It seems in the corporation everyone wants to keep their job and this creative tension somehow fuels us to do great things so the company survives and in turn we do well also. Fundamentally, this works with the exception of a couple key points. Those exceptions are greed, jealousy and politics.
As the corporate jobs get fewer and outsourcing continues, it is harder and harder to keep a decent job in the US. In order to secure, such employment the political element enters and take care of the boss and all related people in any way. Perhaps this is good as it keeps the mass aligned but it can be slow as it in reality is just a big line or process that has to move. Add a boss or group of bosses who do not care about the details and you end up with a non-optimal and frustrating work environment. Just in case my boss reads this (as you some times do), you know you are the best and this does not pertain to you.
The small business route is also a very interesting alternative. For a self-employed individual job, security is assured but business life is not. All of the sudden customers are very important. When negotiating a deal that 1% is yours or not yours and on a big enough deal it can mean something. Excess inventory, accounts receivables …. all are very important. Supplier quality takes a new meaning. When a supplier sends the wrong candy or is constantly, short it is costing you personally and you cannot serve your customers well.
Yet the small business is yours. Your work serves you.
Some folks tend to lean toward the self-employment solution others corporate life and some like me both.
The question, which I ask you to blog about, is which is better:
Paul Michaels CEO of Mars announces they plan to purchase Wrigley for $23 Million Cash. With the acquisition about 2 years ago, now the manufacturer of popular candy items such as M&Ms, Milky Way, Skittles and Snickers candy bars has expanded their product line into popular chewing gum products. 5 gum, Eclipse Gum, Orbit Gum, Wrigley Extra Gum and even Life Savers if the buy goes through will all fall into the Mars portfolio.
This was the headline in 2008. Well how did it go as the candy giant and family owned company Mars Corporation tries to maintain the number one spot on the candy sales chart? Moving the companies together was an organizational project that was huge. The company had to merge the family corporate culture of Mars and that of a private company Wrigley. They did so using their five principles of quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency and freedom. Wrigley Gum and Confections is now one of the 6 business segments of Mars Inc. Mars Inc. is clearly the industry leader in candy sales.
Congrats to the Duke Men's Basketball team on another NCAA championship. Great team work and coaching helped the team prevail.
Sources say there is a quiet revolution happening in the marketplace. Candy store sales of sugar-free, organic and other healthier-for-you snacks and candy are making the industry pay attention to consumer's dietary needs. New product lines debut each year promoting improved portion control, all-natural ingredients and a variety of nutritional benefits. The trend shows no signs of a downturn since analysts report these products have universal appeal from the elderly to young children.
Mars Inc, Cadbury, Nestle, Hershey, Kraft Foods battling it out for market share.