Legal Advice to Publix Supermarkets Inc - Essay Example

? Legal advice to Publix supermarkets Inc of Publix Supermarkets Inc. and their strategic plan for the next five years Publix Supermarkets Inc., best known for its grocery stores, is a supermarkets chain in the USA located in Lakeland, Florida. The company was ranked number 8 in Forbes 2010 rankings of America’s biggest private companies. It is the largest company in Florida. Publix has 1, 041 retail locations spread in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Tennessee and South Carolina. The company staff is approximately 149,500. Publix Super Markets Inc. is currently the largest supermarket chain in the U.S owned by employees. The supermarkets chain processes its own dairy, deli and bakery products and distributes them for all its stores. Company sales recorded in the year 2010 were over $ 25.1 billion. The company has been in fortune’s top 100 best companies to work for in the last fourteen years consecutively ( Kubiak, 2010). The company’s product lines include grocery, health and beauty care, pharmacy, general merchandise, floral and services. The products are sold through the retail chains or online. Services offered include: gift cards, photo processing services, prescription refills and financial services. Over the last few years, the company has responded to the cultural trends in the grocery markets by coming up with organic foods; natural foods, prepared meals and ethnic foods. It is for this reason that Publix has been successful in the grocery industry and managed to open new stores in several states across USA. In order to cater for the demand of its markets, Publix has created a new concept for its different clientele. This includes Greenwise and Publix Sabor. Green wise stocks organic produce and natural foods while Publix Sabor caters for the Latin American population in south and central Florida. The company has recently ventured into restaurants business through its subsidiary (the crispers) which sells fresh salad and sandwich meal concept restaurant (Korolo, 2011). Among the Major initiatives planned by Publix supermarkets chain in the coming years is the improvement of the Fishery Improvements Projects, a project carried out in conjunction with Darden restaurants and Public Fisheries Partnership. The project would be carried around the Gulf of Mexico. The initiative involves addressing challenges facing the environment and Publix is committed to combating illegal fishing, enhancing productivity and reducing negative impacts of the environment. The plan aims at building partnerships with the government, conservation and communities to develop and implement the fishery improvement. In return this would rescue the declining numbers and lead to increased fish supply. This is a seafood sustainability effort. The organization chose to partner with organizations that share the same vision to improve fisheries and move seafood sustainability to the next level. This initiative came at a time when the food agricultural organization raised an alarm that the world’s fish stocks were getting depleted due to over exploitation (Korolo, 2011). Publix Supermarkets Inc. aims to increase its markets share by venturing into new areas within the next five years. Among the places that Publix plans to set up shop is the Longboat Key. The company plans to redevelop the withered avenue of the flowers shopping center, at longboat Key. The company also plans to establish a retail center at Knoxville, Tenn. Expansion to these new locations is aimed at providing customers with unique shopping experiences that lead to consumer satisfaction. The center in Knoxville could be open as early as the third quarter of 2012. Among the products on offer will be organic products in addition to the traditional store products and will feature products from the bakery department, deli department, meat department and public pharmacy ( Kubiak, 2010). Elements of administrative law relevant to the upcoming initiative and their impact In long boat key, the new retail chain has to be approved by the Longboat Key Planning, Building and zoning department whereby the director issues a decree on the plans. A decision will be made on whether the pre-application requirements of the town, application requirements, zoning code, development regulations and comprehensive plans were followed. It is widely known that the developer’s original drawings and plans never make it without modification or scathing. The design, location and massing of the development is likely to adversely affect the developments in the surrounding area. Among other concerns are the visual impacts on the Gulf of Mexico drive, Bay Isles Road and Bay Isles Parkway. The impact on the vegetation is likely to be considered. It is likely that Section 158.128(I) (4) of the town codes will likely be invoked before making a decision. This does not allow more than twelve off street parking spaces in sucession without a landscape island. The codes of the town stipulate that atmosphere within the parking area should be park like. Landscaping requires inclusion of mature replacement tree at intervals of approximately each five parking spaces. The interior portions of the parking area would be broken up the provision of islands. Sales, licensing and e-commerce laws to consider in the upcoming initiatives When, making online sales, the E-commerce laws of US have to be taken into consideration. This requires respect to privacy, personal data collection and prevention of scams. The ABA-Electronic Commerce Law subcommittee requires principles, practices and policies for businesses-businesses and businesses to consumers. There is also the advertising and marketing on the internet rules. The guidelines are meant to protect businesses and consumers as well as maintain credibility of the internet as an advertising medium (Korolo, 2011). The anticybersquatting consumer protection act has also to be taken into consideration. This means that the company would not use abusive registration or use trademarks for other companies in its website domain name. Children’s online privacy protection act has to be adhered to such that information collected from children is controlled by their parents. Email marketers are required to honor prompt delivery once a purchase has been made. The law requires online merchants to review their obligations in order to serve their customers better. Recommendations to minimize the threat of law suits An information system often has bewildering ethical problems. This occurs because of the challenges posed by the internet and e-commerce in relation to protection of privacy and intellectual property. There are other ethical issues raised as well which include enforcing accountability for the consequences of information systems, and setting standards to protect the quality of systems that protect the safety of individuals and society. There is also a need to preserve the values and institutions considered vital to the quality life in the information community. There is a need to protect information systems from computer fraud as well as abuse. The company should also have strong ethics to sensitize employees on the need to consider ethical issues in the line of work. Understanding the ethical implications of technologies used by firms helps the management to establish a code of ethics for information systems. Sales and markets should use systems that balance between collection of information and analysis of customers’ data with a view of protecting consumer privacy (Korolo, 2011). Fair Information Practices (FIP) is one of the principles recommended. These are a set of principles governing the collection and use of information from individuals. Its principles are based on the belief of mutual interest between the record holder and the individual. When information is collected, the respodents maintain an interest in the record, and the information should not be used to support other activities without the individual’s consent. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) restated these laws in 1998 and extended the original laws to protect online privacy.There are new technologies available to protect user privacy ( Kubiak, 2010). During interactions with Web sites, many tools are used for email encryption , for making e-mails or browsing activities that appear anonymous, in order to prevent client computers from receiving cookies, or for detection and elimination of spyware applications(Osborne, 2008). There are also new applications to help customers to decide the type of personal information that can be obatined by Web sites. The Platform for Privacy Preference(P3P) is one of them and facilitates spontaneous communication of privacy requirements between an electronic commerce website and its visitors(Neophytou, 2011). References Bernard F. Kubiak. (2010). Marketing Information Systems As A Driver Of An Organization’s Competitive Advantage. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 80-82. Korolo, A. (2011). Privacy Violations Using Microtargeted Ads: A Case Study. Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality , 90-92. Neophytou, J. P. (2011). Patents: Construction and interpretation of a patent claim . Jounal of Intellectual Propety Law and Practice, 594-595. Osborne, D. (2008). User generated content (UGC): trade mark and copyright infringement issues . Journal of Intelectual Law & Practice, 770-771. Read More