Article Analysis Report

¶ … Marketing Dangerously, Christopher Meyer argues that the final days of mass media advertising are indeed here. The issue of advertising or marketing via traditional mass media outlets or more creative and often less costly ventures such as the Internet or Word of Mouth has been circulating in the world of business and academia for some time. In fact, Webb notes that "user generated content" has added "more fuel to the fire" of alternative media advertising (2006). The Internet bas become a crashing ground for all types of people with all types of backgrounds, and so a diverse cross-section, even more diverse than those reached by mass media, can be targeted for Internet advertising campaigns.

Summary

Beginning his article with a first-person account of a meeting he attended with marketing executives for a variety of different businesses, Meyer tells his audience that the marketing decisions made by one of the businesses caught his special attention, a multiplayer online gaming firm whose representative said that 90% of the firm's budget was allocated to television advertisement. According to Meyer (2008), this was rather surprising, given that many businesspeople believe that the "mass-media era" is over. Building on his surprise at the woman's claim, Meyer goes on to discuss the controversy over dealing with advertising through mass media or through other creative means. Meyer claims that alternatives to mass-media advertising such as Internet, word-of-mouth, and mobile phone advertising, are now viewed as "legitimate" by CEOs and other influential corporate leaders, and are even easier to track and measure, in addition to being less expensive than mass media advertising. Despite these advantages, Meyer also suggests that many are not implementing these advantages. For many, though, using alternative methods of advertising can help save money during tough economic times. Meyer supports this claim by using the example of the gaming company, suggesting that if that company were suddenly forced to reduce their budget by fifteen percent, a move to non-traditional advertising could save the required amount while still increasing or maintaining sales.

Analysis

Although Meyer makes a solid point that the move from mass media to other types of advertising is a cost-effective way to deal with the economic crisis, he does not provide much evidence to suggest that this type of advertising is truly more effective than traditional mass media advertising. Meyer's numbers and personal examples adequately support the point that non-mass media advertising is growing, although mass-media advertising is still the primary method of advertising in the United States. For instance, Meyer argues that digital advertising has grown by 23% in 2008, but his example involving the gaming web site's executive suggests that mass media has not died out yet, implying that there must be reason for its continued use, especially if this woman, who is operating an online service, spends most of her advertising budget on mass-media advertising. Thus, Meyer does not succeed in his article's goal -- to persuade the reader that mass media advertising is dying out, or at least should die out, in favor of more modern digital advertising. While Meyer makes the point that digital advertising is both innovative and effective, he does not adequately defend his implication that mass media advertising is second rate.

Article 3

Introduction

Part of a manager's duty is to examine the best policies for company expansion and relocation. Thus, managers must be concerned with the location of businesses and why they seem to choose certain locations over others. What factors to corporations consider when they choose a location? What patterns do they seem to follow? In their article, a Functionalist Framework for Identifying Business Clusters: Applications in Far North Queensland, Adee Athiyaman and Celik Parkan explore the specific issue of clusters, or the fact that businesses tend to locate close geographical proximity to one another. In fact, Brookfield argues that those who live in more close-net rural areas tend to produce more specialized firms (2008 405). A summary of their argument will reveal important spatial theories for managers to consider when discussing location.

Summary

Athiyaman and Parkan begin their article with a discussion of the spatial and geographical theories of economic development, and conclude by applying these theories to a specific case study in Queensland, Australia, weighing and evaluating the theories' practical application. The theories discussed include the micro, meso, and macro theories of spatial clustering firms. In the macro-level theory, also dubbed the Plant Incubation Hypothesis, scholars suggest that firms tend to cluster around urban areas because this is where they can find the most services for the least amount of money. Furthermore, the authors suggest that as firms grow, they begin to disperse into a larger geographic area because they are no longer so dependent on these services. The Meso level of spatial clustering firms suggests, contrarily, that firms locate in "hubs" because specialized services are available in those particular areas, or because certain areas are prime for certain industries. For example, the authors explain that soybean plants must be located near where soybeans are produced. Finally, the micro-level theory suggests that firms tend to locate together because this is necessary for the trade process, and therefore the betterment of each of the firms. Thus, a combination of natural resource locations, market optimization, and the requirements of trade explain the spatial clustering of firms, according to the authors. Finally, the authors draw on previous scholarship to suggest that spatial clustering is economically productive for most firms for a variety of reasons. Going further with their exploration, the authors study Northern Queensland, or the Cairns region, and the Cairns Region Economic Development Organization, suggesting that the "cluster initiative" is a way to achieve "an innovative and desirable business and lifestyle location" (2008, 211).

Analysis

The study of business clusters, or understanding why businesses tend to locate in the same region is certainly a worthwhile endeavor for managers and students of business to undertake. Furthermore, the authors' study of the different economic theories concerning spatial location present worthy scholars and logical theories that may be applied to any business. Thus, the article is rather helpful for managers who may want to consider locating in a similar location based on the benefits that Athiyaman and Parkan describe. Regardless of the study's pertinent research, however, the study and case study lacked a coherent recommendation for managers, a fact that makes this article less than helpful in their quest for prime location. Although the case study suggests that clustering has helped Queensland become a well-developed industrial area, it lacks argument as to why this is so. This argument is necessary for those who are interested in studying this phenomenon. Thus, while the article's strengths include its explanation of different theories, its inability to make a strong recommendation of specific action renders it less useful for managers to use in a relocation or first-time location situation.

Article Four

Introduction

The issue of employee payment is one of the most pertinent for human resource specialists whether these specialists work in the context of high-powered fortune 500 companies, or relatively modest institutions. Within the category of employee pay is a topic that has received a great deal of attention as of late -- CEO payment. Some suggest that CEOs are paid much more than necessary, and are rewarded for actions that are not necessarily based on their skillful abilities. Others, however, reply that CEO pay is adequate in response to the demands required of Chief Executive Officers. In this article, Edmans and Gabiax deal with the issue in a rather comprehensive method.

Summary

In their article, Is CEO Pay Really Inefficient? A Survey of New Optimal Contracting Theories, Alex Edmans and Xavier Gabiax "highlight the "two-sided" nature of the issue and the need for further research to draw clearer conclusions" (2008, 10). The authors begin with exploring the magnitude of CEO pay, giving a variety of alternatives for the high degree of payment, including the employment relationship and competition. Furthermore, authors summarize the major opposition to high CEO pay, that that pay does not tend to be reflective of CEO's performance. Furthermore, the article addresses opposing viewpoints on CEO's structure of pay. The authors suggest the income based on stocks vs. options, suggesting that while many suggest these financial benefits are too much, critics do not often consider the risks involved. Another critique that many have of the CEO's pay structure is the issue of severance pay, which some suggest rewards CEOs for failure. In fact, one infamous case involves retailer K-mart receiving permission from the bankruptcy court to allow payment of a CEO's multimillion-dollar salary (2002). Others, however, justify extensive CEO severance packages by arguing that they prevent CEOs from hiding crucial information that may lead to their dismissal (2008, 7). New methods of considering CEO pay structure include, according to the author, introducing a new, competitive market equilibrium into the CEO's plan, increasing his or her changes for promotion.

Analysis

In this article, the authors raise the pertinent issue of CEO pay. Although CEOs have many responsibilities in a company, some suggest that they are paid six figure incomes to have lunch or go golfing and charge these excursions to the company. CEOs, however, would most likely argue that they are invaluable to their companies, and are adequately compensated for the work they do. While the authors of this article conclude that they are not attempting to persuade readers to one position or the other, they do suggest that they are attempting to allow readers to understand the double-sided argument of CEO pay. In accomplishing this goal, they have done well. Both employees who are frustrated at the lifestyle that their CEOs are able to live while they struggle to get by and CEOs who are making hundreds of dollars an hour would be able to understand the rational for each side in this argument. By presenting the argument in this non-biased formula, the authors invite discussion on the topic, a discussion that most likely would not have happened if this type of presentation has been achieved. In allowing for an open discussion on this topic, the authors have encouraged both CEOs and employees, both those in favor of large CEO payments and those against them to pioneer a new type of business discussion and relationship, which is open and desires to meet the needs of officers, employees, and customers.

Article Five

Introduction

Human Resources is a field drastically concerned with the development of a diverse workplace, a company with the benefit of employees and officers from a variety of backgrounds. It is only in this situation -- one of diverse business members -- can a business manage to meet the needs of its customers, which are similarly diverse. The world of business, however, is not necessarily as diverse as many would like, especially in terms of the number of women represented. A summary of the Harvard Business Review article on this topic will allow readers to see some of reasons why women are underrepresented in the workplace and how to correct those problems.