In response of Nick Vita's post

Nick asked us, "Do you agree that the NFL should stop advertising on uniforms?"

 I disagree with Nick on this. I believe that advertising on uniforms is a great way for a professional/ club sports team to gain an income when they need it. Although on some uniform designs, the advertisement is front and center, and the team name is much smaller and normally in the corner, I believe it is a great way for the team to get their names out there in the market and get more offers for advertisement. Even though the uniforms with the advertisement logos don't necessarily show off the team name, the uniforms will be rememberable by the unique design of the advertisement.

Culture

 As discussed in Chapter 5 of our textbook, Culture underlies the family, the educational system, religion, and the social class system. The network of social organizations generates overlapping roles and status positions. These values and roles have a huge effect on people's preferences and on marketers' options. A company that does not understand a country's culture will most likely fail in that country.
 An example of culture differences is when people in India shake hands, they sometimes shake hands rather limply. This is because in India, a soft handshake conveys respect, and not as a sign of weakness or disinterest.
 Another example of culture differences in other countries is selling Broadway plays to other countries. The rights to reproduce Broadway plays are increasingly being sold overseas. However, the plays encounter some difficulty in translating cultural idioms and humor in other languages.

Can you think of any companies that have gone through a cultural roadblock? If so, what did they do to overcome this problem?

In response to Tammy Chou

Were you satisfied with a product targeted towards your lifestyle?

I have purchased many products towards my lifestyle and have been completely satisfied with them. One in particular is my Nike sneakers. I like to go to the gym on a regular basis and Nike is a great brand for people with an active lifestyle like myself. After purchasing and using the sneakers, I have yet to be disappointed in Nike. The sneakers are comfortable and durable, which is what I was looking for in a pair of sneakers. I will definitely continue to buy Nike sneakers and even more of their products. 

Self Regulation and Government Regulation

Self regulation and government regulatory agencies need each other to work efficiently. Self regulation is defined as control by oneself or itself, as in an economy or business, especially such control as exercised independently of government supervision or laws. Government regulatory agencies do their job by making sure the business environment is fair, allowing room for companies to have their own morals, rules, and ways of running the business.Without government regulatory agencies, the business world would have no guidelines or set of ground rules that society would expect them to follow. On the other hand, without self regulation, companies would have no room to be unique or different.

Do you know of a company that relies solely on government regulation?  

Response to Tammy Chou's post

"CSR has four components: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Which responsibility do you think is right for the society? Do you think different businesses would act upon it"

      After becoming familiar with CSR's components(philanthropic, ethical, legal, and economic), I firmly believe that it is a mixture of all four responsibilities that is right for society, considering it is a business's concern to maximize its positive impact and minimize its negative impact on society.

     Ethical responsibilities are about doing what is ethical. In other words, corporations doing what is morally right and avoiding harm. 
     Legal responsibilities are about obeying the law. Corporations are legally obligated to do what is right and not wrong. If companies and corporations do not obey the law there can be serious legal consequences, and can therefore hurt the company.
     Economic responsibilities are about being profitable. If a company is not profitable, they cannot succeed. 
     Philanthropic responsibilities are about being a good corporate citizen. Companies and corporations take on the philanthropic responsibility by giving resources back to the community and society. Large corporations have a significant amount of power in society that they should take on this responsibility.
     With all of the responsibilities combined, I believe that a corporation or company can improve society as a whole and greatly succeed. 

Product (RED)

      Do you think a partnership with Product (RED) can improve Gap’s image? Is it a sign that they are making a commitment to corporate social responsibility or do you agree with critics who say their involvement is an attempt to spit-shine the company’s image while continuing to do business as usual?

      As a consumer, looking at a company as big as the Gap, I can safely say that a partnership with Product (RED) can significantly improve the company's image. The retail world has a significant amount of competition, and with Gap falling behind on the latest trends, teaming up with a foundation like Product (RED) can not only improve the trends and image of the Gap, but also updating their products to attract new clientele. 

      The partnership with Product (RED) is a commitment to corporate social responsibility. By agreeing to a partnership the Gap is doing good for not only the company but for others in need as well.  I believe that this is good for any company in any form of business. The popular restaurant chain, Chili's Grill and Bar teamed up with St. Jude's Children's Hospital to help donate money during the month of September for childhood cancer victims. This just shows how any company, including the Gap can commit to CSR and still do good for the company and others in need.

If the Gap had never taken on a partnership with Product (RED), how do you think the company would be doing today?

This is in response to Joe Maturo's post: Marketing Concept

       After reading Joe's post about marketing concepts and diminishing returns, I completely agree with his argument. I believe that having choices when it comes to purchasing products is extremely important because it gives customers the ability to purchase what they want. Allowing customers choices and customized products can improve overall customer satisfaction and value.
       In today's market, customers are generally attracted to products that have many options and choices to pick from. You can never have too many choices, because this gives customers a wider range to pick what is attractive to them. Having limited choices when it comes to a product limits customer satisfaction and value. If a customer does not like the choices of a product, they might gravitate towards a product that does provide the type of product that they desire. Consumers love choices when it comes to products they love, which not only benefits the customer, but the company producing that product as well.