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Is Rohner a Failure

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The question posed by Esty & Winston in this week’s reading, “Is Rohner a Failure?,” makes one consider the definition of success in business. Business success can be defined in many ways, and cultures around the globe tend to define and reward success that fit within their norms and expectations. In the case of Rohner, one would have to consider the criteria by which success is defined. Rohner’s intention to create a sustainable product and company has been achieved and therefore meets the entrepreneur’s intentions, which likely defines success in their eyes. In the case of Rohner, it is not necessary to be the cheapest product, or to own the largest market share in order to be successful. (Esty & Winston, 2009) The fact that they are sustaining their business, taking care of the employees, community and their customers handily defines success. In fact, most business owners gain their greatest satisfaction from creating things and seeing their ideas through to fruition. (Hill, n.d.) The personal satisfaction of seeing an idea come to life with ones name/brand and overcoming the challenges of starting a business is enough to define success for many people. The social aspect of what Rohner has accomplished should also help define success. The good jobs, training and skills they teach their workers help define success. The wages they pay get circulated back into the community and reinvested as well. Satisfied, long-term employees are the best advertising that money can buy and it appears that Rohner has that covered as well. Perhaps the most important definition of success is that Rohner is achieving its vision of building and distributing eco-friendly fabrics. By all accounts, our Capitalist American System rewards behaviors that tend to define success in a perverse way. While an Entrepreneur may define success as having achieved the

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