Gender Roles in Harry Potter

Girls in young adult fantasy novels tend to fare rather poorly, especially in the light of Susan from the Chronicles of Narnia. When  Aslan  admits the  Pevensies  into paradise, Susan is barred because she has forgotten Narnia and is more interested in stockings and the real adult world, because she has dared to want to grow up. Jill Pole comments: aâ‚ ¬? She’s interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitationsaâ‚ ¬? 1. C. S. Lewis presents a conservative view of girls in the fantasy genre, that they will be drawn into their own adolescent fantasies and will abandon the secondary world.Philip Pullman compounds this with his treatment of Lyra in the His Dark Materials trilogy where she is the protagonist in the first novel but cedes decision making and power to Will through the remaining narrative. Hermione Granger starts out challenging this conservative view but ultimately she is turned into a mother and sidelined from the world of action . Her role changes through the novel and this is not due merely to the maturation of the character as she ages but also the needs of the male dominated groups around her, from the school group with Harry and Ron to the Order of the Phoenix.A quick glance offers the view that between 11 and 15 she is more rebellious whilst between the ages of 16 and 17 she takes on a sisterly role before her final appearance as a mother. In the Harry Potter novels  Hermione  is variously a bookish individual who supports and guides Harry through her research and work. She is the dominant force in Harryaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s success until the sixth novel,  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, where her role as Harryaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s educator is taken by  Dumbledore. Eliza  Dresang  sees Hermione as being far more successful than she is made out to be by  Farah  Mendlesohn.Hermione gains agency and is able to take more control of her situation than  Mendlesohn  gives her credit for thro ugh her own actions, finding aâ‚ ¬? evidence in the text to be considerably more optimistic about Hermione’s self-determination than does Mendlesohnaâ‚ ¬? 2  through her determination about being sorted by the Hat and aâ‚ ¬? refuses to be deterred from her purposes, whether it be learning, admonishing about rules or †¦ championing the underdogaâ‚ ¬? 3. Mendlesohn comments that aâ‚ ¬? Hermione is accepted in the social structure of the school only because she is Harry’s friendaâ‚ ¬?   and that aâ‚ ¬? [r]adicalism, as embodied by Hermione, is irrational, ignorant, and essentially transientaâ‚ ¬? 5. Though her attempts at freeing the house-elves are doomed, she is more successful at galvanising her peers and enabling Harry’s success through her contributions. There is another issue to consider though and that is one of genre. The first five Harry Potter books are clearly school stories. Motifs, such as the annual arrival via the ste am train and the term times with the enforced stay over Christmas, come from this genre.Instead of only competing in sports for honour such as Quidditch, house points are awarded or taken away for behaviour or acts of bravery. In the final two novels, the structure of the novels change to being a more conventional fantasy series wherein Harry must defeat  Voldemort in a final conflict. This switch to the fantastic, in particular a male dominated fantastic world, means that Hermione must change roles to remain in the world since we rarely see any lone witches who have not turned to Voldemort such as Bellatrix Lestrange. This change of genre changes the expectations placed on the characters by readers and the roles which they play.School stories, in the mould of Enid Blyton’s  Malory  Towers or  St Clare’s,  offer  the reader a tale of a group of children who go on adventures limited in scale by location, an isolated school, and time, terms end and the year i s punctuated by holidays. They offer a degree of  carnivalesque  expressed in the capers of the students which are tamed by the teachers but also a continuing discourse of maturation and acculturation to the wider adult world which must be entered. Parents exist at the edge of the story, referred to in letters or bringing their children to school.Once the anarchic time at school comes to an end, the parents represent the roles that the children will adopt. The fantastic world that Rowling constructs is one which begins as potentially subversive with Hermione challenging perceived wrongs and gaining a more powerful agency in the world through her knowledge. As she matures, the world is fully extended past Hogwarts and becomes deeply conservative and male dominated and Hermione has to re-ascertain her social standing on the edge of the group, her enabling agency now of no direct use to Harry.Hermione matures in the series changing from the shy, bookish outsider to being, in effect , a big sister character to Harry and Ron but at the cost of her own agency and talents. As she matures into this role, she changes from being an inquisitive person, pushing her own bounds of knowledge and even her sanity, to being slightly calmer but clearly not of equal standing with Ron and Harry who are allowed to take active roles into world. When we first meet Hermione on the train going to  Hogwarts, Rowling presents her an unkempt, exploring child unafraid to make new friends or to go up and visit the train driver.She is described as having aâ‚ ¬? a bossy voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teethaâ‚ ¬? (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, p 79) and already wearing the school colours. She interrupts Ron and Harry who are tucking into a carriage way feast of sweets. Curious, she challenges Ron to show him the magic trick which he is attempting. As the train approaches the station, she encourages the two boys to don their robes and questi ons whether they have been fighting already. Her drive towards perfection is shown in her encyclopaedic knowledge of the school drawn from reading the history.Already knowing the reason for the enchanted ceiling, she attains a position in the newly formed social triumvirate as the knowledge repository. Hermione comes back from the school holidays a day early whilst the friends are trying to find out who Nicholas  Flamel  is and is aâ‚ ¬? torn between the horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed†¦ and disappointment that he hadn’t at least found out who Nicholas Flamel wasaâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone,  p158). Her curiosity and good behaviour are at odds since she is aware that the answer may well lie in the forbidden section of the library but that entry  transgresses  the school rules.Although it is Harry who discovers Flamel by accident on the back of the collector’s card he got on the train, it is Hermione who links him to the Philosoph er’s Stone through a book she got aâ‚ ¬? out of the library weeks ago for a bit light reading aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 161). Ron’s only comment, aâ‚ ¬? Light? aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 161), a suggestion that knowledge is not highly prized in Hogwarts as opposed to  Quidditch. It was Hermione who noticed that Fluffy was standing on the trapdoor (Philosopher’s Stone, p120), a fact that both Ron and Harry missed. Yet her achievements come at a social price.Hermione’s adherence to the school rules is shown inPhilosopher’s Stone  after the finding of the trapdoor at night. When Harry receives a new broom after the destruction of his old one, her comments aâ‚ ¬? So I suppose you think that’s a reward for breaking rules? aâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone  p. 123). Her forthrightness about the midnight incident is tempered by the argument with Ron and Harry. She is clearly upset by their reaction which is made worse by Ron’s careless comment about her not having any friends. Rushing past Harry, he notices that she is crying (Philosopher’s Stone  p. 127).When the troll is announced, both boys realise that it has gone to the girls’ toilets where Hermione is trapped. When Professor McGonagall enters, Hermione lies to protect them all and claims that she wanted to tackle the troll herself. Although this means that aâ‚ ¬? from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friendaâ‚ ¬? (Philosopher’s Stone, p. 132), she can only do so by lying to a teacher and so overturns her previous rigid adherence to rules. She has to adopt the boys own world view. In  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione offers to make the Polyjuice Potion to see what Malfoy knows about the chamber’s opening.She tricks  Lockhart  into signing a slip for ‘Most  Potente  Potions’ to fool the Librarian (Chamber of Secrets, p. 124). Wh en Ron says that they will need to steal from Professor Snape’s private stores, she retorts: aâ‚ ¬? Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine†¦Ã‚  I  don’t want to break the rules you know. aâ‚ ¬? (Chamber of Secrets, p. 125). Hermione is aware that they have already obtained a permission slip that Lockhart has signed without realising what it is (using his own arrogance), that the recipe relies upon illicit goods and that the boys cannot discover Malfoy’s perceived role without trickery.Despite her protestations about the rules, she is aware that these will need to be broken to be successful. When they come to making the potion, the group need parts of their victims and Hermione is too hasty in taking some hair from Millicent  Bulstrode  in Wrestling and accidentally turns herself into a cat much to Myrtle’s delight, aâ‚ ¬? Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got a  tailaâ‚ ¬? (Chamber of Secrets, p. 169). Whilst Ron and Harry have used her Sleeping Potion to knock out  Crabbe  and  Goyle, Malfoy’s henchmen, Hermione’s own attempt has backfired and so she is unable to help get information from Malfoy.Her overachievement turns her into a figure of fun. Although she is able to assimilate Harry and Ron’s worldview into her own perceptions, she is unable to fully join their world although she is the enabler for their plans through the potion and the linking together of the clues in  Philosopher’s Stone. Her overachievement comes to a head in the  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of  Azkaban  when she is given the use of the Time-Turner. In Snape’s Potions class, Neville is aided by Hermione to perfect the Shrinking Solution but when Ron and Harry turn to challenge her after the deduction of points, she disappears only to reappear a few minutes ater with her bag falling apart through weight of books. When she brushes off Ron’s challenge about the contents, he muses aâ‚ ¬? Do you get the feeling Hermione’s not telling us something? aâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 99). Clearly Hermione is unable to tell the boys about Professor  McGonagall’s  gift of the Time Turner. In the Defence against the Dark Arts exam, Hermione comes into contact with the  Boggartand after aâ‚ ¬? a minute inside it [the  Boggart's  trunk], she burst out again, screamingaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 234).The Boggart, which presents worst fears, has suggested to her that Professor McGonagall will fail her in an exam, so her fears of academic and also personal failure come to the fore. Ron is still inclined to laugh at Hermione’s fear since he will not excel academically. Despite their close bond, Hermione’s academic achievements have always separated her from the boys. It is only when the situation demands that time is altered that she is able to tell Harry. When they fail to saveBuckbeak  the first ti me,  Dumbledore  suggests to Hermione that the situation can be saved by going backwards and Hermione confesses to Harry, aâ‚ ¬?I’ve been using it all year to get to all my lessonsaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p. 289) but she still cannot work out why Dumbledore has suggested going back three hours. It is up to Harry to formulate the plan to save the  Hippogriff  and Sirius. Once again, Hermione’s mental achievements enable Harry but she is unable to complete the reasoning for the shift in time. Hermione proves herself via her academic prowess and enables Harry and Ron to complete various challenges. She is the person to whom the boys go when they have difficulties with the homework. Lupin praises her  as the aâ‚ ¬? inest witch of her ageaâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p 253)  in the Shrieking Shack  as she becomes hysterical at his perceived betrayal of her loyalty, aâ‚ ¬? I didn’t tell anyone†¦ I’ve been covering up for you aâ‚ ¬? (Prisoner of Azkaban, p 253). Her need to prove herself academically is challenged and Ron’s reaction is to want to laugh. Despite her achievement and regular help for Harry and Ron, it is only the teachers who really prize her accomplishments. She is the character most likely to fail through overachievement. Her role is clearly defined in the school story as the swot.The school story genre allows her this room as a defined role but it she must adapt when the genre changes to a conservative high fantasy wherein gender roles are somewhat different. During the  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she reverts to the quiet studious Hermione of the first novel when Harry gets the  magicked  version of the potions book. As Harry falls under its spell and useful marginalia, she becomes increasingly exasperated at his lack of work or effort in the class commenting aâ‚ ¬? Well, it wasn’t exactly your own work, was it? aâ‚ ¬? (Half-Blood Prince, p 182). She and Ginny are protective of Harry and test the spell book which he has picked up, though they do not see the inscription claiming it is the property of the Half-Blood prince. With the aid of Ginny Weasley, she also defends him during the setting up of the self-help Dark Arts group, the  acronymed  DA, in  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Gathering the curious students together in the Hog’s Head, she comments aâ‚ ¬? well I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands†¦ And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spellaâ‚ ¬? Half-Blood Prince, p 303). Though she is instrumental in gathering the class, she immediately reverts to her supporting role and allows Harry to discuss the events at the end of  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Firewhere he met the revived Voldemort. Her tenure as Prefect in  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  shows her stopping the  Weasley  twins from recruiting junior members of the school to test their joke wares,  saying aâ‚ ¬? I told you this morning, you can’t test your rubbish on students! aâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 229) whilst Ron, her fellow Prefect, looks on from the side.Although she is active in keeping the more extreme elements of the carnivalesque from taking over the school in the form of the Weasley brother’s joke wares, it does mark the apogee of the progression from swot to Prefect in the school novel. Though these roles are usually played by various characters in the school story genre, Rowling has rolled them into one person who exemplifies the qualities of Hogwarts and, in particular,  Gryffindor. Though Hermione is keen on the maintenance of the status quo, she becomes increasingly vocal against the abuse of power in two areas.She has mixed success but it allows her to retain her role in the social cohesion of the friendship group and to begin organising ot hers in the school. Firstly she challenges a perceived abuse of the house elves by the  wizarding  classes and sets up the Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare, SPEW. This act comes after  Dobby  is freed by Harry in  Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets. Hermione starts knitting hats to free the elves from their slave positions at Hogwarts inOrder of the Phoenix  and when challenged about this by Ron, exclaims aâ‚ ¬? Of course they want to be free! aâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 230).Whilst it may mirror  Rowling’s  own time working for Amnesty International, she undermines Hermione by having Dobby pick up all the hats as the elves are offended by them. Though she gains the partial support of Dumbledore as he explains to Harry that he had encouraged  Sirius  to treatKreacher  with kindness  (Order of the Phoenix, p 733),  Ron and Harry dismiss her efforts. To an extent, she loves hopeless causes and sets out to free the elves despite t heir reluctance to change their positions. Secondly, she attacks the misuses of authority by teachers, such as Severus Snape and Dolores  Umbridge.In  Prisoner of  Azkaban, Snape takes over Lupinaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s classes while he recovers from his change. Ignoring the class protests he begins to set them work which will provide clues to Lupinaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s condition and Hermione protests  (Prisoner of Azkaban, p128) which encourages Ron to defend her and receive detention. She becomes increasingly agitated by  Snapeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  manner and challenges him through questions. Though she has been able to answer the questions that he puts to the class since the first book, earning his contempt, she now uses these as a challenge to his authority through passive disruption.In  Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge attempts to run a school based on the traditional school model of learning the theory of Defence against the Dark Arts rather than practical lessons. Hermione listens to  Umbridgeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  long speech which sets out the rationale for the coming changes. During the first Defence against the Dark Arts lesson she immediately questions  Umbridgeaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  passive stance through using Umbridge’s insistence on pupils raising their hands to ask questions (Order of the Phoenix, p 217-218). Asking the question, she repeats herself when the answer is not forthcoming.Hermione continues this with the creation of the Dark Arts or  Dumbledoreaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s  Army group. As Umbridge tries to crack down on any nascent dissent against the Ministry of Magicaâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policy, Hermione comes up with the plan of setting a group to rectify the lack of practical training. Facing the belief that Harry killed  Cedric,  fuelledby the Daily Prophet, she motivates the students to come together and to learn practical defence. As she does this she comments aâ‚ ¬? d’you know †¦ I think I’m feeling a bi t  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ rebelliousaâ‚ ¬? (Order of the Phoenix, p 559).Rather than continuing her challenge to misplaced authority, once the school story ends, she moves towards the role of the sister. Whilst on the run from the Ministry of Magic in  Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry confesses to Ron that Hermione is aâ‚ ¬? like a sister,aâ‚ ¬? he went on aâ‚ ¬? I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same about meaâ‚ ¬? (Deathly Hallows, p308). To some degree she follows the path of  Lyrain Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy where the she develops her challenges early on but end up giving up independence.Before she meets Will, Lyra is free to challenge the authority figures around her but after the meeting, when Will is cooking an omelette, he commands aâ‚ ¬? ’Find a couple of plates’ he said, and Lyra obediently did soaâ‚ ¬? (The Subtle Knife  p 25). After the defeat of Voldemort, we see her and Ron on Platf orm 9 A? s waving their children off on the Hogwarts express. The action occurs around Harry and Ron with Hermione chiding them when they see Scorpius, Draco’s son, with aâ‚ ¬?Don’t try to turn them against each other before they’ve even started schoolaâ‚ ¬? (Deathly Hallows, p605). She is keen to maintain stability in the world for the children. As she develops into adolescence, she moves away from her rebellious side straight into motherhood, so avoiding Susan’s fate in the ‘Chronicles of Narnia’. Though she moves into adolescence, she is faithful to Ron, declaring her love for him in the  Deathly Hallows. Despite Lupin’s proclamation of her talent, we finally see Hermione taking her children to platform 9 A?.She avoids Susan’s banishment from the magical world because she cares for her friends and, ultimately, children and is not selfish as Susan is implied to be by Aslan in the quotation at the beginning of this essa y. Yet it seems a poor fate for all her achievements. The boarding school genre allows Hermione to excel academically and be an equal to Harry and Ron. She develops and is capable of taking on teaching duties and, it would appear, likely to follow  Minerva  McGonagallas the archetypal spinster teacher. She is the archetypal swot who becomes Prefect as she gets to the end of her school years.Her insistence upon hardwork and her dislike of cheats, even if they are her friends, show Hermione’s dedication to maintaining order, though not at any price. She also takes on what appear to be hopeless causes, the release of the elves and then challenges against misused authority, despite the ridicule of her peers. Hermione stands against inequality and tries to effect change. Dumbledore is the only person who backs her stance, and this is only very partially, as he explains to Harry. Dealing with her own social group, she is more effective in galvanising her peers into forming the Dark Arts group.Yet she is on the edge of the social group. On the train to Hogwarts, it is Harry who accepts her into the nascent group and then more firmly once the troll is defeated in the bathrooms. Once the  OWLs  have been taken, Hermione moves away from being the bright academic, her role in helping with Ron and Harry finishing their homework redundant, to being involved in maintaining the group with Ron and Harry through her caring for both boys. It is only Hermione who can cope with the real world of Oxford Street before they manage to get into more magical territory.The school narrative allows Hermione to blossom as an individual as the closed world of Hogwarts bars the real world and gives her space as a person. Once the real world begins to encroach, she begins to move away from her academic achievements and into the big sister role. At one level Rowling sees Hermione as a caricature of her school memories but at another, the Harry Potter series fails to address the idea that girls can do more than become mothers or spinster teachers. In Narnia thePevensie  children are either kept in childlike paradise away from ever growing up or they are ejected from paradise for thinking of the adult world.In ‘His Dark Materials’, Lyra moves from challenging the misplaced authority of Mrs  Coulter  and Lord  Asriel  to leaving Will to make all the decisions. Hermione’s own contributions to the group come through enabling Harry to complete tasks with the requisite knowledge that she can find or discern. Once the fight against Voldemort moves into Harry’s own history, only Dumbledore can help Harry. Whilst on the run in  Deathly Hallows, it is Hermione who tries to keep the group together and to work out Dumbledore’s final clue in the book of fairy tales. She is a catalyst for those around her and remains sidelined.Whilst she shows that she can develop herself against  Mendlesohn’s  analysis through her own talent,Dresang’s  assertion that Hermione gains strength through empowering others is shown to only be partial; she sacrifices her individual power and role to help recreate a safe world. Once she has enable Harry, Rowling moves her into a maternal role, her highest honour. It short changes the Witch that Lupin described as the brightest of her age. Bibliography Jackson, Rosemary,  Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion  (Routledge, London, 1981) Lewis, C. S. ,  The Last Battle(Harper Collins, London, 2005)Moorcock, Michael,  Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Romance  (Gollancz, London, 1987) Pullman, Philip,  The Subtle Knife  (Scholastic, London, 1997, 2001 reprint) Rotruck, Amie Rose, ‘Where Have All the Tomboys Gone? : Female Figures in British Children’s Fantasy Series’ in  Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction  Volume 32, Number 88, Summer 2003 Rowling, J. K. , Harry Potter and the Philosopherâ€℠¢s Stone (Bloomsbury, London, 1997) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets  (Bloomsbury, London, 1998) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  (Bloomsbury, London, 1999) Rowling, J.K. ,  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  (Bloomsbury, London, 2000) J. K. Rowling,  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix  (Bloomsbury, London, 2003) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince  (Bloomsbury, London, 2005) Rowling, J. K. ,  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow  (Bloomsbury, London, 2007) Reynolds, Kimberley (ed),  Modern Children’s Literature: An Introduction  (Palgrave, Basingstoke, 2005) Whited, Lana A (ed),  Harry Potter and the Ivory Tower: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon  (University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 2004)

New Belgium Brewing: Ethical and Environmental Responsibility

Although most of the companies frequently cited as examples of ethical and socially responsible firms are large corporations, it is the social responsibility initiatives of small businesses that often have the greatest impact on local communities and neighborhoods. These businesses create jobs and provide goods and services for customers in smaller markets that larger corporations often are not interested in serving. Moreover, they also contribute money, resources, and volunteer time to local causes. Their owners often serve as community and neighborhood leaders, and many choose to apply their skills and some of the fruits of their success to tackling local problems and issues that benefit everyone in the community. Managers and employees become role models for ethical and socially responsible actions. One such small business is the New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc. , based in Fort Collins, Colorado. History of the New Belgium Brewing Company The idea for the New Belgium Brewing Company began with a bicycling trip through Belgium. Belgium is arguably the home of some of the world’s finest ales, some of which have been brewed for centuries in that country’s monasteries. As Jeff Lebesch, an American electrical engineer, cruised around that country on his fat-tired mountain bike, he wondered if he could produce such high-quality beers back home in Colorado. After acquiring the special strain of yeast used to brew Belgian-style ales, Lebesch returned home and began to experiment in his Colorado basement. When his beers earned thumbs up from friends, Lebesch decided to market them. The New Belgium Brewing Company (NBB) opened for business in 1991 as a tiny basement operation in Lebesch’s home in Fort Collins. Lebesch’s wife, Kim Jordan, became the firm’s marketing director. They named their first brew Fat Tire Amber Ale in honor of Lebesch’s bike ride through Belgium. New Belgium beers quickly developed a small but devoted customer base, first in Fort Collins and then throughout Colorado. The brewery soon outgrew the couple’s basement and moved into an old railroad depot before settling into its present custom-built facility in 1995. The brewery includes an automated brewhouse, two quality assurance labs, and numerous technological innovations for which New Belgium has become nationally recognized as a â€Å"paradigm of environmental efficiencies. † Today, New Belgium Brewing Company offers a variety of permanent and seasonal ales and pilsners. The company’s standard line includes Sunshine Wheat, Blue 1  © O. C. Ferrell 2006. We appreciate the work of Nikole Haiar in helping draft the previous edition of this case, and Melanie Drever who assisted in this edition. This case was prepared for classroom discussion, rather than to illustrate either effective of ineffective handling of an administrative, ethical or legal decision by management. All sources used for this case were obtained through publicly available material and the New Belgium website. Paddle Pilsner, Abbey Ale, Trippel Ale, 1554 Black Ale, and the original Fat Tire Amber Ale, still the firm’s best-seller. Some customers even refer to the company as the Fat Tire Brewery. The brewery also markets two types of specialty beers on a seasonal basis. Seasonal ales include Frambozen and Abbey Grand Cru, which are released at Thanksgiving, and Christmas and Farmhouse Ale, which are sold during the early fall months. The firm occasionally offers one-time-only brews, such as LaFolie, a wood-aged beer, which are sold only until the batch runs out. Until 2005, NBB’s most effective form of advertising has been its customers’ word of mouth. Indeed, before New Belgium beers were widely distributed throughout Colorado, one liquor store owner in Telluride is purported to have offered people gas money if they would stop by and pick up New Belgium beer on their way through Ft. Collins. Although New Belgium beers are distributed in just one-third of the United States, the brewery receives numerous e-mails and phone calls every day inquiring when its beers will be available elsewhere. With expanding distribution, however, the brewery recognized a need to increase its opportunities for reaching its far-flung customers. It consulted with Dr. David Holt, an Oxford professor and branding expert. After studying the young company, Holt, together with Marketing Director Greg Owsley, drafted a 70-page â€Å"manifesto† describing the brand’s attributes, character, cultural relevancy, and promise. In particular, Holt identified in New Belgium an ethos of pursuing creative activities simply for the joy of doing them well and in harmony with the natural environment. With the brand thus defined, New Belgium went in search of an advertising agency to help communicate that brand identity; it soon found Amalgamated, an equally young, independent New York advertising agency. Amalgamated created a $10 million advertising campaign for New Belgium that targets high-end beer drinkers, men ages 25 to 44 and highlights the brewery’s image as being down to earth. The grainy ads focus on a man rebuilding a cruiser bike out of used parts and then riding it along pastoral country roads. The product appears in just five seconds of each ad between the tag lines, â€Å"Follow Your Folly †¦ Ours Is Beer. † The ads helped position the growing brand as whimsical, thoughtful, and reflective. In addition to the ad campaign, the company maintained its strategy of promotion through event sponsorships. New Belgium Ethical culture According to Greg Owsley Director of Marketing for New Belgium Brewing beyond a desire for advertising and promotion ethics there is a fundamental focus on the ethical culture of the brand. Although consumer suspicion of business is on fully raised eyebrow, those in good standing- as opposed to those trading on hype- are eyed with iconic-like adoration. From this off polarization comes a new paradigm in which businesses that fully embrace citizenship in the community they serve can forge enduring bonds with customers. Meanwhile, these are precarious times for businesses that choose to ignore consumer's looking at brands from an ethical perspective. More than ever before, what the brand says and what the company does must be synchronized. NBB believes the mandate for corporate social responsibility gains momentum beyond the courtroom to the far more powerful marketplace, any current and future manager of business must realize that business ethics are not so much about the installation of compliance codes and standards as they are about the spirit in which they are integrated. Thus, the modern-day brand steward- usually the most externally focused member of the business management team- must prepare to be the internal champion of the bottom line necessity for ethical, values-driven company behavior. At New Belgium, a synergy of brand and values occurred naturally as the firms ethical culture- in the form of core values and beliefs- and was in place long before NBB had a marketing department. Back in early 1991, New Belgium was just a home-brewed business plan of Jeff Lesbesch, an electrical engineer, and his social worker wife, Kim Jordan. Before they signed any business paperwork, the two took a hike into Rocky Mountain National Park. Armed with a pen, and a notebook they took their first stab at what the fledgling company's core purpose would be. If they were going forward with this venture, what were their aspirations beyond profitability? What was the real root cause of their dream? What they wrote down that spring day, give or take a little wordsmithing, was the core values and beliefs you can read on the NBB website today. More important, ask just about any New Belgium worker, and she or he can list for you many, if not all, these shared values and can inform you which are the most personally poignant. For NBB branding strategies are as rooted in our company values as in other business practices. New Belgium’s Purpose and Core Beliefs New Belgium’s dedication to quality, the environment, and its employees and customers is expressed in its mission statement: â€Å"To operate a profitable brewery which makes our love and talent manifest. † The company’s stated core values and beliefs about its role as an environmentally concerned and socially responsible brewer include: .  ¦ Producing world-class beers .  ¦ Promoting beer culture and the responsible enjoyment of beer .  ¦ Continuous, innovative quality and efficiency improvements .  ¦ Transcending customers’ expectations  ¦ Environmental stewardship: minimizing resource consumption, maximizing energy efficiency, and recycling .  ¦ Kindling social, environmental, and cultural change as a business role model .  ¦ Cultivating potential: through learning, participative management, and the pursuit of opportunities .  ¦ Balancing the myriad needs of the company, staff, and their fami lies .  ¦ Committing ourselves to authentic relationships, communications, and promises .  ¦ Having Fun. Employees, believe that these statements help communicate to customers and ther stakeholders what New Belgium, as a company, is about. These simple values developed 15 years ago are just as meaningful to the company and its customers today even though there has been much growth. Employee Concerns Recognizing employees’ role in the company’s success, New Belgium provides many generous benefits. In addition to the usual paid health and dental insurance and retirement plans, employees get a free lunch every other week as well as a free massage once a year, and they can bring their children and dogs to work. Employees who stay with the company for five years earn an all-expenses paid trip to Belgium to â€Å"study beer culture. † Perhaps most importantly, employees can also earn stock in the privately held corporation, which grants them a vote in company decisions. New Bel-gium’s employees now own one-third of the growing brewery. Open book management lets employees see the financial costs and performance. Environmental Concerns New Belgium’s marketing strategy involves linking the quality of its products, as well as their brand, with the company’s philosophy toward affecting the planet. From leadingedge environmental gadgets and high-tech industry advancements to employeeownership programs and a strong belief in giving back to the community, New Belgium demonstrates its desire to create a living, learning community. NBB strives for cost-efficient energy-saving alternatives to conducting its business and reducing its impact on the environment. In staying true to the company’s core values and beliefs, the brewery’s employee-owners unanimously agreed to invest in a wind turbine, making New Belgium the first fully wind-powered brewery in the United States. Since the switch from coal power, New Belgium has been able to reduce its CO2 emissions by 1,800 metric tons per year. The company further reduces its energy use by employing a steam condenser that captures and reuses the hot water that boils the barley and hops in the production process to start the next brew. The steam is redirected to heat the floor tiles and de-ice the loading docks in cold weather. Another way that NBB conserves energy is by using â€Å"sun tubes,† which provide natural daytime lighting throughout the brew house all year long. New Belgium also takes pride in reducing waste through recycling and creative reuse strategies. The company strives to recycle as many supplies as possible, including cardboard boxes, keg caps, office materials, and the amber glass used in bottling. The brewery also stores spent barley and hop grains in an on-premise silo and invites local farmers to pick up the grains, free of charge, to feed their pigs. NBB even encourages its employees to reduce air pollution by using alternative transportation. As an incentive, NBB gives its employees â€Å"cruiser bikes†Ã¢â‚¬â€ like the one pictured on its Fat Tire Amber Ale label—after one year of employment and encourages them to ride to work. New Belgium has been a long-time participant in green building techniques. With each expansion of the facility they have incorporated new technologies and learned a few lessons along the way. In 2002, NB agreed to participate in the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environment Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) pilot program. From sun tubes and daylighting throughout the facility to reusing heat in the brewhouse, they continue to search for new ways to close loops and conserve resources. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- the three ‘R's of being an environmental steward. The reuse program includes heat for the brewing process, cleaning chemicals, water and much more. Recycling at New Belgium takes on many forms, from turning â€Å"waste† products into something new and useful (like spent grain to cattle feed), to supporting the recycling market in creative ways (like turning their keg caps into table surfaces). They also buy recycled whenever they can, from paper to office furniture. Reduction surrounds them – from motion sensors on the lights throughout the building to induction fans that pull in cool winter air to chill their beer – offsetting their energy needs is the cornerstone to being environmentally efficient. Social Concerns Beyond its use of environment-friendly technologies and innovations, New Belgium Brewing Company strives to improve communities and enhance people’s lives through corporate giving, event sponsorship, and philanthropic involvement. Since its inception, NBB has donated more than 1. million dollars to organizations in the communities in which they do business. For every barrel of beer sold the prior year, NB donates $1 to philanthropic causes within their distribution territory. The donations are divided between states in proportion to their percentage of overall sales. This is their way of staying local and giving back to the communities who support and purchase NB products. In 2006, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wyoming received funding. Funding decisions are made by the NB Philanthropy committee, which is comprised of employees throughout the brewery including owners, employee owners, area leaders and production workers. New Belgium looks for non-profit organizations that demonstrate creativity, diversity and an innovative approach to their mission and objectives. The Philanthropy committee also looks for groups that involve the community to reach their goals. NBB also maintains a community bulletin board in its facility where it posts an array of community involvement activities and proposals. This community board allows tourists and employees to see the different ways they can help out the community, and it gives nonprofit organizations a chance to make their needs known. Organizations can even apply for grants through the New Belgium Brewing Company Web site, which has a link designated for this purpose. NBB also sponsors a number of events, with a special focus on those that involve â€Å"human-powered† sports that cause minimal damage to the natural environment. Through event sponsorships, such as the Tour de Fat, NBB supports various environmental, social, and cycling nonprofit organizations. New Belgium also sponsored the MS 150 â€Å"Best Damn Bike Tour,† a two-day, fully catered bike tour, from which all proceeds went to benefit more than five thousand local people with multiple sclerosis. NBB also sponsored the Ride the Rockies bike tour, which donated the proceeds from beer sales to local nonprofit groups. The money raised from this annual event funds local projects, such as improving parks and bike trails. In the course of one year, New Belgium can be found at anywhere from 150 to 200 festivals and events, across all fifteen western states. Organizational Success New Belgium Brewing Company’s efforts to live up to its own high standards have paid off with numerous awards and a very loyal following. It was one of three winners of Business Ethics magazine’s Business Ethics Awards for its â€Å"dedication to environmental excellence in every part of its innovative brewing process. † It also won an honorable mention in the Better Business Bureau’s 2002 Torch Award for Outstanding Marketplace Ethics competition. Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch were named the recipients of the Rocky Mountain Region Entrepreneur of the Year Award for manufacturing. The company also captured the award for best mid-sized brewing company of the year and best mid-sized brewmaster at the Great American Beer Festival. In addition, New Belgium took home medals for three different brews, Abbey Belgian Style Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsner, and LaFolie specialty ale. According to David Edgar, director of the Institute for Brewing Studies, â€Å"They’ve created a very positive image for their company in the beer-consuming public with smart decision-making. Although some members of society do not believe that a company whose major product is alcohol can be socially responsible, New Belgium has set out to prove that for those who make a choice to drink responsibly, the company can do everything possible to contribute to society. Its efforts to promote beer culture and the connoisseurship of beer has even led it to design a special â€Å"Worthy Glass,† the shape of which is intended to retain foam, show off color, enhance the visual presentation, an d release aroma. New Belgium Brewing Company also promotes the responsible appreciation of beer through its participation in and support of the culinary arts. For instance, it frequently hosts New Belgium Beer Dinners, in which every course of the meal is served with a complementary culinary treat. According to Greg Owsley Director of Marketing although the Fat Tire brand has a bloodline straight from the enterprise's ethical beliefs and practices, the firm's work is not done. They must continually re-examine ethical, social and environmental responsibilities. In 2004, New Belgium received the Environmental Protection Agency's regional Environmental Achievement Award. It was both an honor and a motivator not to rest on our naturally raised laurels. There are still many ways for NB to improve as a corporate citizen. They still don't produce an organic beer. The manufacturing process is a fair distance from being zero waste or emission free. There will always be a need for more public dialogue on avoiding alcohol abuse. Practically speaking, they have a neverending to-do list. NBB also must acknowledge that as their annual sales increase, the challenges for the brand to remain on a human scale and culturally authentic will increase too. How to boldly grow the brand while maintaining its humble feel has always been a challenge. Every six-pack of New Belgium Beer displays the phrase, â€Å"In this box is our labor of love, we feel incredibly lucky to be creating something fine that enhances people’s lives. † Although Jeff Lebesch has â€Å"semi-retired† from the company to focus on other interests, the founders of New Belgium hope this statement captures the spirit of the company. According to employee Dave Kemp, NBB’s environmental concern and social responsibility give it a competitive advantage because consumers want to believe in and feel good about the products they purchase. NBB’s most important asset is its image—a corporate brand that stands for quality, responsibility, and concern for society. Defining itself as more than just a beer company, the brewer also sees itself as a caring organization that is concerned with all stakeholders, including the community, the environment, and employees. Sources: These facts are from Greg Owsley, â€Å"The Necessity For Aligning Brand With Corporate Ethics,† in Sheb L. True, Linda Ferrell, O. C. Ferrell, â€Å"Fulfiling Our Obligation, Perspectives on Teaching Business Ethics,† Kennesaw State University Press 2005. p. 128-132. New Belgium website http://www. newbelgium. com/sustainability. php. and http://www. newbelgium. com/philanthropy. php. (accessed May 17, 2006) Peter Asmus, â€Å"Goodbye Coal, Hello Wind,† Business Ethics, 13 (July/Aug. 1999): 10–11; Robert Baun, â€Å"What’s in a Name? Ask the Makers of Fat Tire,† [Fort Collins] Coloradoan, Oct. 8, 2000, pp. E1, E3; Rachel Brand, â€Å"Colorado Breweries Bring Home 12 Medals in Festival,† Rocky Mountain News, www. insidedenver. com/news/1008beer6. shtml, (accessed Nov. 6, 2000); Stevi Deter, â€Å"Fat Tire Amber Ale,† The Net Net, www. thenetnet. com/reviews/fat. html (accessed Apr. 29, 2003); DirtWorld. com, www. dirtworld. com/races/Colorado_race745. htm (accessed Nov. 6, 2000); Robert F. Dwyer and John F. Tanner Jr. , Business Marketing (Irwin McGraw-Hill, 1999), p. 04; â€Å"Fat Tire Amber Ale,† Achwiegut (The Guide to Austrian Beer), www. austrianbeer. com/beer/b000688. shtml, (accessed Jan. 19, 2001); â€Å"Four Businesses Honored with Prestigious International Award for Outstanding Marketplace Ethics,† Better Business Bureau, press release, Sept. 23, 2002, www. bbb. org/alerts/2002torchwinners. asp; Del I. Hawkins, Roger J. Best, and Kenneth A. Coney, Consumer Behavior: Buil ding Marketing Strategy, 8th ed. (Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2001); David Kemp, Tour Connoisseur, New Belgium Brewing Company, personal interview by Nikole Haiar, Nov. 1, 2000, 1:00 PM; Julie Gordon, â€Å"Lebesch Balances Interests in Business, Community,† Coloradoan, Feb. 26, 2003; New Belgium Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, CO, www. newbelgium. com (accessed Apr. 29, 2003); New Belgium Brewing Company Tour by Nikole Haiar, Nov. 20, 2000, 2:00 PM; â€Å"New Belgium Brewing Wins Ethics Award,† Denver Business Journal, Jan. 2, 2003, http://denver. bizjournals. com/denver/stories/2002/12/30/daily21. html; and Dan Rabin, â€Å"New Belgium Pours It on for Bike Riders,† Celebrator Beer News, Aug. /Sept. 1998, www. celebrator. com/9808/rabin. html

Analysis of B School Dress Code Essay

Objective – to know the preference of students regarding dress code in a B school Reason – there was a lot of debate relating to the dress code and hence we thought of picking this as the survey topic .Earlier 1st 2 days of the week students were compelled to wear formals which has been lately scrapped creating a lot of confusion in the college . Results of the survey A sample size of 30 comprising of students of Ibs was taken 1. Questions regarding which dress code would be ideal for a B school Formal -16 Casual – 3 Smart casual -9 Any -2 2.should formals be made compulsory in B schhol Yes -11 No-19 3.was the college right in restricting students from wearin capris and sleevless Yes 18 No 12 4.How’s do you rate the dressing of students in B school Good -13 Below average -4 Avg-11 V good – 2 5.Other comments 1. Strict actions should be taken against the students who don’t abide by the rules . 2.everyone has the right to wear whatever they feel they are comfortable with , and there shouldn’t be any compulsion and restriction . 3.no t-shirts with improper sayings or picture 4.students by self should pick on wearing formal clothing as this creates a corporate atmosphere 5.comfort is important where people have to sit forlong hours, so casual but decent clothings should be allowed. Conclusion – maximum students believe formal clothing is the right dress code for a B school , but they need no force for the same . 19 of 30 Students think wearing capris and sleeveless does not suit the b school arena .the current rating on the dressing of the students is a close tuff between good and average . From the comments we conclude that there is a close tiff but all believe indecent clothes should not be selected but comfort can be given preference.

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Conflict at Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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