsic value. Relative valuation is based upon fewer assumptions and can be conducted faster than DCF valuation. Shortcomings: The simplicity of valuation by multiples is its deficiency [Benninga/Sarig 1997, 305]. Since no value determinants are analyzed, it is important to carefully select comparable firms. Also, outside variables like mergers and acquisitions in the respective sector can influence stock prices. Figures often fail to capture intangible assets, like quality of management. Hence, CC based valuation should provide a valuable â€Å"sanity check† to assure the validity of a DCF analysis, but it should not be the only valuation method used [Benninga/Sarig 1997, 305].† (WEITZEL, GELLINGS, BEIMBORN and KÃâ€"NIG, 2003, IS Valuation Methods- Insights from Capital Markets Theory and Practice –, p.7-8.) Limitations of applying the relative and the DCF methods to the evaluation of the company, what can be done to overcome this problem There are a number of limitations of applying the relative and the DCF methods to the evaluation of the company. For instance, purchasing new players and coaches cost a lot of money; it is not rare that that amount of money reaches one million euros. As it was seen in the above summary of the disadvantages of the DCF method. A possible solution to this problem, though not very humane, the cost of these players and coaches could be depreciated over the time frame of the contract involved, just as it is done in the case of new infrastructural expenditures. In the case of the Relative method, the problem is that the progression of the team in the national, that is in the Premier League, and in the international cups and championships, were much different both in the near past and will probably be in the future also. This increases the risk of the cyclicality of the business. This cyclicality can be much different in the case of the different corporate clubs, which makes the incomes and thus other results of the companies very difficult to  compare. Links for more information Porter five forces analysis – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Porter’s five forces is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It draws upon Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determi Performance indicator – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A performance indicator or key performance indicator (KPI) is a measure of performance. Such measures are commonly used to help an organization define and evaluate how successful it is, typically in terms of making progress towards its long-term Manchester United Official Web Site The official site with news, transfer rumours, online ticket sales, live match commentary, video highlights, player profiles, mobile content, wallpapers and more. Manchester united  Manchester United (ManU) is one of the leading football clubs in the world. ManU has won many titles in the football competition making the club to be the most successful football club in the world. The success of this club is contributed by the good management of Sir Alex Ferguson who has been the manager since 1986 when Ron Atkinson left (Official website, ManU). Introduction The football industry in UK has become popular because of the first successes in the industry, an attribute that made it a viable business. The main aim of this report is to analyze the SWOT and PEST analysis of Manchester United. From this analysis, it will be possible to identify both the internal and external strengths of the company. SWOT analysis SWOT analysis can be used to know the success factors of ManU as well as to identify the strategies to be overcome the club’s weaknesses. Moreover, SWOT analyses will enable the company to identify the opportunities to improve performance. SWOT analysis of Manchester United is presented below: Strengths The key strength of Manchester United is its well recognized brand all over  the world. ManU has achieved such good brand name by heavy advertisement through the internet, TV and magazines (Andrews, 2004). This massive advertisement has made the club to get various sponsors. This means that whenever the company raises any merchandise in the market, indicating their name and symbol, it will be identified by its funs all over the world. Strength of the club is the presence of a big fan base which has improved the financial stability of the club. This big fan base has made a very high purchase figure whenever the tickets are being sold. Furthermore, Manchester United has various distribution channels which enable it to deliver new products introduced into the market. Furthermore, these channels can be used by the Manchester United to obtained feedback from the market concerning their products and performances. Weaknesses From the website of the company, it shows that the major weakness is the products and product variety. It is evident that the company has been introducing many diverse products at different occasions. All these diverse products have been introduced from the jersey to credit cards indicating that the company has exploited the available sources of income within the company. This action needs to be researched as soon as possible so as to help the company to situate and analyze it products, adopt the use of effective instruments such as the Boston Matrix which will help the company to identify that the products are doing well in the market. Lastly, the club has been so affluent, and it is still operating on such a high level, there is a worrying within the management of the company that it will loose its origin, which has a diverse concentration of the club from football to the proceeds. Such moves might have a great effect to its fans because the fans come from all over the world. Oppor tunities Penetration of the Manchester United to the American market has been one of the major opportunities to the company. The company will in future structure its club by entering into coalition with the New York Yankees. The New York Yankees is one of the well-off teams in the world. This will assist the company by ensuring that exclusive distribution channels are established in the United States of America. Through this the company will be in a position to enter and present their products in a new market. Furthermore, the  Manchester United will be in a position to lead all the football clubs in the America, though there will be superior height of risks concerned. The managers believe that by entering a coalition with the Yankees, this threat will be reduced (CNN, 2010). Threats Manchester United operates under a great threat in this field because other big teams like Manchester City and Arsenal which are currently improving in their performances. These and other teams have become very big competitors to the club. Furthermore, the Manchester United FC has been facing internal threats to the team. There is a frequent change of leadership in the company making the club to be disunited. Nonetheless, this will affect the sale of merchandise. Lastly, the club is lacking enough finances for financing academies and junior football, so that they can train the best footballers to ensure smooth succession in the future. PEST Analysis of the Manchester United The club’s decision has been affected by macro-environmental factors such as the changes in taxes, new laws, demographic changes and the changes in government policy. The managers of Manchester United can classify these as the political, economical, social and technological factors. Political factors This comprises of the laws which govern the issues affecting the activities of the club. Currently the team is undergoing a problem of paying out its debts which amount to $1.5 billion, a figure which was misappropriated by the greedy owners. The fans of Manchester United from England are preparing to join their efforts to force legislators to consider pro-football legislation in parliament which will aim at fighting the total arrears which has not being paid because of corrupt owners who misuse the funds of the club. Such an action has exploited the loyalties of fans of Manchester United. Economical factors The club has boosted the economy through employment opportunities which have been created to the players and the officials. The positive effect of Manchester United FC is felt globally because they employ the best players globally. Secondly, this soccer club has been a catalyst in the regional development because of the positive financial flows which are generated by the supporters of the team across the world. Lastly, the club has a positive influence on the economy because its officials are thrown from all over the world. These officials spend an average of 15on basic needs such as food, drinks etc. in a single match. If the supporters are from foreign countries they bring in foreign currencies which will eventually boosts the Balance of Payments in the country Technology Technology has contributed positively to the foot ball games since the players are capable of playing at night due to the availability of electricity. Furthermore, technology has facilitated various people from different parts of the world to watch football irregardless of there locations. Technology has facilitated fans of the club to obtain information from the internet concerning the performances of the company. This has benefited those Manchester United fans to get updates incase they had missed to watch the game. Social Manchester United just like any other football team has united many people especially the funs of football. People have interacted all over the world because of football. People from different age groups normally watch football because it is either their favorite game or because they want to watch just for leisure. Football has become part of the society in the current world, everybody in the world talks of football, either English Premier League or the world cup championships. This is very important since it has affected the society in a positive way i.e. it can create employment in the region. For example, the world cup will be in South Africa this year. The South African government will collect a lot of revue in terms of taxation, sales of tickets and any other taxable stuff. This will have close relationship with the social cultural factors though indirectly (Masterman, 2009). Manchester United has contributed a lot in the context of the social cultural factors as it employs play ers from different parts of the world. They normal select stars from different leagues and employ them. From a research done by Masterman, Manchester is the leading club in the payment package they offer to its employees. Business strategy The team has carried research concerning their product development in the market. This is very important as it will help the team to improve their performance in their product in the present market before strategizing on how to enter the new market. Conclusion Manchester United is the leading team in the football industry and to maintain this position, they have to focus on the market and the needs of its clients and followers. The company has further improved on their product through carrying research; these improvements have brought success in the club and improve the support of the team. The board of directors has also done their best by employing the best players to represent the club. This will make the team to perform well in the field whenever they have a game. Furthermore, these directors ensure that the discipline is well maintained in the company because the fans and its competitors are closely watching what is going on in the company. Bibliography Andrews, D. L. (2004) Manchester United: a thematic study. Routledge: UK. Barthold, D. 2009. The Business of European Football. GRIN Verlag, (3). Pp 36-38 Masterman, G. 2009. Strategic Sports Event Management: Olympic Edition Hospitality, Leisureand Tourism Series. Butterworth-Heinemann, (2). Pp 65-67 Manchester United. 2008. The Official Manchester United Annual 2009 Official Manchester The Manchester United Football Club is one of the most popular football clubs in the world. This English football club has its base at Old Trafford Stadium, which is located in Trafford, Greater Manchester. Manchester United is the founder member of 1992 Premier League. Being the second most successful team in the entire history of English football, Manchester United Football Club has over 330 million fans globally. The club has been participating in the top division English football since 1938. The Manchester United Football Club is also popular by its nickname, â€Å"The Red Devils†. In November 1986 when Alex Ferguson became the manager of the Club, Manchester United reached to the peak of success and won 20 major titles. The Manchester United Football Club has won the Premier League and First Division 17 times and is trailing behind Liverpool by just one title. Manchester United became the first English Football Club to win the European Cup in 1968. The Club has the record of winning maximum number of FA Cup titles. From late 90’s until date, Manchester United remains one of the richest football clubs with a total value of  £897 million. In 1998-99, Manchester United became the first ever and the only club to win the Treble. In the year 2000, the club became a founding member for the G-14 group. This is a group of the Big European football clubs. In the year 2005, American businessperson Malcolm Glazer took a controlling interest in Manchester United. With the Red Football Ltd as the investment vehicle, Malcolm took 75% control of the club and the club was de-listed from the Stock Exchange. Initially the jersey of Manchester United was yellow and green in color but in 1902, the club changed it to red jerseys with white shorts and black socks. Manchester United has sponsorship deals with various companies. AIG, Nike, Audi, Budweiser, Betfred, Xfm Manchester are some of the sponsors for the club. The Manchester United football club has its own football ground at Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The stadium opened on 19 February 1910 and the total capacity of the stadium is 76,212. It is a difficult job to determine the greatest rival of Manchester United Football Club. According to some people, Liverpool is the biggest rival of Manchester. Leeds, Manchester City and Arsenal are also the other known rivals of the Club. So far, the Club has bagged 3 European Cup/ UEFA Champions League, 1 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup and 1 European Super Cup. Manchester United Football Club has also won 1 Intercontinental Cup/ World Cup Championship. Facts:  · 5% of the world population is the supporters of Manchester United Football Club.  · The Club has won 10 Premier leagues, 7 First division leagues and 2 Second division leagues.  · Manchester United won 11 FA Cups, 2 League cups and 16 FA Charity/Community Shield. In the next few articles, let us understand about the sports team’s brand-building strategies. The most common strategy followed by most of the teams is: Sponsorship with other global brands  Being associated with other international brand names lends global presence to brands as they go worldwide. If we talk about the most richest soccer club, Manchester United, they have 44 official sponsors associated with the club. One of the biggest tie up then in the year 2002 was Manchester United’s tie up with Nike. Both Manchester United and Nike gained in global stature after the announcement of their global tie-in 2002. Now such is the case that Nike has to discuss a  £303 million kit supply deal with Manchester United and they might well have to anyhow shell out this huge sum of cash if they want to maintain their association with Manchester United. One month from now, this strategically important meeting will be talking place and the American sport wear company will have to come up with an enormous sum to satisfy the club’s owners. The ‘Swoosh’ logo has adorned some of the greatest teams and players in the history of the game, including Manchester United legends Eric Cantona, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo. Of the current squad, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, the Da Silva twins, Chris Smalling, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand all wear Nike boots along with the standard kits. In recent years, Manchester United has formed commercial alliances with a number of global players in other industries: Vodafone, Pepsi, DHL and Aon were all added to the clubâ₠¬â„¢s sponsorship list. Under these arrangements, the club gains from sponsors’ international reputations and sponsors gain from their association with a such big sports brand. And Manchester United is talking full advantage of this to reach out to new segment of soccer fans and in turn helping in strengthening its brand equity. In July, United announced a staggering  £357 million deal with General Motors for the Chevrolet logo to be worn on their shirts for seven seasons from 2014. Chevrolet’s eight-year partnership with Manchester United kicked off this summer with a series of friendly matches, bringing the world’s favourite football team to their fans in South Africa, Europe and China. The support for, and commitment to Manchester United and its passionate fans worldwide will go far beyond the pre-season games as General Motors look to join the fans in celebrating all that is beautiful about the game. One of the biggest logistics company which is present in 220 countries and territ ories worldwide has tied up United in 2011. DHL were made responsible to undertake a range of logistics services on behalf of Manchester United for three years. Just like DHL, Manchester United stands  for passion, teamwork and can-do spirit. And it’s those same characteristics that have enabled both DHL and Manchester United to remain at the top of their game and thus join together and build its brand. The last two deals done recently by Manchester United were with the two sponsors from China (Wahaha, a soft drinks manufacturer and China Construction Bank (CCB). Both have tied up for a three year deal. CCB will hold the exclusive rights to produce the official Manchester United branded credit card in Mainland China. Wahaha has been the largest beverage producer in China for the past 11 years and will be the club’s first official soft drinks partner in the country. This is just one of the many strategic decision taken by this 135-year-old soccer club from Britain. In the coming article, I would write about Manc hester United’s Asian Strategy, mainly highlighting its entry into the Indian market.

The Gate Keeper Interview Essay - 1357 Words

The Gate-Keeper Interview Essay Introduction The perceived ‘cantankerous’ relationship that characterises the exchanges between public relations professionals and media practitioner’s has been rife since the birth of public relations. The pair is, in its simplest term ‘frenemies’, they do work together, albeit covertly, and are usually hesitant to admit (on the media side) their cooperation. However, there is no absolute trust held between the two since there is a shifting power of control and influence that continually changes, which Fletcher (as cited in Hobsbawn, 2010, p. 64) believes is due to the market value of the particular product that public relations is representing. Media practitioners are often called the ‘watchdogs’ of†¦show more content†¦For this essay, the interviewee was journalist Mike Munro AM, well known for his time on 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Sunday Night, 10 Eye-witness news and his print newspaper time working at The Australian, The Daily Mirro r and under Rupert Murdoch as a reporter for The New York Post. He has been in the journalism industry for over 40 years and has bared witness to the fast-paced changing environment that has changed the news cycle and the interaction between public relations practitioners and the media. As mentioned earlier, the symbiotic relationship between the two is highly contentious, however, what is known is that they do work together and, although unwilling to admit it particularly on the media side, is that they need each other more than ever in this ever-changing, technology driven world. The ‘symbiotic relationship’ the perspective from the ‘gatekeeper’ Journalists are quick to deny the thought of a ‘symbiotic relationship’ with public relations practitioners. However, with copious amounts of research conducted, regarding the relationships between the two it would seem, ironically, that the journalists are not being all that truthful. A study conducted by the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ) and Crikey (2009) discovered that across 10 newspapers in Sydney that â€Å"...nearly 55% of stories examined were driven by some form of public relations†