Some people may argue that there is no such thing as bad publicity, but others say negative publicity hurts businesses. Bad press definitely hurt British Petroleum during the oil spill crisis in 2010 as boycotts, stock market investors, and the Supreme Court devalued the company. However, my plan would only cause good publicity for the television networks, and it is safe to say that great press is excellent for business. Harmony Palmer, economics researcher from Claremont College, researched the relationship between financial performance and corporate social responsibility programs in 2012. According to her, charitable corporate donations increased by 61.3% from 2001 to 2011, which translates to a $5.55 billion difference (Palmer 7). Corporations increased donations because a mutual relationship exists between philanthropy and business. Palmer continues by citing results from a Cone Communications 2010 survey that indicated consumers are willing to pay extra for products from socially responsible companies with 80% of consumers switching brands to companies that support causes (Palmer 24). This survey demonstrates that most customers care about supporting causes, but why do they care? One way to explain this phenomenon is by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; it describes the necessary steps for a person to achieve self-actualization and self-fulfillment. Like the food pyramid, Maslow’s …show more content…
Companies love to handle management and resources in the most efficient manner possible; therefore, there aren’t any reasons why resources should not be optimized since it leads to higher productivity and cost reduction. Businesses hire industrial engineers for this very reason. According to the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, companies hire quality improvement specialists to “eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy and other commodities” (“What Industrial Engineers Do” n.p.). The industrial engineers that work for the television networks will likely appreciate the effectiveness of my plan and urge the CEOs to take action. If the networks targeted universities, the networks would spend a great deal of time communicating with universities, and those conversations might not achieve the same, effective results as the NCAA plan. The networks are less likely to approve of the plan if it becomes a burden for them or if their industrial engineers say it is a waste of time and money, but instead, my plan saves them time and monetary resources because it tackles the NCAA directly instead of the universities themselves. The only action required from the networks is to set up a conference between them and the NCAA. The NCAA will go back and forth with the networks until both sides agree to a reasonable deal. After that,