Module 4 Discussion Questions
Answer each of the following question with a substantive response. A substantive response is one that: 1) is a minimum of 125 words, 2) is a thoughtful and thorough response to all aspects of the question, 3) accurately applies information from the course material, and 4) utilizes appropriate grammar. You will be graded based upon length and grammar, your insight into the issue addressed, and demonstration of knowledge of the course material as found in the book and elsewhere. Please check the formatting before submitting your response.

1. Read the following scenario: Is there an ethical issue here? How should she act in this situation? How can she convince the marketers? Be sure to explicitly apply the rules of ethical decision-making in determining your answer.

“A marketing team presents a children's cereal brand manager with a ‘Less Sugar’ ad campaign for three of her brands. Large print and dynamic type on the package exclaiming ‘75% LESS SUGAR’ will catch the parent’s eye and increase sales. Concerned about their children’s weight gain, parents will purchase the cereal. The carbohydrate content of the less sugar product, however, is the same as high sugar version, at best only10 fewer calories per bowl, so it offers no weight loss advantage. The brand manager’s immediate reaction is ‘This marketing campaign is unethical.’” (Hamilton, J.A., 2009).

Yes there is an ethical issue in this scenario. The marketing team is advertising that there is less sugar in the cereal but in all actuality, the contents of it is the same as their regular cereal. This is in fact the opposite of the moral rights rule of ethical decision making. They are only concerned with how many sales they will get and not about the health and well-being of the customers. Their idea definitely does not accept the justice rule nor the utilitarian rule because although the packaging says less sugar it contains the same amount and therefore, the customers are not benefiting from it. They are mainly going to buy it because they think it will help with weight loss. The brand manager has noticed that what the marketers were doing was unethical as well so the best thing for her to do would be to talk to them and possibly have them change the ingredients in the cereal. She can convince the marketers of the cereal brand by telling them that if they continue to promote/market their product, people will soon catch on and therefore stop buying the cereal and once they stop buying it, they could possibly go out of business. Being that the consumers think it has less sugar than it really does, if the brand manager tells them otherwise, the typical person would not accept this fact.

2. Watch the video on the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle disaster on the textbook website: http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/videos/NBC/Flash/NBC_Columbia_Space_Shuttle_Disaster.html . [You may also wish to research the 2003 Columbia disaster and the 1986 Challenger disaster for a complete picture]. Then, answer the following question using the terminology and concepts from the course: What seems to be the major decision-making problem(s) facing NASA? What types of decision-making errors have NASA managers made?

The major decision-making problems facing NASA seems to be learning from feedback. According to the video, NASA had been aware of the problems but still decided to allow the process to go on anyway. If they would have took the time to handle the problem and be more careful there would have been a lesser chance of the failure. I also think groupthink was a problem because if the message was passed on to the top level management departments the process would have been stopped and the failure would not have occurred. Some of the errors that managers made was not completing or fixing the errors before launching it again and data was inaccurate.

3. Conduct a SWOT Analysis for Coastal Carolina University. List at least two of each of the SWOT components. Be sure to accurately distinguish internal S and W from external O and T (refer to p. 187 for examples if necessary).

I decided to make my SWOT Analysis specifically for the Chanticleer Bookstore on campus. SWOT Analysis for Coastal Carolina University Bookstore | PotentialStrengths | Potential Weakness | Potential Opportunities | Potential Threats | Unique Products | Long lines | Located in the HTC Center | Don’t get book orders on time sometimes | On campus | Sells back books to students for less than other places | Online ordering | Prices too high |