O'Donnell Learn

Key to O' Donnell Learn's Success

Putting customers front and center. 

Company Values
1. Creativity combined with expertise
2. Professionalism
3. We are always learning

What They Do

They help clients to design better educational products and digital learning experiences. They also develop content and technology products ranging from online courses to assessment. Their goal is to help educational companies to evolve and to launch new brands and products.

How They Do It
O'Donnell Learn uses the broad knowledge gained from research and consulting over the past decades in order to help clients to design, develop, and launch successful products and services. Thanks the gained experience, O'Donnell also helps clients to build strong, meaningful customer relationships.

History

O' Donnell was found in 1990 by Carrie O'Donnell who is a change-agent in the industry. O' Donnell Learn's  company has been set up as a virtual company, with around 100 project professionals who have been working on the company's engagements. In 1991, the first media project based on market feedback was accomplished. In 1994, O'Donnell's company started helping publishers who got first successions of best -selling products. In 1999, OD&A began to built the professional development and large satellite courses. In 2004, OD&A helped to launch publisher platforms. In 2010, O'Donnell's company conducted a study in order to find out what makes students buy educational materials and tried to better understand the behaviour behind the purchase of  textbooks. In 2012, OD&A rebranded itself as O'Donnell Learn. Joanna Jebsen took over as a president and Carrie O'Donnell formed the O'Donnell Group.

                     

Ethics and Marketing

Ethics are described as a collection of principles of right conduct that shape peoples' or organizations' decisions. In order to practice ethics, the business or the company should apply moral rights and fairness to marketing decision-making. Business Ethics is the behavior of the business that includes how the business interacts with a world and how it deals with costumers. Business Ethics can really be applied to everything. Nowadays, businesses use and practice many wrong, unfair, and deceptive practices that make their businesses behaviors very unethical. An example of deception is when customers believe that they will get more value from the product  than they actually receive. The reason why ethics are so important to marketing is not just a matter of being "nice", but  they also keep the economy running. Without business ethics or a "lubricant" the economy would be much less efficient (lower quality, higher prices). One benefit of business ethics is that they provide a "good image" of a business, which automatically drives customers' attention. Lance Armstrong is a famous, rich biker who has won many cycling competitions as Tour De France and who is a founder of the Livestrong Foundation which is a major cancer-fighting charity. His name has been mentioned in lots of advertisements for Nike and other popular brands. The issue is that Lance Armstrong was accused from cheating. His good reputation of a cancer survivor and the cycling legend changes to an accused doper. In order to save a good name, Nike and Livestrong resigned their contracts with the cyclist. They believe this is the only way they can save the popularity of their businesses. They think that if they continued in supporting Lace Armstrong, it would rapidly decrease the profits of their companies. Nike and Livestrong hope that the departure of Lance Armstrong can be seen as a good thing because it gives them an image of loyal companies. They also assume donors will be still involved with organizations, because donors' values are same as the values of Nike and Livestrong. In this case Nike and Livestrong are still able to raise money. I understand why Nike and Livestrong did what they did, but the way they gave up on Lance Armstrong seems to me quit unfair.

Stakeholder Conflict and TESCO

1. & 2.  (between which stakeholders is the conflict?, what is the nature of the conflict?)

The conflict is between Tesco and its employees. Transport workers who deliver fuel to Tesco fear that they will use their jobs because of the plans that say transport workers' employment is going to be transfer from Wincanton to another firm, TDG.

 

Shareholders (investors) highly disagree about giving 2-year rolling contracts to chief executive (Terry Leahy) and to other board members. Despite this discontent Tesco wins the pay battle.

 

Another conflict is that Tesco operates more than 2,300 stores around a world and this fact highly affects smaller independent retailers. Many small shops have to close down in a current area because they get almost no profit. The explanation is that recycling money goes to a big multinational chain, rather than to small local traders.

Local Community doesn't want the another (fourth) store of Tesco in the city they live which creates a conflict. People who live in this city think that 3 stores of Tesco is definitely enough, but Tesco company still wants to build another one.

 Tesco and its suppliers have a conflict as well. Tesco is blamed after one of its suppliers revealed they will close Trafford Park Bakery. This means that lots of people will loose their jobs. Suppliers and other firms think Tesco should take a responsibility and compensate it somehow.

3. (what is the adverse result that is expected to occur with the specific stakeholder  group?) 

  

Transport workers (stakeholders) may loose their jobs, and their pay and conditions are under threat.

Shareholders think and argue that 2-year contracts maximize chance of failure.

Customers have less choices for shopping because many small retailers' stores close down.

Local Community & Local Council believe that 4th Tesco store is just a waste of space. There's no need for it.

Many local workers loose their jobs because one of the Tesco suppliers decided to close down Tesco is blamed. 

4. (what would your advice be to settle the issue using a compromise) 

Tesco should compensate the possible loss of jobs, pay and condition to make a compromise transport

workers.

They should make everybody to vote.

There should be a policy that only one Tesco store can be placed in a particular area which means retailers' stores wouldn't have to close down, and customers would have more choices for shopping.

As I've already mentioned there should be some deal between people who live in the city with Tesco. Local people should have a right to say how many Tesco stores can be placed in their city.

Tesco should "practise" Corporate Social Responsibility and supplier shouldn't close down the Trafford Park Bakery but they should try to make a deal with Tesco again.