Introducing: Unique Corporate Cultures by Scared of Clowns




By: Lindsay Miller
Welcome to the Scared of Clowns blog. Do not let the name fool you; clowns, although terrifying, will not form the basis of this blog. We are Brendan Fox, Do Sung, Michael Attridge, Lily Nie, and Lindsay Miller reporting from the perspective of Organizational Behavior concepts. Please continue reading to discover the fresh insight we will provide on Unique Corporate Cultures that have sprung up across the nation.

In business today, Corporate Culture is not only a Buzz word, it is becoming a competitive advantage. As processes are streamlined and technology advances, the way to pull away from competition is through a solid, talent-development program. In other words, who companies hire to work and represent them. So how do companies attract and retain such talent? Competitive salaries and benefits are always helpful, but currently the Millenial generation is asking for more. More Social Responsibility. More Social Scenes. More Work/Life Balance. More Diversity of Task. More Sustainability Efforts. Many of these factors also work to gain the trust and the business of customers seeking similar initiatives, but the bottom line is that both consumer and employee are looking at the not-so-simple, somewhat intangible concept of Culture.

Team Scared of Clowns will take you through a series of companies that are particularly unique in the way that they manifest their culture: from jungle-themed office space to paid volunteer time-off to functional interest squads and beyond. Follow along as we take you through the by-product of a changing world where companies are no longer just marketing their products, but their identities as well.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Pepsico's Ethical Management


Though we did not discuss ethics in class, we believe that it is still a necessary topic to cover within our blogs because of the prevalence of whistleblowers and lack of oversight in many industries. With the numerous accounting frauds found over the past decade at Enron, WorldCom and HealthSouth, it has become imperative that companies reevaluate themselves and their management. Through the usage of auditors and ethics classes, numerous companies have beefed up their business ethics and best practices to ensure that fraudulent activities are prevented. Pepsico, one of the largest firms in the world in consumer products, remains a role model for being both socially and environmentally responsible, placing third worldwide in the "World's Most Ethical Companies" held by www.ethisphere.com.

Since 1976, Pepsico has designed a Code of Conduct that is regularly updated (in 42 languages) and provided to each employee at the firm to ensure that unethical practices are dealt with. Under the Chief Compliance Officer, Pepsico has implemented support groups that oversee the implementation of the Code of Conduct, such as the Law Department, Human Resources and Internal Audit. The company also incentivizes employee to follow the Code of Conduct by providing prizes, such as the Chairman’s Award and the “Performance with Purpose” award. While the support groups provide assistance in overseeing the implementation, Pepsico brings in a third party to evaluate the ethical practices and ensures that people are not engaging in unethical conduct.

While the Code of Conduct advises employees to act in a certain way, employees at Pepsico take it a step further by focusing on truth and equity. They do not tolerate discrimination amongst employees, and also ensure that what they market is exactly what they provide to their customers. Given the unhealthy nature of some foods such as soda and chips, Pepsico ensures that they are responsibly providing their customers with important information. Especially in the case of children, Pepsico has been proactive to combat child obesity and seek to restrict advertising to children because of their sensitive nature. They recognize the importance of sensible eating habits, and seek to limit the consumption of some of their unhealthier products.

While a lot of the implemented ethical firm policies and marketing tactics seem counterintuitive to their top-line, they assist in providing a strong brand image for Pepsico. Its customers recognize value in the assurance that Pepsico truly cares about people and aims to provide them with excellent products without deception, and these ethical acts only help the firm in general. While it unfortunate that many firms in the past have sought their profits unethically, this example goes to show that ethics can be much more beneficial to a firm.
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