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Palmer: Introduction to Marketing

Chapter 12

Visit the websites of some of the companies that have featured near to the top of The Times list of best companies to work for (business.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,12190,00.html ). Some are household names; others may be well known in their own market sector, but not so well known beyond.

The following companies are recent award winners:

Timpson: www.timpson.co.uk/shoer/shoerepairs.html
Richer Sounds: www.richersounds.com
Flight Centre: www.flightcentre.co.uk
Asda: www.asda.co.uk
Lush cosmetics: www.lush.co.uk

Now answer the following questions about each company.

Questions:

  1. What evidence do you see from each firms' website that this is a good employer? Do employees feature in its mission statement? Does its recruitment page make reference to staff development and team building?

  2. In what way do you think that being a good employer reflects in the quality of goods and services that the company supplies to the public? Is there any evidence of this from the website?

  3. Being a good employer may be a laudable aim, but can an employer be too good, at the expense of customers and/or shareholders? Do you think that this company's employment policies are sustainable in the long-run, or, like in the case of Marks and Spencers, could they become a costly liability in a rapidly changing market?