Attitude is an easy area to develop but difficult to change. Once an attitude has been formed (about a brand) it is costly to change. Identify one brand that has suffered a set-back or controversy. | Free AI Content | Essay Helper

MRKT AND BMGT DISCUSSION BOARD RESPONSE WEEK 5

I need a reply/response to these discussion board answers. Just read my classmates discussion board answers, and respond to the information you read about their post by also aIDing your own aIDitional information about the topic and also about their answers. Pls don’t correct the person answers by he or she needs to aID more information or saying you agreed without stating your reasons why u agree. Just three to six Lines responses each. Please I need good and quality response to these discussion board answers. Pls again i want you to aID more information about the their answers n your contribution to my classmates answers and topic. I need good quality and good quantity responses.  Please use own example, don’t rewrite what my classmates has written also cite source if u want to use external source. Please don’t plagiarized as the professor uses turnitin to view my work.

BMGT 464 7980 Organizational Behavior LA 1Question

LA 1 your leader style

 Our chapter 12 gives numerous explanations of varied leader styles (sections 12.2 p. 12 – 12.4 p. 44). Analyze your own leadership style, as well as that of one of your own supervisors. What are the similarities and differences? Does your leader’s style motivate you (look to past week’s reading on motivation for this)? How does your personality influence your chosen style?

My classmate’s answers to the question above, I need a response to their answers about the question they answered. Like your own aIDitional information about the question and their answers.

Jake Bergman

After reading Chapter 12 and analyzing my own leadership style, it would be fair to say that I have a mixture of both task-oriented and people-oriented behaviors.  My decision-making style would be along the lines of democratic decision making, but there are times and certain situations where an authoritarian decision making style is needed.  Of the two theories that Douglas McGregor outlines in his book both myself and my supervisor are similar to Theory Y, having a “more positive view of employees’ attitudes and behaviors” (Saylor Organization, 2014) as well as under this theory the belief that “employees are not lazy, can enjoy work, and will put forth an effort into furthering organizational goals” (Saylor Organization, 2014).  One major difference between myself and my supervisor is that I believe I have a low Least Preferred Coworker (LPC), whereas my supervisor must have, actually has or does a pretty good job of disguising a high LPC.  In aIDition to the aforementioned, I also see certain aspects of the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership in both myself and supervisor.  This theory of leadership is “based on the expectancy theory of motivation” (Saylor Organization, 2014).  Looking back at Chapter 5 of our reading material is was mentioned that, ”motivation is clearly important if someone is to perform well” (Saylor Organization, 2014).  I believe this falls in line with the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership.  My leader’s theory gives everyone in my shop the ability to think freely, collaborate our ideas, and the autonomy to work on these ideas.  This keeps me motivated to know that I have a supervisor who trusts me enough to give me the freedom to think outside the box.  My personality allows for employees to work independently and make decisions on their own, but when a really tough decision needs to be made in regards to a specific task that I was appointed to lead then I will take into consideration everyone’s inputs and make a decision based off the information received.

Theodore Trevino

After the reading, I believe my leadership style will vary upon direction given and what needs to be accomplished. My current profession, I can relate to the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership in which its based on the theory of motivation. In my current profession, I believe that every one has a motivation to their decisions and actions taken. Some things motivate employees to do what they do and as a leader you need to pay close attention to various things to clue you into what you need to say or do to motivate the individual to achieve goals they set for themselves or achieve something much higher than they would expect from themselves. I am more use to a directive more style leadership by delegating task due to my rank/position in the military. I have always been a leader that can direct when needed or my preferred method of achievement orientated style of leadership. In my latter years in the Navy, I sought achievement by my superiors by showing that my subordinates achieved all of the qualifications, positions in rank, or community service in their evaluations so when it came down to ranking them among their peer group, it was a no-brainer and it made me look like I was a forward thinker, always looking out for my junior guys and I was. My current supervisor is that type of leader as well so its fairly easy to interact and provide feedback to him because he is a forward thinker as I was and continue to be.

LA2 Identifying organizational culture Question

A functional organizational culture will be one in which the ‘way’ of the employees conducting work, their interactions in doing so, supports attaining organizational goals. Dysfunctional cultures will have a primary ‘way’ that doesn’t clearly align to support goals, or has numerous pockets of counter-cultures weighing it down. Using ch. 15, discuss how your current or former employer created and maintained culture. Identify its visual elements too (see fig. 15.10). If it is a strong culture, how should it be maintained? If it is a weak culture, how should it be changed? 

My classmate’s answers to the la2 question above, I need a response to their answers about the question they answered. Like your own aIDitional information about the question and their answers.

Theodore Trevino

The current culture in my profession is a strong culture that relies on Ritual work along with enforcement of policies and rules that it has established (Organizational Behavior,(2014) Ch.15 P. 38). The way the organization is maintained there is always room for improvement in every organization so even if it well run, there is no contingency with ad hoc situations in my organization. Any thing ad hoc will delay deliverables and tasking that has time lines attached because they do not account for man power or resources needed to resolve the emergent situation. They are very near sighted when it comes to any situation that arises with no contingency plan for possible back up. Their response is to throw every available resource at the problem until resolution. If I was in charge I would have a small contingency unit that handles most of our issues and monitor taskings to this group to ensure their availability is just according to issue without over burden the supervisors and managers with meeting deadlines or taskings.

Jake Bergman

Two brothers from Michigan had a vision of owning and operating a pizza joint and in 1960 with $900 dollars they saw their vision come to fruition.  The mission today is: To be the best pizza delivery company in the world. In aIDition to their mission, they also have a diversity mission statement that says, “Domino’s is committed to an inclusive culture which values the contributions of our customers, team members, suppliers, and neighbors” (Dominos, 2016).  I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work for this company before joining the Air Force and had a really great time and experience while employed with Dominos.  I believe this company is a mixture of all cultures and visual elements as discussed in chapter 15 from innovative to safety.  A few examples of these cultures can easily be identified through the charitable donations, volunteers, continuous revamping of the menu, and innovative ideas that keep customers coming back. Dominos cares about its employees so much that they created The Partner Foundation, which is a “nonprofit organization established to assist team members in time of special need or tragedy as a result of natural disasters, unexpected afflictions, on-the-job accidents and other emergencies” (Dominos, 2016).  I believe Dominos has a pretty strong culture at this time, they are a solid company.  In order to maintain this culture, Dominos will need to continue the review, refine and strengthen the values that the founder’s built the company on.  Through attraction­-selection-attrition Dominos will be able to maintain their organizational culture as well.  So far they have done a good job of attracting the right applicants that will fit into the company.  When it comes to selection “many companies are hiring people for fit with their culture, as opposed to fit with a certain job” (Saylor Organization, 2014).  Over time attrition will occur and those that do not really fit into the company culture will leave Dominos or any employer for that matter.  In my case, it was not that I did not fit with Dominos culture, I knew I needed to do something different with my life and career.

MRKT 410 7980 Consumer Behavior Question

Based on the Perception Process choose one specific brand that you believe has done the above creatively, thoughtfully, effectively AND successfully.  Outline this brands efforts in detail, using Perception terms and concepts from the readings (and research) to support why it is an effective brand in terms of Perception.  Outline each stage description in the following manner:

A-1 Sensing/Exposure

A-2 Selecting/Attention

A-3 Interpretation

1. B) One of the most controversial areas of Perception is Subliminal Advertising. Part of the controversy is the debate as to whether it is effective or not.  Conduct some outside research and give your opinion as to whether Subliminal Embeds work in advertising or they do not.  Outside research is needed for this response, so citations are crucial here.
2. C) Attitude is an easy area to develop but difficult to change.  Once an attitude has been formed (about a brand) it is costly to change.  Identify one brand that has suffered a set-back or controversy.   Answer in detail the following questions with regard to attitude:

C-1.  Was the brand’s attitude (before the negative event) mostly based on one component (Cognitive, Affective or Conative?)  Explain.  What about now, after the negative event, is the new attitudes being formed based on the same component or another one altogether?  Explain.

C-2.  How is the company combating the negative attitudes that have been formed from the negative event?

My classmate’s answers to the question above, I need a response to their answers about the question they answered. Like your own aIDitional information about the question and their answers.

Rebekah Chauhan

1. Brand name: Starbucks

A1) Sensing/Exposure: Starbucks has opened many stores inside retail stores like Target, Safeway etc. All these Starbucks stores are strategically placed right next to entrance to make sure customers can easily see and grab a cup of coffee on their way in or out.

A2) Selecting/Attention: To attract customers attention, Starbucks has their giant green logo in the front along with a visible coffee making area. They also usually put their merchandise like ground coffee and coffee mugs right where the customers are passing by.

A3) Interpretation: Starbucks made a good strategic decision by opening stores inside retail chains. A lot of customers usually end up buying coffee right there while they are grocery shopping. In our case, my husband prefers to wait and drink a cup of Latte while I buy the groceries.

1. Subliminal messaging has been a subject of debate in the advertising world for quite some time. Many people argue that it does not work yet we see hiIDen messages in ads as well as political campaigns. “The current consensus among marketing professionals is that subliminal advertising is counter-productive. To some this is because they believe it to be ineffective, but to most it is because they realize it would be a public relations disaster if its use was discovered. Many have misgivings about using it in marketing campaigns due to ethical considerations.”¹ says Philip Merikle, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo.

There have also been many studies done on subliminal messaging. According to a study done by University College London², subliminal messages are most effective when negative messages are being conveyed. The research has been used in many ads and public safety campaigns where a negative message might be needed to attract the user’s attention.

1. Brand name: Chipotle

C1) Before the E.Coli outbreak linked to Chipotle, it’s brand attitude was mostly cognitive. People like to visit this fast food restaurant because of attributes like good quality Mexican food at a reasonable price. In my own personal experience, there is always a long line of customers regardless of what time you go. Because of the attributes attached to the brand, Chipotle enjoyed a loyal customer base for a very long time until the outbreak.

After the outbreak the attitude is a mix of cognitive and conative. People are a little more careful and think twice before visiting the restaurant. The company’s stock has dropped significantly since the incident and has also lost some of its customers.

C2) The company started a strong print and online campaign after the negative event and tried to assure customers that their food is safe to consume. The campaign has had some success but the company has to do a lot more work to regain the market it once enjoyed

Kevin Cline

A-1.) Sensing/Exposure- The brand that I chose is the clothing company Mango here in Germany. Germany doesn’t necessarily have billboards along the autobahn (highway) like we do in the states. However, most of the advertisements and marketing Ads are located around small cities, towns and villages. These are primarily posted at traffic intersections, crosswalks, bus stops, inside local hotels/hostels and near universities and schools. The Mango clothing company is one of the most advertised and highly recognizable brands throughout Bamberg, Germany and in the surrounding areas.

A-2.) Selecting/Attention- The Mango clothing company uses a variety of international celebrities to model their clothes. The two most recognizable figures would be Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. The sex appeal of these two models attracts a lot of attention for Mango and seems to be producing positive results for the company.

A-3.) Interpretation- Here locally in Germany, I believe the Mango clothing company is doing a pretty good job with the interpretation phase of perception. No matter where you go around town or even outside of town, there’s always advertisements for Mango clothing and you almost always see a picture of Kate Moss or at least her signature on the poster somewhere acknowledging that she represents this brand. After walking through downtown Bamberg one time, you will know this brand whether you want to or not cause it’s literally everywhere and it will be embeIDed into your memory.

B.) In my personal opinion, subliminal advertising doesn’t impact the consumer like it’s intended to. Placing fleeting or hiIDen images in commercial content in the hopes that viewers will process them unconsciously– doesn’t work. But extremely brief stimuli that consumers are unaware they’re looking at is still unlikely to give them the urge to go shopping (Edwards, 2011).  I would assume that because everyone is different, that there might be some consumers out there who would be impacted by this type of subliminal embeIDing, but for the most part, I just don’t believe that it has an overall impact that is noticeable.

C-1.) The brand that I chose is McDonalds. I chose this brand because of the negative impact that the movie “Super Size Me” had on the company and their overall image. I believe that before this negative event happened, McDonalds attitude was based on two attitude components, Cognitive and Affective. McDonald’s feelings and beliefs were either that people don’t care that the food is unhealthy or they just don’t know. I don’t think that McDonalds really spent to much time focusing on the health aspect of their food and the quality that they were bringing in and selling to consumers. After the movie came out back in the early 2000s, it really put the spot like on the company for their unhealthy food products, how it was negatively impacting society with obesity rates on the rise and their lack of transparency as a whole. McDonalds was really forced to take action and make changes if they hoped to survive and stay relevant in the fast food industry. I believe that because of this negative event, the attitude of McDonalds changed. These components are Conative and Cognitive. I think that this movie caused McDonald’s to become more transparent to the public, advertising things like where they get the meat products from to healthy menu choices (Strom, 2013).This event caused McDonalds to become more knowledgeable on the negative impact and how their food was contributing to society health problems. This isn’t saying that all health problems are the fault of McDonalds, but that they could at least do a much better job of selling healthier food.

C-2.) The company, at least over here in Germany, has made a pretty big turn around. Like mentioned before, the company is very transparent to the point where they let everyone know where the meat, eggs, bread products, etc are coming from. McDonalds also offers a variety of healthier menu choices like salads and organic food products (Strom, 2013). Yes they still offer their famous hamburgers, but the point was to get McDonalds to recognize that because their an international name brand, people notice them and by that alone, offering healthier food choices would have a greater positive impact. McDonalds still wants to be that company where a family can go and have a nice lunch, offering a playground area for the kids and a relaxing area with televisions for adults. Now they can say that they offer a healthier food menu to go along with it.

Monrai Matthews

A-1 Sensing/Exposure. Hardee’s and Carl Jr. is exposing the brand by way of the internet and mobile device. Author Tsirulnik says that Hardee’s “fast food chains are finding that mobile advertising is tremendously successful, as the app has made it as high as No. 4 or 5 of all the free apps in the App Store” (Tsirulnik, 2011)

Giselle Tsirulnik. 2011. “Hardee’s rolls out ambitious marketing strategy to encourage app downloads”. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/9521.html

A-2 Selecting/Attention. Hardee’s advertises the “Three Way Burger” which has three stripes of bacon. bacon crumbles, and bacon jam. Hardee’s uses three beautiful models in bikini swim wear to represent the “Three Way Burger” and its three different types of bacon on the burger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEnVY99DUE

A-3 Interpretation. Hardee’s did a good job using perception in the ad because they used a positive stimuli. They used three beautiful models wearing swim wear to represent the “Three Way Burger”. Any time a consumer may see a woman in a swim suite they may reflect back on the ad and want a “Three Way Burger” from Hardee’s. A consumer may have a taste for bacon and reflect back on Hardee’s ad and purchase a “Three Way Burger” because the consumer remembers seeing three swim suite models eating that burger. A consumer who may be trying to loose weight may think that the burger is ok to eat because they seen three models in bikinis eating the “Three Way Burger”.

1. B) I do not believe that subliminal advertising works because according to doctors Johan Karremans, Jasper Claus and Wolfgang Stroebe “their work suggested that subliminal advertising was only effective with products that people knew of and somewhat liked” (BBC News, 2015). This let me know that consumers are not interested in products that they are not familiar with or have no knowledge of the brands product.

BBC News. 2015. “Does subliminal advertising actual work?”. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30878843

C-1. MetLife negative event was based on the affective component because the company had to rebrand their self once they learned that many of their 55,000 customers felt overwhelmed by how fast the world is developing and moving in technology. The new attitude is now cognitive because from the perception of the affective component the customers gave MetLife, MetLife rebranded their image to satisfy their customers needs after learning from various sources that customers were displeased.

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/metlife-has-new-brand-identity-after-more-30-years-and-snoopy-isnt-part-it-174151

C-2. MetLife combated the negative attitudes by changing their tagline and logo. MetLife also made customer service easier for their clients. MetLife tagline, “MetLife. Navigating life together”  (MetLife, 2016) is important because it shows the customer that they care and that they are about improving ones life. Hong says that “we needed to transform the brand to signal we are a company that is actively engaged in ongoing, frequent partnerships around navigating and solving for life’s challenges” (Richards, 2016).

Katie Richards. 2016. “MetLife Has a New Brand Identity After More Than 30 Years, and Snoopy Isn’t Part of It”. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/metlife-has-new-brand-identity-after-more-30-years-and-snoopy-isnt-part-it-174151

MRKT 395 7980 Managing Customer Relationships Question

Comment on the skills indicated in the article. Are there skills that are left off of this list that you think would be important for a customer service representative to have?

My classmate’s answers to the question above, I need a response to their answers about the question they answered. Like your own aIDitional information about the question and their answers.

David Choi

The article and the list itself is pretty spot on. Having the ability to listen, digest, and efficiently consult your customer sounds a lot like a salesperson. They cover the basics of not just a great customer service rep, but a sales representative as well. Salespeople need to be attentive, show tremendous amounts of people skills, and tenacity. People skills is a loose word that combines active listening and clear communication. Similarities between a service or sales rep has grown so much that the titles are almost synonymous in today’s business world (YEC, 2013).  Active listening may be the most important role off that list. I feel like that without this trait, everything else becomes much more difficult. With active listening a service rep can clearly identify what the customer truly needs and wants. Reading between the lines and analyzing the customers words, tone, and bodybuilding all come in this active listening stage (Estep, 2011). Without correctly digesting what your customer truly needs from you will not only help that customer’s relationship grow, but it makes all the other categories easier. There is a reason it was at the top of the list.  Traits I would consider aIDing to the list may include:

1. Resilience: a hard worker is one thing, but a when situation gets difficult and an employee can still work hard and stay dedicated is a special kind of worker.
2. Empathy: I find it much easier to help a customer and find out what their needs are if you can place yourself in their shoes. With empathy, I must include that the rep must have good morals and ethics. It won’t help much to have and show empathy if you aren’t a good person to begin with.
3. Creative: Pretty much thinking outside of the box and finding multiple solutions for every scenario. Could be similar to efficiency. Article stated that being proactive in finding a solution is very effective

David Jones

Dealing with the public takes skills that most do not have so it can be hard to know the skills to do ones job effectively while also exceeding expectations “A strong company will already have great customer relationships. But a smart company will always be asking “What is good customer service?” If you are not constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve your customer service, then your relationships will stagnate (Survey Monkey. 2016).” It is important to focus on the basics listed among the five basic skills your customer service reps cannot live without. However, one important factor is missing and that is thick skin. Customer reps. encounter irate customers ever day who tend to take their frustration out on them and not those who really caused the problem. “The customer’s always right… right? The ability to swallow one’s pride and accept blame or negative feedback is crucial. Whether your team works directly with customers or looking for feedback on social media, they’ve got to keep the customer’s happiness in mind (Survey Monkey, 2016).” Focusing on turning the conversation in a direction that will have a positive outcome for the customer is a most. “Effective communication is another skill that comes with practice. Working with a wide variety of customers is probably the fastest way to help work on communication skills. If you’re a customer service manager, you can help speed up the process of encouraging your reps to develop stronger communication skills by having them practice (Geraghty, 2014).” Generally, the customer like reps to hear what they have to say and provide an outcome that they find pleasing. Improving your customer interactions: Survey Monkey says…If your staff has the necessary skill set, that’s a good start. But they still need to relate to your customers. Here are some tips for making sure customer service is both thorough and well received:

Ask reps to try to identify a common ground–like shared interests–with the people they help. Having this point of understanding makes conflict easier to overcome by humanizing the relationship, and it endears customers to your rep (and ultimately your company).

Practice active listening so your customers feel heard. Clarify and rephrase what the customers say to ensure you understand them. Empathize with and reflect their feelings by saying things like, “That must have upset you” or “I can see why you feel slighted.”

Admit your mistakes, even if you discover them before your customers do. This builds trust and restores confidence. It also allows you to control the situation, re-focus the customer’s attention and resolve the issue.

Follow-up after a problem is solved. Make sure the issue stays fixed and that your customers were satisfied with the service. Sending an email, or even a feedback survey is an excellent way to let the customer know you’re still on their side. Following the guidelines and learning how to service each customer differently to suit their needs will lead to much success among the customer services reps. Furthermore, being labeled the company that cares. Let us face it; customers are the driving force today’s market.

Fana Haile

The article “5Basic Skills Your Customer Service Reps Cannot Live Without” had a lot of great points.  Active listing, clear communication, memory retention etc. but what I noticed is that there was a disconnect, within the customer and customer representative. Having the opportunity to talk one on one with a customer should be a privilege within its self.

For customers to take their time out and actually call a company’s business they have been emotionally affected in one way or another buy the businesses actions. Therefore equipping these representatives with the best information and techniques on how to deal with customers who are passionate enough to call in about the brand or company should receive the highest of service.  There are some specific skills that every employee can master to exceed a customers expectations.

One suggestion I have is patience with the clients. Being able to let them fully express themselves and give them your undivided attention will let you know exactly what the issue is, and help you figure out the best solution. Product knowledge is another huge plus, without a rep. not knowing the product one won’t know how to properly assist the customer. Lastly, the power of “Positive Language” “properly making minor changes in your conversational patters can truly go a long way in creating happy customers “ Ciotti, Gregory.

Kelvin Monterroza Aguilar

I like the  skills that some companies need to have in order to have  consumers happy which  it seem very impossible because that is hard to  keep up with it. for example last two week i have a rough time with the bank i was banking this person was listening to my problems he got me options  and when i loose my temper he was trying to keep calm by offering different options i know working in the customers services can be difficult because the customers is always right even they are not. at first  i thought it was easy until i start working as a server and people were so demanding with thing and the only thing  you want to do is tell them to get out.. i know some people feel that they are entitle  to say or do thing without filter. but in this article  they are talking  about  of how to be able to cope with it so when time come  people will be able to provide excellent service.

Robert Zornes

It is very important that a customer service representative to be able to listen, digest, and efficiently consult their customers, but they need to make sure that they don’t sound too much like a salesperson or their lose the customer. The article did a great job with covering the basics of both a sales representative and a customer service representative with great detail. Especially with the active listening, clear communication, and  tenacity, it is very important for salespeople to have these as to keep the customer interested. Out of all of the skills, active listening might be the most important skill that’s on the list, mainly since it will help the representative be able to understand what the customer is saying. Without this trait, everything else m