BAM 193 Good Governance and Social Responsibility

Casiano, Angel Kate I.

(UI-FA1-MM3-2)

MODULE #22

Skill Building:

Question: Present a discussion capturing pros and cons: Is it possible that Texas Health and Marriott rank highly for
diversity because the hospitality and healthcare industries tend to hire more women and minorities in general? Why
or Why not?

Pros:

1. Demographics in Industry: Both the tourism sector and health sector have traditionally been more women and
minority-dominated. This is partly because jobs in these fields are characteristically more interpersonal in nature or
service-oriented.

2. Inclusive Hiring Practices: Many companies within these industries have started to apply diverse hiring practices
towards the establishment of a more diverse pool of talent: through recognizing the advantages of a diversified
workforce, which can lead to better customer satisfaction and higher quality patient care.

3. Cultural Competence: Healthcare and hospitality are consumer industries that cater to various types of consumer
markets. As such, companies may need to hire based on diversity in order to better represent and connect with their
target consumers.

4. Legislative and Societal Pressure: The social and regulatory insistence on firms to highlight diversity is rather high.
In light of this, companies dealing with healthcare and hospitality may feel the pressure more profoundly and,
therefore, put more efforts into recruiting the best and diverse talent in the company.

Cons:

1. Surface Level Diversity: High rankings in diversity could be superficial and not necessarily reflective of deeper
cultural change. Companies may hire more women and minorities without making equal chances at advancement or
workplaces that are not friendly to diverse individuals.

2. Limited Scope of Diversity: The focus may only be on gender and racial diversity, leaving many other important
aspects like age, disability, or LGBTQ+ under the rug. This would skew the meaning of real diversity.

3. Industry Limitations: In hiring more women and minorities, neither those industries can be assured that these
groups rank high in all dimensions of diversity or that such diversity characterizes its leadership teams.

4. Comparative Context: For instance, it would be worthwhile to consider how Texas Health and Marriott compare
to other firms within their respective industries. Perhaps the ranking of these companies is due to trends within their
industry at large rather than any specific practices, which would mean it was impossible to determine to what extent
these companies care about diversity.

Conclusion
-While surely the higher diversity rankings for Texas Health and Marriott reflect, in part, the characteristics of the
hospitality and healthcare industries, it is also important to recognize nuance. Real diversity is more than a hiring
practice; it is an effort to build an inclusive culture for all employees. It is well worth examining their context for
rankings and the depth of their diversity initiatives in order to arrive at more solid conclusions.
MODULE #23

Skill Building:

Question 1: True or False? The phrase caveat emptor means the seller is principally responsible for purchase
decisions, not the buyer. Explain your choice in brief.

- False. Caveat emptor means the buyer is principally responsible for purchase decisions, not the seller.

Question 2: True or False? Children are discerning viewers of television advertising. Explain your choice in brief.

- False. Research studies indicate that children are the least-discerning audience for much advertising content.

- Question 3: In your opinion suggest safeguards and controls which can be implemented to prevent unfair
targeting of kids.

1. Age-Appropriate Content Regulations: These would comprise strict regulations on the content of advertisements
for children so that what they meet is indeed age-appropriate and does not utilize their vulnerabilities.

2. Clear Labeling: Advertisements must have clear labeling that helps distinguish them from regular programming.
This will help children know at what times they are being marketed to. Restrict the number of adverts that children
watch when they are tuned, particularly during children's programs, to reduce their level of exposure.

4. Restrictions on Certain Commodities: Adverts of unhealthy and fatty food and drinks for children, as well as other
products that a child doesn't need or even should not be watching, like graphic violence in video games or gambling,
during children's programs.

5. Educating Programs: Initiate school programs to expose children to advertising, so they can learn the techniques
as well as become skeptical of media exposure.

6. Parental Controls: Enhancing the facility by which parents may control kinds and quantities of advertisement
towards which children are exposed through digital as well as mainstream media.

7. Ethical Guidelines for Advertisers: Promote the formulation of ethical standards for marketers regarding
marketing practices aimed at children, accountability in the advertising policy.

8. Transparency: Obtain greater clarity from companies about their marketing efforts including the ways they target
children and what they collect about them.

9. Monitoring and Enforcement: An independent body should be established that regulates compliance of children's
advertising. The independent body could monitor how advertising complies with regulations related to children and
punish the offenders accordingly.

By having all these safeguards in place, children will be protected from most unfair advertising practices and a
healthier media environment will be promoted.

Question 4: Psychological appeals succeed when they:

- A. Make consumers feel better about themselves.

Check for Understanding:

Question 1: True or false? Even rational adults often fail to cast a suspicious eye to sophisticated ad pitches and
end up making frivolous purchases. Explain your choice.

-True. Even sensible adults can fall prey to powerful advertising tricks that speak to emotions, desires, and peer
influences. These are standard psychological operant psychology techniques: scarcity, social proof, appeal to
aspirations and more. As such, people buy for a reason that they are not being rational. The effects of marketing are
impressive and consumer behavior explains why.

Question 2: Suggest what controls or regulation could be imposed or implemented to make advertising more
genuine and realistic.

1. Truth in Advertising Laws: Current laws can be made stronger so that all the claims associated with the
advertisements must be truthful, not misleading, and backed by evidence, which may also include necessary
definitions for terms like "natural" or "organic."

2. Disclosure Requirements: Call for transparent disclosure requirements for sponsored content, influencer
marketing, and paid endorsements to inform consumers about the nature of the promotion.

3. Emotional Appeals: Establish regulations that ban fraudulent emotional appeals that appeal to vulnerabilities,
especially when exposures are sensitive in nature, such as health and financial services.

4. Standardization of Metrics: Ensure standardized measures on claims that utilize "up to" results such that it does
not mislead.

5. Prohibition of Misleading Images: Ban the use of photo-shopped images in advertisements except when a very
clear notice is displayed where images have been altered to enhance significantly.

6. Consumer Education Initiatives: Provide consumer education to describe deceptive and misleading techniques
and to think critically about marketing messages.

7. Review Boards: Independent review boards to review any controversial ad campaign before they are aired, so as
not to conflict with the ethical basis.

8. Monitoring and Enforcement: Intensify supervisory capacity of regulatory agencies, actively engaged in
monitoring advertising practices, and ensure compliance with devised guidelines.

9. Feedback Mechanisms: Provision channels for consumers to report misleading or deceptive advertisements which
could provide the regulatory body with an opportunity to take appropriate action.

10. Incentives for Ethical Advertising: Reward businesses and firms that have ethical advertising by giving them
recognition programs or certification. This shall make the advertisement landscape clearer and more reliable for the
consumer and business perspective.
MODULE #24

Critical Thinking:

Question 1: If you were an upper-level manager at Walmart, what kind of decisions would you expect to make
regarding the company’s challenges?

- As an upper-level manager at Walmart, I would look to make several of the key decisions toward helping the
company tackle some of its challenges:

1. Supply Chain Optimization:

Effective strategies toward optimizing supply chain efficiency, including incorporating latest technologies such as AI
and blockchain, may be executed to shave down costs and improve the time required to deliver.

2. Sustainability Initiatives: They should develop and invest in sustainability programs that can decrease the carbon
footprint of the company, such as switching to renewable energy and making more environmentally friendly
products available for consumers to purchase.

3. Digital Transformation: Deploy programs that make the company's digital shopping experience better on
Walmart's platforms. Efforts can be made towards improving the e-commerce platform and incorporating
developments into the delivery service while integrating enhanced analytics systems, which allows for personalized
marketing.

4. Workforce Development: Employee training and development policies to enhance the skills of employees,
diversity, and inclusion, and labor market retention.

5. Customer Experience Enhancement: Formulate a plan to enhance service and shopping experience both on and
off site by using customer feedback, technology innovation, and process re-engineering.

6. Market Expansion: Identify growth opportunities both in the country and globally and choose new locations or
partners for Walmart.

7. Competitive Pricing Strategies: Analyzing pricing strategies in ensuring that Walmart maintains low price
leadership yet still achieves profitability, perhaps through the help of data analytics to improve customer buying
behaviors.

8. Product Assortment and Quality: Design the product mix to be chosen so that they balance prices with quality
while establishing supplier partnerships with the locals and adjusting according to consumer trends.

9. Crisis Management Plans: Manage and polish crisis management plans through addressing challenges such as the
supply chain disruption, public health issue, or economic downturns in its nation.

10. Stakeholder Engagement: Reach out to various stakeholders like investors, customers, and community leaders
for garnering their interests so that they hear out their problems and build a reputation for Walmart.

All these decisions would be strategic, data-driven, and focused on sustainability and growth for long-term success in
Walmart.

Question 2: As a Walmart manager, how would you view the company’s relationships with its stakeholders,
including its employees? How would that view guide your decision-making?

- As a Walmart manager, I will see the company relationships with its various stakeholders: employees, customers,
suppliers, investors, and the community, to encompass much importance for the overall sustainability of the
business. This view will guide my decisions in several ways. Considering the stakeholder relationships as essential for
the success of Walmart, I will find myself always making decisions meeting the interest of all parties. This holistic
approach would not only improve the company's reputation but it would also bring about profitability and the
culture of collaboration and innovation.
Question 3: As a company executive, would you try to increase employee benefits? Why or Why not?

- As the executive of the company, I would try to increase employee benefits. An increase in benefits, as such, does
not have a direct method to suggest how it can save the company money; rather, it helps the company accomplish
its goals of a motivated and loyal workforce. There are great returns about productivity, culture, and business
performance in terms of investment in human capital.

Check for Understanding:

Question 1: Does this case surprise you? Why or Why not?

-Yes, because I never imagined that Bill Swanson could do such thing.

Question 2: What do you think is the effect on a company’s employees of unethical behavior at the top?

- If unethical leadership is present at the top, there can be an awful ripple effect across the organization affecting
employee morale and trust, as well as organizational culture. Ethical leadership results in responsible behavior
followed by resultant actions that help employers and their employees build and maintain an effective and healthy
work environment for both parties.