Firms Of Endearment Analysis

Essay #5
Firms of Endearment by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth, and David Wolfe argues the idea of humanistic companies, meaning businesses that “seek to maximize their value to society as a whole, not just to their shareholders” (Sheth, Sisodia & Wolfe, 2014, p. 3). These companies wish to contribute to a higher meaning in society and take this endearment approach to create value outside of providing a product or service for financial gain. While humanism does focus on the potential for compassion, the whole person must be analyzed (McLeod, 2007). Sisodia, Sheth, and Wolf do not analyze these firms of endearment as a whole and only evaluate one area of their business. Each positive characteristic of these firms of endearment may have an encouraging
Unilever owns the Dove brand that was praised for uniquely marketing their skincare products. Dove created the “Real Beauty” marketing campaign that promised to “help real women reveal their own real beauty” and the Dove Self-Esteem Fund that promotes a “change in young girls’ attitudes about themselves” (Sheth, et. al, 2014, 95). This is a dramatic step away from similar companies in the market that advertised only one standard of beauty. While Dove can be commended for addressing this social issue, the “Real Beauty” campaign should not be mistaken for Unilever’s desire to inspire women. Unilever also owns Axe, a skincare line marketed towards males that routinely depicts women in the media’s traditional sense of beauty (Stampler, 2013). The “Real Beauty” campaign is not a reflection of Unilever’s need to encourage a healing message in their marketing, rather the “Real Beauty” campaign is a way for Dove to differentiate themselves in the market to sell more product. The campaign is not a company view, but a branding
While business owners may want to know the people they work with on a personal level, their relationships are built because the company needs to be profitable. The relationship between Harley Davidson and its dealers was originally mismanaged; when AMF split from Harley Davidson, management repaired the relationship and created programs for dealers to improve their own businesses and created the Harley Owners Group that included Harley Davidson’s dealers (Sheth, et. al, 2014, p. 130). After these programs started, Harley Davidson’s market share increased dramatically. These tactics helped repair the damage AMF had caused between Harley Davidson and its dealers, but were implemented out of necessity to better position the company in the