MALICIOUS MARKETING: HOW TO AVOID IT

 

Have you ever given it a thought, that the money that the customers are investing in, the products that you're selling, all the claims that you make about your products, your modes of advertising, is it always true? is it always ethical? if no, then here's what you need to know.

In today's era, it's very easy to start a business: lie and do it, make false claims, send wrong signals and boom! your job is done,  because the common people are very easy to influence right? you thought so. Unethical practices in the fields of marketing are very common these days. Using women as sex symbols, exaggerating the claims, distorting and moulding the facts: all of these are unethical ways of marketing and often destroy a company's reputation, brand loyalty, decreases customer retention and much more. Although all of these practices are spread like plague today, it's very easy for the customers and the consumers to avoid encouraging them by being a little vigilant  and careful and then your business is just done, it will face a downfall like never before!

Talking bad about other products or brands is also a kind of unethical marketing. In most of the cases, people are not actually aware of the fact that they are into these malicious ways of marketing. Spamming or instilling fear in the hearts of the customers by calling out the limited time periods again and again or using emotional tactics to influence the customers or even forcing customers to buy a product is very common nowadays.  Many firms even overcharge their products to earn more profits. But little do they know is that these practices are going to lay off the customers and will attract a bad name to the company, but this article will teach you how to avoid these types of practices.

HOW TO AVOID THESE TYPES OF MARKETING?

1. CHEATING IS NEVER REWARDED: Since we are small, we all are taught that cheaters never win, but often the businesses forget this and get taken away by greed and profits. Businesses who try to hide their dark sides live in a constant state of fear and are never able to focus on their business or expand it to it's true potential. It's very important to remember that cheating is not the way to grow. constant hard work and goodwill is the only way to take a business towards greater heights.
2. KEEP YOURSELF IN YOUR CUSTOMER'S SHOES: When you're in doubt and are unable to decide what's right or wrong, keep yourself in your customer's shoes and think: whatever you're doing, is it stealing or not? just or not? ethical or not and then take any decision. Create a checklist and keep marking the things on which you think you are ethical and then see where you need to improve.
3. IF YOU CAN, DON'T: While doing a business, nothing comes easy. learn to accept it and don't dwell onto failures. The wrong paths will always come easy to you, your goal will be just one step away if you take that path but remember one thing; that path is short lived and soon you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere.
4. DONT STRESS TOO MUCH ON THE PROFIT: Often the profit motive distracts the business men and directs them to sideline their morals and values. Always remember that profit can be earned by choosing to walk on the right path as well, after all nothing attracts a customer more than the loyalty and ethical values of a business.
5. RESPECT YOUR PROFESSION: Respect your business because if you are just, your hard work will pay off one day and your business will never disappoint you. The key to be have a successful business is to never forget the morals, values and culture you have learnt as a child.

If you are right and ethical while handling a business, nothing can stop you from earning maximum profits and reaching greater heights, The culture and ethical values taught to us by our parents as a child will never disappoint us, in fact it will pay off as profits and greater market share in our business's life. It is very important to remember that those who cheat never go too far, after all you can't cheat on nature, you can't cheat on life. Be ethical and respect your business and customers and you'll see how far you go!

    

WOMEN IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

When i talk about businesswomen, the word itself seems strange, rare, outlandish. But why is it so? The fact that the word that we use to acknowledge women doing business being so strange does not mean that it is actually so unusual. We just dont hear or read about it that often. 

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Gone are the days where the women are just thought to be kept under the four walls of the houses or are considered to be too weak to be doing anything except the house chores. 

Women's way of doing business can be a little different from the usual but not ineffective. 

Here, we will learn about some businesswomen who made it big in the business world but didnt get the hype or the recognition that they deserved. 

1) SOPHIA : Sophia founded NASTY GAL as an ebay store in 2006 that sold vintage clothing. She then transformed her business into a  million dollar company and it was named "fastest growing retailer" In 2012. She has no prior fashion experience But she made it big in the fashion business. 

2) INDU JAIN : Indu jain is the current chairperson of India's largest Media group, Bennett and & Co. Ltd. Which owns many big newspaper brands including the Times of India. She was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2016 And is a receiver of many big awards. She is a spiritualist, humanist and one of the most successful lady entrepreneurs in the world. 

3) MELANIE PERKINS : Just sharing an insight to this blog, when i was researching on this topic on the internet, one name that always popped up on most of the sites was of Melanie perkins. She is the cofounder and CEO of CanvaA,Which is a graphic design platform that was created in 2013 which would help anyone anywhere in the world to create professional graphic designs. It is worth more than 2.5  dollars and is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world. 

4) NANCY WHITEMAN : Nancy is the cofounder of Wana brands and Which made Some 25 million dollars revenue in the year 2019. Nancy launched this company in 2010 but has made it her cannabis infused gummies into the top selling edible companies in the world. 

And the list of women entrepreneurs and businesswomen goes on and on. There is no end to it. Women, from a very young age have been trained to take care of the household and this surely helps in their business careers as they are more responsible and Disciplined than men, but they are not given the recognition that they deserve. With the hope that they do their fair share of fame and recognition, i end this blog here. 

Adieu people! 

WHEN HR GETS IT WRONG

 

 "MISCONDUCT WON'T CHANGE UNTIL CULTURE DOES"

Human resources describe the people who makeup the workforce of any Organization, business sector or economy. But are these people always just? Always fair? What happens when these people become unethical? When these people who were supposed to employ the best of the best start enjoying favoritism? When they start discriminating on the basis of race, gender or worse: disability? When they start harassing? Showing inappropriate behaviour and misconduct? Where do the people who have worked hard day and night to get that job go? What do the people who actually deserved to get that job do?

 

 

But who is responsible for this misconduct and favoritism? The company? The government? 

The answer is: the people themselves. The so called recruiters, Employers, interviewers. Nobody can teach you honesty, loyalty, discipline; it all comes from within. All the ethical as well as the unethical practices of any organization reflects the type of values and culture the workforce has. So many cases of these unethical practices reach the media, and if it becomes a big news, the manager is asked to resign but if it's not, they are just asked to pay some fine; that too if the manager is unlucky , otherwise the luck of the organization and the recruiters favor them and they are left: unharmed. 

For the record, more than 56% of employees have witnessed or experienced inappropriate, unethical or illegal behaviour at workplaces but the issues are often left unreported or ininvestigated because employees fear consequences that they do not want to face and think that they wont be taken seriously.                                       (Source:www.peoplematterpeoplemattersglobal.com)

So, what should be done?

It is very important for the people themselves to understand and respect their position, they should aim to make careers and not to give just jobs. If any complaint is lodged, it should be taken seriously and necessary action should be taken against it. People should be hired on the basis of their skills and not degree. The HR managers should treat each and every one equally; as they all are working for the company's benefit. The recruiters should ignore all the biases, as the business world has no place for emotions or relations. HR managers need to learn civility and empathy. They should give their heart and soul for the company's benefit. The important thing is: there should be no place for discrimination. It is not only illegal, but also hampers the growth of the individual who's going through it, moreover, it proves harmful for the company's growth and affects the already working workforce as it instills fear and demotivation among them. In today's world, when most of the things and procedures are technology based, the training of an individual should be live, and not online.  

Stringent standards, rules and regulations, punishments, are to be enforced in the workplace; this would ensure that the misconduct will not repeat itself again! The supervisors should be disciplined and there should be a special investigation team to investigate into the complaints and keep a check for conduct and appropriate behaviour constantly. There should be policies regarding harassment, discrimination, bullying and other uncivil behaviours and some serious repercussions should be laid down. Every employee working in the organization should be familiar with the code of conduct that is universally or at least nationally accepted. Instructions regarding code of conduct should be laid down clearly and professional behaviour should be celebrated and practiced. Moreover, it is very important for the professionals themselves to set an example for the others by following and enjoying the ethical values in any organizations. the cultures or stereotypes should never come in the way for ethical and professional behaviour!

6 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE BUSINESS AS A CAREER

Are you interested in taking up business as a career? Or are you even thinking about it? Have you been to many career counsellors but can't choose which career to go in? 

Well if you are facing these problems then this blog is the one for you. 

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Since decades and centuries, government jobs have been given so much of importance that the essence of a free lifestyle as a businessman has gone missing. Having our own business or working in one comes with so many perks but the race for government jobs like administrative services have sidelined that fact. 

Here are some reasons why you should take up business as a career path:

1) DEVELOP COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Have you ever seen a businessman who is lacking communication skills? No, right? So, are they born with it? Again no. They develop it overtime through extensive training of soft skills. They are great presenters and communicators. 

2) REACH OUT TO MAXIMUM PEOPLE-GLOBALLY: Being in a business profession has the biggest advantage of not staying at a place forever. You can travel the world, meet as many people you want and this woukd only help in expanding your business. 

3) THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ADVANCEMENT: The constant promotions will keep you guessing on when did you become so lucky! In government jobs you may be stuck at a position for years and decades but in a business, as long as you are improving and advancing your skills, you are on the radar of promotion! 

4) BE YOUR OWN BOSS: You can always start your own career as an ENTREPRENEUR! Yes, you heard it right. You can start your own business and be your own boss. You can go around ordering people and making things work your way(i know some people love that). 

5) MORE PROFITS=MORE MONEY: The profit money doesn't just go to the boss but all the employees who worked for it. Bonus, holiday with pay, flexible working hours; you are given all the perks. Also, companies like google dont even have a dress code, so as long as you have something on your body, you're good to go! 

6) FOLLOW YOUR PASSION: Are you a fan of cars? Automobiles? Fashion? Decor? Well then, business is the only field where you can do something you love and still get paid big! Also, it will keep you contended with yourself and your choices and you can pursue your passion at the same time. 

So now, hopefully you know the answer to your relative's question when they ask you what have you planned for your future, you can always say BUSINESS and they'll know you'll make it big. 

WANT TO BECOME A SUCCESSFULL ENTREPRENEUR? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Everybody wants to do well in business. Most of us, in entrepreneurship. But do we know how to? This blog will give you a clear idea on how to start your business from the scratch and take it to greater heights.

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What's the one thing that you need to know before commencing or investing in any business? Yes! That's right. You need to know what is the future of the business that you're investing in or the industry for which you're about to start your business in. If a sailor wants to sail a ship he should know where he is going and what are the resources and the amount of time that he will require to reach there, and the same goes for business. So the first thing that you need to know is where you're going, what is scope of that business in the coming years. Do your homework and understand the industry that you will be involved in. 

The next steps are as follows:

1) LEGAL AID: Choose a good legal advisor for your company who knows what he is doing and stay away from legal disputes as much as possible. Since you will be just starting your business, you dont want to go down the road of defamation. 

2) FOCUS ON WHAT THE PEOPLE NEED: If you know what this generation or your target market exactly needs, you're good to go. It becomes really difficult when a business does not know the tastes and preferences of its target market. 

3) DEBT CONTROL: Though money is very important in a business, never let the debt count rise or it is better if you actually stay away from it. You dont want to start big itself, start small and then let it grow overtime. 

4) UNDERSTAND YOUR SWOT: It is really important for you to understand and focus on your strengths, grab every opportunity that you get, stay away from threats and work on your weaknesses because if you don't, your opponent will. 

5) PASSION AND DETERMINATION: Furthermore, if you Don't have any passion and determination to make your business big, if you are doing it just for the sake of it, then this field might not be right for you. You have to constantly keep competing with yourself and others in this field and if You have no motivation to do so, quit early. 

Moreover, never lose hope. Even if your business is not doing well in the beginning, give it sone time, work on it, understand where you are lacking because everything comes with patience. Once you get a good hold in your industry, you will love your job more than anything in the world. 

BUSINESS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

 There are many people who still associate artificial intelligence with fiction and its movies but they are unaware of the fact that we are using artificial intelligence in our daily lives as well and just to take an example, alexa and siri are there in most of the households these days. 

The phenomenon of artificial intelligence may be new but the concept of the same is very old. the field of this modern artificial intelligence came into existence in 1956 but it also took a lot of time for the same to leave an impact in our minds and become so commonplace in our lives and also for it to be so significant and successful.

 

 

Rather than serving as a replacement for human intelligence and ingenuity, artificial intelligence is generally seen as a supporting tool. Although artificial intelligence currently has a difficult time competing with common sense in real world, it is adept at processing and analyzing troves of data far more quickly than a human brain could. Artificial intelligence software can then return with synthesized courses of action and present them to the human user. In this way, humans can use artificial intelligence to help game out possible consequences of each action and streamline the decision-making process.

"Artificial intelligence is kind of the second coming of software," said Amir Husain, founder and CEO of machine learning company spark cognition. "It's a form of software that makes decisions on its own, that's able to act even in situations not foreseen by the programmers. Artificial intelligence has a wider latitude of decision-making ability as opposed to traditional software."

Those traits make artificial intelligence highly valuable throughout many industries, whether it's simply helping visitors and staff make their way around a corporate campus efficiently or performing a task as complex as monitoring a wind turbine to predict when it will need repairs.

Machine learning is used often in systems that capture vast amounts of data. For example, smart energy management systems collect data from sensors affixed to various assets. The troves of data are then contextualized by machine learning algorithms and delivered to human decision-makers to better understand energy usage and maintenance demands.

Artificial intelligence is even an indispensable ally when it comes to looking for holes in computer network defenses, Husain said.

"You really can't have enough cybersecurity experts to look at these problems, because of scale and increasing complexity," he said. "Artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role here as well."

Artificial intelligence is also changing customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Software like Salesforce or Zoho requires heavy human intervention to remain up to date and accurate. But when you apply artificial intelligence to these platforms, a normal CRM system transforms into a self-updating, auto-correcting system that stays on top of your relationship management for you. [For those in brand-new companies, read our report on CRM tools for startups.]

Another example of artificial intelligence's versatility is within the financial sector. Dr. Hossein Rahnama, founder and CEO of artificial intelligence concierge company flybits and visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, worked with TD Bank to integrate artificial intelligence into regular banking operations, such as mortgage loans.

"Using this technology, if you have a mortgage with the bank and it's up for renewal in 90 days or less … if you're walking by a branch, you get a personalized message inviting you to go to the branch and renew purchase," Rahnama said. "If you're looking at a property for sale and you spend more than 10 minutes there, it will send you a possible mortgage offer.