Self-perception

 

Self-perception includes self-concept, self-esteem, and self-presentation. The self-concept is self-assessments or a person's view of herself or himself about personality, knowledge, skills, abilities, occupation, hobbies, awareness of physical attributes, and other human traits. An image of oneself could affect a person's ability to interact with others.

Self-esteem is our opinion of ourselves and is our overall evaluation or appraisal of ourselves our self worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as success, social status, pride, confidence, and shame. The High self esteem is a good opinion of ourselves and low self esteem is a bad opinion of ourselves. Self-esteem is very important because it influences the way we think, act and relate to other people. Self-esteem affects individual's potential to be successful.

Self-presentation is the use of behavior to control images which are presented to others during social activities in order to please others and to establish an individual's public image to the individual's ideal. Behaviors could be influenced by the concerns of self-presentation. An early interest in self-perception or self-concept appeared in a number of different disciplines but was primarily located in philosophy. A significant explanation for self-perception has consistently been one that described self-perception as a development of social meaning, that is, the belief that human beings respond to the environment on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to elements of that same environment. Self-concept is a dynamic mental structure that motivates, interprets, organizes, mediates and regulates interpersonal behaviors and processes. Riding & Rayner, (2001) reported that up to 17 different conceptual dimensions were to be found in contemporary definitions of self-concept. This uncertainty had been further reinforced by researchers casually and interchangeably using terms such as self-esteem, self-image, self-perception, self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, self-confidence, self-efficacy, self-awareness, self-consciousness, self-evaluation, and self-concept.

 

                                                  Self-view of Self-perception

 

My Self-perception is that I am a confident person in general and value knowledge and skills. With an analytical personality, I believe I am a good researcher and you should, as a result of the work that you do. At work, I am dependable, responsible, efficient, and helpful. With friends, I consider myself caring, loyal, and supportive.  Looking good is important to me but I will not buy expensive items to make me look good. It is stressful for me to be in the situation when something unexpected happened. Playing sports every day, I believe that health is the one of most important things in our life. I think that I am a reasonable person.

                                                     Close friend's view

My close friends thought that "you are a confident person, like to look good and you are overly invested in your appearance. But you are not an overly emotional person. You do somewhat care about how people see you. If something occurs that makes you feel unattractive, it has the potential to make you feel a bit stressed. You do care about others sometimes but not always. Your health and a feeling of well being are not overly important to you. While you do like to be healthy, you are not really worried about getting sick and you deal with it appropriately. You do not really have much of a compulsive personality"  well Doc…are they correct?.

              I am surprised for the perception of my friend that I overly invested in my appearance and I did not care about others enough. It is probably right that “people tend to recall events they attribute to themselves and not to a situation or other people” (Champoux, 2006)

Social responsibility

        In the increasingly social responsibility focused marketplaces of the 21st century, the demand for more ethical business practices is increasing. A business that behaves ethically will have positive influence to other associated businesses. In the interdependent economy, organizations need to cooperate with others to achieve their objectives. If a company cares about meeting responsibilities to employees, customers and suppliers, the company will be awarded with high quality of products, high degree of honesty and loyalty. Employees who are treated ethically will be more likely to behave ethically themselves in dealing with customers and business associates. Good ethical practice may cost money in short term. But ethical behavior could generate money in the long run. The argument is that some people believe ethical practices are conflict with profit making, and others think that behaving ethically makes good business sense good intro, Doc.

 

Behaving ethically makes good business sense

         The goal of businesses is to make money and maximize profit. Its Business is to pursue self-interest, while ethics is about the consideration of others. Some people think that, in today's highly competitive world, it is hard to be always ethical, and a lot of people choose profits over principle (Anderson,1996). Growing regulations in established markets have added costs.  During the past several decades, competition has been intensified and driven the costs down, which pressured businesses to find low cost source and consequently some companies ignored ethical compliance. Business ethics are moral rules and regulations guiding business activities yes.  A great deal of attention has been paid to ethical behaviors nowadays. It is destructive if the

 

leadership of a company does not behave ethically. WorldCom and Enron are examples of companies that ignored the ethical practice of their business. The Enron’s former CEO Jeff Skilling was sentenced 24 years in prison after being convicted of 19 criminal counts.  Ex-WorldCom chief executive Bernard Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the biggest corporate fraud in the nation's history. In the wake of corporate scandals that cost employees and investors billions of dollars, the federal government passed legislation that requires publicly-registered corporations to have a corporate code of ethics, which provides a way to legally address such behaviors. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations provide an additional incentive for having corporate codes of ethics. Companies that follow the guidelines to prevent unethical and illegal behavior are likely to receive less severe punishment in case something unexpected happened. Though Enron and WorldCom cases are extreme, the growth of the global economy is drawing more attention to the ethical spotlight. Google and Yahoo, both respected Internet search engine companies with good reputations, were criticized heavily for complying with the Chinese Government's efforts to control the flow of information in order to enter the market. Google in particular came under attack from the media, due in part to its informal corporate motto: "Don't be evil"excellent example. Therefore, industry is under more pressure to improve business ethics through new public initiatives and laws (higher UK road tax for higher-emission vehicles, 2009). Ethical problems are not simply freak occurrences; they are problems of choice.  Problems in ethical decision making and behavior occur when individual interests and social norms conflict with each other.  Every organization has (or should have) its own accountability towards its stakeholders (employees, capital investors, consumers, government, competitors, suppliers, and other community members). 

Good ethical practice may cost money in short term. But ethical behavior could generate money in the long run. Company’s activities are interdependent on each other for success. Organizations need to cooperate with others to achieve their objectives. For example, a company

 

cannot succeed without the help of its employees, suppliers, and customers. Managers cannot succeed without the help of superiors and subordinates. Good work ethics can produce high quality work.  In addition, ethical practice “increases in customer loyalty, enhancement of brand image, and tiebreaker effects for customer purchasing decisions” (Verschoor, 2001). It saves money if employees work hard to do things right at the first time. Japanese cars demonstrated the competitive advantage of good job. Actually, Japanese industries had been dominating world markets in the area of auto, semiconductor, and consumer electronics sectors with the highest customer satisfaction and lowest manufacturing costs. Japanese workers' hard work ethics changed the way people think about the cost and benefit of ethics indeed.   Considering the current economy, the demand for high output driven performance, and reward linkages in organizations, it is no wonder that that short-term interests tend to win out with those organizations that do not have an ethically sound foundation. 

            Modern management theory indicates that financial strategies need to be aligned and supported by employees. To achieve financial goals, companies need employees to stand behind the organization's strategy. The ethical behavior of the leadership can promote employees commitment. Ethical practices not only can ensure moral conduct but also can gain business advantage. Establishing, applying and continually improving a company's code of ethics is one of the steps that can be taken to establish an ethical workplace to increase productivities. . “The primary ethical concerns of businesses fell into four categories: equity, rights, honesty, and the exercise of corporate power” (Heil, 2010). Joseph stated:

Executives are seeing value in actively promoting ethics within their organizations. The list of potential benefits linked to an effective ethics program includes the following:

 

·         Recruiting and retaining top-quality people;

·         Fostering a more satisfying and productive working environment;

·         Building and sustaining your association’s reputation within the communities in which you operate;

·         Aligning the work efforts of staff with the association’s broader mission and vision. (2000)

More and more firms realized that behaving ethically is important for business to success. Ninety percent of the Fortune 500 firms, and almost 50 percent of all other firms, have ethical codes. Increasingly, customers, clients and employees are deliberately seeking out those who define the basic ground, rules of their operations (Jain, 2010). Without being ethical, companies cannot be competitive at either the national or international markets.  Adhering to unethical practices may seemingly pay off, in the short term, and be the “quick fix.”  However, the temporary fix is usually short lived.  Unethical practices cost industries billions of dollars a year and damage the images of corporations.  Although benefits may not appear immediate, ethical behavior will have positive, longer lasting affects for the organization as a whole and for its stakeholders.  Organizations are responsible for building a framework for understanding and ethical decision-making in the workplace.                              

Work experience reflection

          South Dakota State University Veterinary Department is responsible for administering South Dakota state animal disease control and eradication. This department, in cooperation with USDA, has moved beyond traditional perceptions of animal disease control and eradication by addressing public health issues and major economic impacts. The obstacles for US beef export indicates that United States need strong active mad cow disease monitoring and eradicating program in place with an open line of communication with public officials.

           Several prion (mad cow) disease–related human health risks from an exogenous source had been identified in the United States including the potential zoonotic transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD). Although cross-species transmission of prion diseases seems to be limited by an apparent “species barrier,” the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its transmission to humans indicated that animal prion diseases can pose a significant public health risk. Recent reports of secondary person-to-person spread of vCJD via blood products and detection of vCJD transmission in a patient heterozygous illustrated the potential public health impacts of BSE.

             South Dakota State University Veterinary Department had a contract with USDA to establish a laboratory for prion disease test. The issues are that it is very expensive to build a monitoring laboratory with efficient waste treatment system. There is no evidence that the CWD can transmit to human. USDA and other laboratories in US did not have such special treatment system, and the local EPA does not have technology to check the contamination in the waste. This department can make a legitimate case for not spending money to build the waste treatment system. Considering the ethical issues, this department made a decision to spent large amount of money to build a system treating the waste. Later, USDA and other laboratories also added similar waste treatment system to their facilities. This decision gained reputation which helped this Department obtain federal and local government funding for more scientific researches. Anyone practicing great ethics should be you folks who work in your industry, Doc Fan. Our lives depend on you all and if you begin to “cut corners” or ignore potential risks just to save money, can have severe consequences…as you already know.

Positive effects of ethical behavior discussed in our textbook

             The argument of positive effects of ethical behavior in our textbook is that doing business ethically is good for business. Solomon and Hanson stated that ethics is the keystone for smooth, effective, and efficient operation of business organizations. If we cannot trust another person's word or feel confident that a person will keep contractual agreements, business as we

 

now understand would stop. In addition, Soloman and Hanson took a long-term view of ethical management. They noted that behaving ethically can be more costly in the short term than behaving unethically but Solomon and Hanson did imply that behaving ethically has long-term benefit. Attention to ethics ensures fair policies and procedures are protecting the organization as well as its’ stakeholders.  It is far better to incur the cost of mechanisms to implement ethical practices now, than to incur costs of litigation later.  Implementing these ethics programs may aid in detecting issues and violations early on, so they can be reported or addressed.  In some cases, when an organization is aware of an actual or potential violation and does not report it to the appropriate authorities, this can be considered a criminal act.

 

Conclusion

 

          The goal of business is to make money and maximize profit. But it is destructive if the

leadership of a company does not behave ethically. Federal government had already passed legislation that requires publicly-registered corporations to have a corporate code of ethics. The growth of the global economy is drawing more attention to the ethical spotlight.  The demand for more ethical business processes and actions are increasing globally.

 

          Good ethical practices may cost money in short term. But ethical behavior could generate money in the long run. The ethical practices of a company can promote employees commitment.  Increasingly, customers, clients and employees are deliberately seeking out those who define the basic ground, rules of their operations (Jain, 2010). The non-profit organization: South Dakota State University Veterinary Department gained reputation and financial reward from federal and local government because of the ethical decisions. Solomon and Hanson stated that ethics is the keystone for smooth, effective, and efficient operation of business organizations. Without being ethical, companies cannot be competitive at either the national or international levels. Therefore, behaving ethically makes good business sense.

                                                             

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Culture and subculture in organization

                  A subculture is a segment of a culture which shares distinguishing patterns of behavior (Robert-son 1970). Within organizational culture, a group of people may form a subculture different from the main culture. Subcultures can form because of a variety of societal, organizational, and individual characteristic similarities. Specifically, organizational subcultures may be formed based on certain situations such as workgroups, teams, and departments, similar level of the hierarchies,  professional and occupational affiliations, physical location in the organization, social-demographic categories such as sex, ethnicity, age, or nationality.  Subcultures are more likely to develop around differentiated tasks, or when people believe that their behavioral freedom has been threatened (Brehm, 1966). Subcultures may also emerge in organizations in which power is decentralized (Martin and Siehl, 1983).  Good introduction of the topic. Before anyone can speak of a subculture within an organization, and since you addressed organizational culture, they should first address what the culture within an organization means. Organizational culture is revealed in the actions of the employees; their appearance, their attitude, and interaction with their customers. Employee actions will provide insight to the key “values, beliefs, understandings, and norms” of the organization. Organizational culture is unwritten and the underlying message provides clear examples of “ethical behavior, commitment to employees, efficiency, or customer service” and is demonstrated in the actions of employees.
 The major types of organizational subculture can be grouped as the following:

             ·  Power Subculture: This subculture deals with leadership and allocation of resources.            

            When handled appropriately, the Power Subculture produces leaders who are fair yet firm   

            in their beliefs and in their actions. These leaders set the goals and tone of the culture of

            the business. If this subculture is managed inappropriately, then employees may be  

           governed by fear, abuse of power for personal gain and/or political manipulation.

·  Achievement Subculture: This subculture rewards results and recognizes employees who are working with the vision of the company in mind. Rules, structure and work teams serve the business in this subculture.

· Support Subculture: The primary purpose of the Support Subculture is to place value upon the employee as both a person and as a worker. Employee satisfaction and harmony are important; workers who feel unappreciated, manipulated or abused will not exert their best efforts for the company, and when this happens the entire business culture is negatively affected.

·  Role Subculture: This subculture deals with rules and responsibility for both management and employees. Roles within a business culture must be clearly understood in order for all divisions of the company to work toward the company’s vision. This subculture designates clear responsibility, rewards, and penalties regarding role designation. The Role Subculture also provides the business with efficiency and stability (Estes, 2009)

        New employees may be not fully aware of the subculture, or the psychological contract of the organization. On the other hand, new employees have their own ideas on how to do things, and these ideas may conflict with the organization’s subculture. Geographically-based subcultures, standards in dress, nature of regional management, and styles of language are some of the examples of subculture that a new employee may have to adopt. It is the best interests of the organization to help new employees learn the new work environment.  Socialization and communication can help new employees to get used to the new system. Cross-functional meetings and newsletter are some of the examples that can be used to communicate with new employees. Employee subcultures provide an identity that new employees, wanting to be accepted by the group, usually learn and accept even if the group values do not match individual values. New employees have their own views on how to do things and these views may conflict with the organization’s way of doing things. It is in the best interests of the organization to help new employees adapt to the work environment. Perceptive new employees learn about unstated cultural elements through observation and through questioning trusted employees or mentors.

          In our organization, a group of people developed a subculture by doing mini-birthday celebration at work, which is supportive subculture. Co-workers take turns to make cakes for other person who has birthday on that day. People get together to have cakes during the break time. This subculture creates satisfaction and harmony.

       The increasingly global environment of modern organizations dramatically impacted organizational subculture. Many different ethnicities, nationalities, beliefs, values and cultures co-exist in an organization. The basic cultural differences include Power distance, Individualism, Uncertainty avoidance, and Masculinity. People from different culture may prefer different power subculture, achievement subculture, and role subculture. In the global environment, different organizational subcultures must be acknowledged and integrated into a company's overall corporate culture to achieve organizational goals.
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The changes in the composition of the U.S. workforce

Employees are the most important asset of an organization. It is the base to understand the composition of the U.S. workforce for an organization to develop strategy strategies to remain competitive.  The changing labor markets, globalization, and industrial restructuring have greatly changed proportion and composition of the U.S. labor force. The population in the United States is growing increasingly diverse. The population has become more evenly distributed across age, gender, and ethnic groups. The trend of diversification does not seem to be ended ending soon.                                                                                   

As part of the society, organization workforce has to reflect the ethnicity and diversity of the country. The potential benefits of the diversity include better decision making, greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. However, diversity brings issues which may have a negative impact on the advantages and benefits. Organizations must identify issues that come with the diversity before they can embrace the diversity and realize the benefits. Good introduction, Doc Fan. The composition of the U.S. workforce is in constant change; today’s workforce is very different from fifty years ago and it will continue to evolve in the future. Organizations are becoming more diverse with changes across all demographics. Many business organizations have recognized this diversity as an opportunity for development and expansion.                                                                                         

       The changes in the composition of the U.S. workforce

Any organization, may it be profit oriented or not-for-profit, the most vital asset is its employees, and for these organizations to maximize their assets, they should manage the employees’ working condition with intelligence and efficiency (Ulrich, 1998). To understand the composition of the workforce is the base of an organization to develop competitive strategies.                                                                                                       

The population in the United States is growing increasingly diverse. Evidently, the population has become more evenly distributed across age groups. The female labor force is increasing, in the mean time; male rates are declining, which led the labor force closer to gender balance. On the other hand, the inflow of immigrants has been contributing to continuing increase in the racial and ethnic diversity of the workforce. The Hispanics and Asians are the fastest-growing groups in the workforce. According to the Bureau of Census, almost 30% of the U.S. population is from ethnic or racial minority groups, 12.8% are African American, 11.9% are Hispanics, 4.1% are Asian and Pacific, and 1% represents other groups, which means that there are about 36.4 million African-Americans, 35.3 million Hispanics, and 11.9 million Asian-Americans. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001)  By 2050, the Hispanic population is projected to reach 24 percent of the labor force. Asians will account for 8 percent of the labor force in 2050, up from 4 percent in 2005. In contrast, the African American share of the labor force will only grow from 11 percent to 14 percent in 2050. Because other groups are growing faster, the non-Hispanic whites' share of the labor force is projected to drop to just over 50 percent by 2050. The trend of diversification is not going to stop at anytime soon.  Organizations are developing diverse workforces by creating a heterogeneous combination of employees that differ with regards to gender, age, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Businesses that achieve a more diverse workforce are easily identifiable. Their workforce includes people of different ages, women, different racial backgrounds, physically challenged, and other than heterosexual preferences. The management of a diverse workforce is a concern for industry leaders who have a difficult task of managing in an evolving environment that includes globalization. Diversity presents unique challenges and opportunities that can either hinder or support organizational goals, capitalistically ensuring that only the most favorable organizations endure.

                            Personal work experiences and workforce profile

                As part of the society, in our organization, the workforce has reflected the ethnicity and diversity of the country. The diversity in terms of age, sex, race, language, values, attitudes, and beliefs is more distinctive than any other time in history. Globalization business and labor immigrating across borders have created more diverse organizations that comprise a mixture of people from many different cultures. Workforce diversity has become one of the main management issues in our organizations.

           Likewise, in Academic and Public Administration sector, in 1980, the white male accounted for 86% of all Senior Executive Service (SES) employees in the U.S. federal government. By 2008, that number had decreased to 65% (Office of Personnel Management, 2008). The industry sector is not exceptional;, in 2007, 49 percent of Bank of America officials and managers were women and 25 percent were a minority. Today, AT&T's 50-state work force is 44 percent female and 39 percent minority. Diversity brings substantial potential benefits as well as issues. To embrace the diversity and realize the benefit, organizations must identify issues that come with the diversity.            The last half of the twentieth century saw significant changes to the U.S. labor force. There was an influx of female workers. In 1950 women comprised less than 30 percent of the workforce. In 2003, women totaled nearly 47 percent of the workers. This is nearly gender balance in today’s workforce, a trend that will continue since women outnumber men on college campuses; why do you think this is happening, Doc Fan?. Women are not just increasing their numbers in menially labor positions, they are expanding into technical, professional, and managerial jobs.

                  Women’s movement into the workforce was the most significant event of the last half of the twentieth century affecting workplace diversity in the U.S. The next fifty years will be noted for growth in the ethnic and older proportion of the evolving workforce.            

  Issues in a highly diverse organization                                                                                

                   The potential benefits of the diversity include better decision making, greater

creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers.

However, diversity brings issues which may have negative impact on the advantages

and  benefits.  For example, diversity does not do as well under uncertainty and complex situations, which may lead to and frustration and confusion (what is an example of “uncertainty and complex situations”?).  The culture clash can result in negative dynamics that may produce difficulties for women and minorities. The diversity issues could be three levels: the system, the structures, and the culture level of an organization.  Managing diversity is more than simply recognize recognizing the differences in people, and the diversity issues must be addressed. The age, gender, ethnicity, national origin and language are the basic dimensions of diversity. While the major diversity issues can be categorized into two groups including organizational issues and individual issues.  The organizational issues include the conflict of culture differences, miscommunication, cultural bias (prejudice and discrimination), negative attitudes and discomfort toward people who are different, and stereotyping. Good…now what are “individual issues”.                                                

                    The most basic issues of workforce diversity are the Employment Equality Regulations of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The regulations prohibit discriminatory behavior against an individual because of his or her race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability or that of his or her friends, relatives, or associates. Women and men of all races who were previously excluded from jobs or educational opportunities, or were denied opportunities once admitted, have gained access through affirmative action. However, today, workforce diversity is no longer just about anti-discrimination and other legal compliance. It goes well beyond the traditional EEO.                                                                                                                                  

                       One of the most significant diversity issues is the conflict of culture difference.  Each culture has its distinct syntax, expressions and structure. When people from different culture work together, people may confused there may be confusion with the culture difference. The contrast between individualism and collectivism is such an example.  Asians, Hispanics and Blacks have roots in nations with collectivist cultures, while most Caucasians have roots in the European tradition of individualism. The performance of individualists (those from the U.S.) was lower when working in a group than when working alone, while the performance of collectivists (those from China and Israel) was lower when working alone than when working in a group. (Hofstede, 1980, Inkeles, 1983) excellent example. The work group structures study had found that those from cultures that view relationships in terms of hierarchy or pecking order have a preference for highly structured teams while those from individualistic cultures felt more comfortable with voluntary and informal teams (Perkins (1993). Traditionally, cultural conflicts between majority and minority group members are usually resolved in favor of the majority groups. This, in turn, creates significant barriers to full participation by minority members in potentially conflict situations (Tsui and O’Reilly 1992).                                                                           

                         Miscommunication can occur even between people of the same religion or the same nationality let alone people from different cultures please check your indentations, Doc.   Ineffective communication can result in problems such as lack of teamwork, and low morale. Therefore, culturally diverse groups may have communication issues. The way people communicate varies widely.  “Even when native and non-native speakers are exposed to the same messages, they may interpret the information differently" (Brownell, 2003). One aspect of communication style is language usage. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways.  Homogenous groups have been reported to outperform culturally diverse groups especially where there are serious communication issues which make it more difficult for everybody to make optimal contributions to the group effort (Sheridan, 1994). 

               Low level psychological identification was linked to high diversified workforce, which may result in absenteeism and turnover.  “Out-group members were more likely to leave the organization” (Cox, 1993).  This is not enough to make a paragraph, Doc. Please visit the APA Manual for clarification.                               

               Negative attitudes in the workplace are a big diversity issue as well. When

employees of different races, ethnicities and backgrounds work together, prejudice,

stereotyping, and discrimination can occur indeed they do.  Cultural bias is an additional

factor which challenges culturally diverse work environments. Cultural bias includes both

prejudice and discrimination (Sheridan, 1994).   Prejudice refers to negative attitudes toward

an organization member based on his/her culture group identity, and discrimination refers to

observable adverse behavior for the same reason"(Cox, 1991).     

             Working within diverse groups, the individuals’ issues comprise inadequate skill preparation, lack of proper education, low self-esteem, poor career planning, and lack of organizational political skill.   To take advantage of the trend of adversity, individuals should have a suitable education and upgraded skills. Employees in a diverse workplace must learn to work with other employees who are not the same yes, they should but do they.                                            

                              Conclusion                                                                                                             

              The trend of the composition of the U.S. workforce is more diverse diversity into the next century. A diverse workplace includes all types of employees such as those of various races, genders, sexual orientations, ages, with various religious and political beliefs.Workforce diversity is no longer just about anti-discrimination legal compliance.  Organizations started to pursue workforce diversity as a competitive necessity. However, diversity brings issues which may have a negative impact on the advantages and benefits.  Major diversity issues can be categorized into two groups including organizational issues and individual issues.  The organizational issues include the conflict of culture differences, miscommunication, cultural bias (prejudice and discrimination), negative attitudes and discomfort toward people who are different, and stereotyping.  The individuals’ issues comprise inadequate skill preparation, lack of proper education, low self-esteem, poor career planning, and lack of organizational political skill.   To take advantage of the trend of adversity, individuals should have a suitable education and upgraded skills. Employees in a diverse workplace must learn to work with other employees who are not the same.

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Method Products and effective marketing communication

Founded in 2000, Method Products is a San Francisco based corporation producing non-toxic, biodegradable natural cleaning supplies, and the leading innovator of premium home products. Method's products are sold in over 25,000 retail locations throughout U.S., Canada, and U.K. Major retailers include Target, Wingman’s, Costco, Duane Reade, Safeway, Waitrose (U.K.), and Shoppers Drug Mart (Canada). In 2006, Inc. magazine named Method the 7th fastest-growing private company in the United States.

Effective marketing communication is one of the most important strategies for Method's success. Method Products had integrated marketing communication practices such as creativity and memorable approaches, which were aligned with its values and contributed to its marketing strength. Method Products had clearly defined the marketing communication roles and objectives, and effectively communicated its information of unique products, values, and philosophy to stakeholders.

The role of marketing communications

Method's marketing communication had integrated several marketing tools, approaches, and resources, which have won consumers’ mind and heart. Holistic approach was used for marketing communication to ensure consistency of message and the complementary use of media. Method’s marketing approach includes online and offline marketing strategies. Online marketing communication includes e-marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), affiliate, and data base marketing. Offline marketing communication includes traditional print (newspaper, magazine), mail order, parties, storytelling, and public relations. Method also used all elements of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) to create unique consumer experience.

Promotional activities include advertising (by using different medium), sales promotion (sales and trades promotion), and personal selling activities. The promotion also includes internet marketing, sponsorship marketing, direct marketing, database marketing and public relations. Method integrated those promotional tools along with other components of marketing mix to communicate with customers.

The objective of the Marketing communications

Method’s goal of marketing communication was to convey its value, philosophy, information of products to stakeholders, to gain competitive advantage, to maximize its profit potential, and to achieve operational excellence. The message that Method wanted to deliver was that Method was transforming the household cleaner from a toxic object that hides under the sink to natural, bio-degradable, and stylish countertop decorations. Through design, fragrance, and storytelling, Method expected to change tedious household common supplies to goods that provide consumers with sensory and aesthetic pleasure. Method's marketing communication was intended to link sustainable production with attractive and functional packaging, to reach out to a broader customer base, to stand out of the competitors, and to get into the market that had been historically dominated by large established firms.

The communication of value

To communicate value, Method did not simply focus on products that it produced but Method took actions in different directions from products, processes, people, to profits. Method’s design created value for the brand and provided experience for consumers who appreciated the combination of elegant design and day-to-day functionality. In addition, the design became an advertising platform and was exhibited in magazines, on the shelf, or in customers’ home.
   In addition, Method used renewable energy strategy to let its consumers know that Method was more than good looks and fragrance. “Method offers home cleaning products that are biodegradable derived from natural ingredients such as soy, coconut, and palm oils, and they come in environmentally responsible packaging”(Padosa, 2009). Consequently, customers were attracted to Method's values. To compete with other environmentally friendly producers, Method had the unique consumer experience of the combination of design, fragrance, and green energy practice. The environmentally friendly image means the products had the value that is good for society. This value also generated customer loyalty. Evidently, customers identified themselves with the brand’s values and aspired to a healthy Method lifestyle: modern, upscale, design- oriented, health-conscious, and green.

Effectiveness of their marketing communication

Avoiding traditional means of advertising, Method believed that seconds of television commercials and single-page magazine advertisements would not strengthen brand value very much. Method, instead, has worked to create an experience around its products through strategic advertising placements such as a pop-up store concept, informational website, and informational booklets placed in lifestyle magazines. Method has also been featured in a diversity of niche print publications including In Style, Food and Wine, the New York Times,  the Los Angeles Times, and Forbes.com.

Reaching out to a broader customer base, Method focused on product design and quality. The “pop-up shop” served to introduce customers to the products and brand in a way otherwise unlikely to be noticed for the home care products because the pop-up shop looks like an art gallery, which encouraged customers to view the products as works of “art” while learning about the variety of method’s products unique applications. Internet marketing helped visitors to learn about Method's line of products, history, and mail order shipment in an entertainment way. Printing materials had also helped Method convey its value to customers and affectively broaden consumer base.

Using packaging designs, advertising campaigns, magazines, and booklet, Method communicated its philosophy to customers with real story that made honest, fun references to personal and shared touchy points in consumers’ lives. “One of the reasons why it seemed to work in this case as a booklet is because Method had a unique story to tell” (Moore, 2006). Genuine story with good products, colorful health-conscious images helped Method delivered its message. Method also educated its customers about its philosophy while engaging them through storytelling. The value of nontoxic, health alternatives for use around children, pets and people was communicated to its customers through storytelling and experience. The combination of value, philosophy and storytelling touched customers’ deep emotion.

Method should constantly seek new ways to communicate with consumers. The Social-media marketing is a new e-marketing trend. “Social-media marketing includes participation on social-networking websites, such as Face book, LinkedIn, and MySpace; video- and photo-sharing websites, including YouTube and Flicker; blogging; micro-blogging” (Forootan, 2010). Method can take advantage of this trend to remain competitive.

Conclusion

Effective marketing communication is one of the most important strategies for Method's success. Method’s goal of marketing communications was to convey its value, philosophy, information of products to stakeholders, to gain competitive advantage, to maximize its profit potential, and to achieve operational excellence. Method has applied the strategy to keep away from traditional means of advertising. Instead, Method has created an experience around its products through strategic advertising placements such as a pop-up store concept, informational website, and informational booklets. Story telling is another unique marketing practice. The combination of value, philosophy, and storytelling has touched customers’ deep emotion. The product design, internet, printing marketing, and storytelling marketing are all effectively performed. The design, fragrance, and green energy practice together with other communication means successfully helped Method communicate its values to stakeholders. Consequently, Method had been standing out of its competitors.