Written Discussion - Admission/Application Essay Example

Written Discussion: Marketing Over time, numerous marketing philosophies have evolved. A company’s orientation towards the market place has undergonea metamorphosis. Companies have moved from the ‘selling orientation’ to the ‘need satisfying orientation.’ All stakeholders, be it consumers, society or the government, have started expecting and demanding more than a product or service from the companies.Call it ‘under pressure ‘or ‘need of the hour’, many companies, big and small, have embraced the five principles of Enlightened Marketing namely Consumer-Oriented Marketing, Innovative Marketing, Value Marketing, Sense of Mission Marketing and Societal Marketing, in some measure or the other.

If Green Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility were considered merely fads some time back, today that these concepts are business realities. Be it any industry, companies strive to win the hearts of the consumers by doing their bit to ‘green’ the environment and by associating themselves with a social cause. Examples abound from The Bank of America Tower in Manhattan designed by Cook & Fox that uses every drop of rain water and the waste heat from generators to SC Johnson which uses renewable sources like garbage, waste palm shells and wind to help power its facilities.

Harrahs Entertainment bagged the EPAs Environmental Quality Award for demonstrating extraordinary dedication to protecting and enhancing environmental quality. Among other initiatives, the company switched to washable cups for its 16, 000 employees and reduced its usage of disposable cups by a whopping 1.1 million cups. ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’ is the mantra for Harrah’s.Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer clearly stands out in initiatives that benefit the society and the environment.

Doing business with the purpose of ‘saving people money to help them live better’, the retail chain sells the best quality merchandise at the lowest prices.The objective of the Walmart Foundation is to improve the lives of individuals living in the communities. To achieve this objective, financial contributions and in-kind donations are made by the foundation. Such contributions go towards hunger relief, education, military support, and disaster relief. In a recent initiative, the foundation donated $3.

4 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that are helping Americans get back to work.The retailer has used its global size and scale and has tied up with non-governmental organizations and philanthropic groups to help empower women across its supply chain. The company also runs retail training programs to impart skills needed for employment to women from low-income households. The company, in 2005, announced that over time the company would strive to sell products that sustain resources and the environment.

In terms of the future, the plans are ambitious, to say the least. The company is working with a vision of ‘zero-waste’ and intends to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy.The aforesaid discussion points to the fact that Wal-Mart has, through enlightened marketing, made a significant and positive influence on the lives of millions of people across the world.Works CitedHendry, Jamie R., and P. A. Vesilind. "Ethical Motivations for Green Business and Engineering." Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 7.4 (2005): 252,252-258.

ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.Parseghian, Pamela. "Chains make an Impact with Greener Practices." Nations Restaurant News 42.32 (2008): 36,36,38. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.SC Johnson. A Family Company, 2011. Web. 20 October 2011.Walmart. Corporate, 2011. Web. 20 October 2011.