Business Sustainability: An Analysis of Three Enterprises in Charlotte, North Carolina

Sustainability is defined in varying ways by businesses for reasons such as industry, stakeholder expectations, compliance, and other factors. In this case study, three companies, Domtar, Duke Energy, and Nucor, are examined on their approach to reporting and practicing environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Content analysis was used to identify themes in corporate paid, owned, and earned media. Interviews with facility managers were used to understand how management implements sustainable practices on a facility level. This case study examines in detail how these companies use different language, tools, and systems to progress sustainable development in a globalized economy. Results showed that in earned media, companies were socially and economically analyzed and not environmentally, unless responding to a crisis. In owned media, companies organized their sustainability priorities in a way they believed most represented their company. In sustainability reports, the more complicated the business portfolio, the more complicated it becomes to differentiate data sets. On all three reports, the most under-reported pillar of sustainability was environmental. All three companies have a huge ecological footprint and very general data regarding it is reported

How Do Family Background and Self-Esteem Affect an Individual’s Perception of Gender-Role Portrayal in Online Advertisements?

The purpose of this study is to further understand the relationship of family background and how it affects self-esteem and the perception of gender roles in online imagery. This study focuses on how our history serves as a lens to see gender roles. The schema theory, created by Robert Axelrod, is a model suggesting that people have a “pre-existing assumption about the way the world is organized” (Axelford, 1974). Furthering this theory is Bem\u27s (1981) Gender Schema Theory, which proposes that one\u27s sexual self-concept affects how one structures items in memory. These theories, applied to the understood roles and activities that we see our parents perform, should relate to how we see people in the media take on certain roles and activities in online advertisements. The method for collecting data is a survey broken down into questions of demographics, family history, self-esteem, and ten randomized advertisements portraying traditional, decorative, and non-traditional gender roles for both men and women. If we can begin to understand the relationship between family background and advertisement effectiveness, then advertisers can see the real cultural values and changing gender-role identities in consumers

Marketing Ethics and Fluff Pulp

A case study was conducted to further understand the fundamentals of sustainability issues pertaining to a raw material called fluff pulp. Fluff pulp is a chemical cellulose long fiber used for products that require high absorbency. Examples of these products include feminine hygiene products, baby diapers, and adult incontinence products. This product category is far from achieving a transparent supply chain due to lack of communicative marketing and packaging. This break in the communication model may cause extreme ethical implications for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Environmental and social issues will be coded to evaluate the most pressing issues regarding the material fluf

How Do Family Background and Self-Esteem Affect an Individual\u27s Perception of Gender-Role Portrayal in Online Advertisements?

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship of family background and how it affects self-esteem and the perception of gender roles in online imagery. This study focuses on how our history serves as a lens to see gender roles. Schema Theory, created by Robert Axelrod, is a model suggesting that people have a “pre-existing assumption about the way the world is organized.” Furthering this theory is Bem’s Gender Schema Theory, which proposes that one’s sexual self-concept affects how one structures items in memory. These theories, applied to the understood roles and activities that we see our parents perform, should relate to how we see people in the media take on certain roles and activities in online advertisements. The method for collecting data is a survey broken down into questions of demographics, family history, self-esteem, and ten randomized advertisements portraying traditional, decorative, and non-traditional gender roles for both men and women. If we can begin to understand the relationship between family background and advertisement effectiveness, then advertisers can see the real cultural values and changing gender-role identities in consumers