FEATURE PAPER

Obesity: A Social Marketing Approach

This paper was written by Dennis Emmett, from Marshall University, Ashish Chandra, from University of Houston-Clear Lake. This paper was presented at the 2012 ACME Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Abstract

Obesity is a major problem in the United States. The rate of obesity in young people has been rising until just recently, when it was reported to have leveled off. Social marketing is an attempt to change social behavior. Developing a social marketing program for obesity requires that one knows the population being addressed. Then, a program is developed to change this behavior. This paper is an attempt to show the attitudes and beliefs about obesity and how a program might change those behaviors.(Page 45)

(Read Entire Paper)

TIP OF THE WEEK

Building Effective Work Teams

Organizational leaders also have to build strong work teams in 21st-century organizations. Why do we need work teams? Some U.S. workers do not like having to work in teams due to the individualistic nature of American culture. However, today we usually don't have any choice, either as leaders or as followers, in whether or not we work in teams. The major reason is that in most cases, you can't succeed without an effective team effort, and organizations are using teams to create competitive advantage over competitors.

Also, the explosion of available information continues to drive how we operate in business today. This information explosion is caused in large part by technology-computers and their storage and retrieval capabilities. Because of this vast store of information, no one individual can have a broad and deep amount of knowledge in any field today, so we put people together in teams so that they can share their expertise with each other.

Team building is probably the most widely used Organizational Development (OD) technique today, and its popularity will continue as more companies use work teams. The effectiveness of each team and how the teams work together directly affect the entire organization. Team building is widely used as a means of helping new or existing groups improve their effectiveness. The goals of team-building programs vary considerably, depending on the group's needs and the change agent's skills. Some typical goals are: (1.) To clarify the objectives of the team and the responsibilities of each team member. (2.) To identify problems preventing the team from accomplishing its objectives. (3.) To develop team problem-solving, decision-making, objective-setting, and planning skills. (4.) To develop open, honest working relationships based on trust and an understanding of group members.

Team-building programs also vary in terms of agenda and length, depending on team needs. Typical programs go through six stages: (1.) Climate building and goals. The program begins with a change agent trying to develop a climate of trust, support, and openness. The change agent discusses the program's purpose and goals based on data gathered earlier. Team members learn more about each other and share what they would like to accomplish (goals) through team building. (2.) Evaluation of structure and team dynamics. The team evaluates its strengths and weaknesses in areas of how the work is done (structure) and how team members work together as they do the work (team dynamics). (3.) Problem Identification. The team identifies its weaknesses or areas where it can improve. Problems may be identified in the change agent's interviews and/or a feedback survey. The team prioritizes the problems based on how solving them will help the team improve performance. (4.) Problem Solving. The team takes the top priority from Stage 3 and develops a solution. It then moves to the other priorities on the list, in order. (5.) Training. Team building often includes some form of training that addresses the problem(s) facing the group. (6.) Closure. The program ends with a summary of what has been accomplished. Team members commit to specific improvements in performance. Follow-up responsibility is assigned, and a future meeting is set to evaluate results.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ICSB

The International Council for Small Business will be hosting their 2012 World Conference during June 10-13, 2012 in Washington, D.C. For more information,click here.

Allied Academy

Allied Academy will be hosting 2 upcoming conferences soon. The Summer International Internet Conference will be held during July 24-31, 2012. And the Fall International Conference will be held during October 10-12, 2012 in Las Vegas. For more information,click here.

New SBI Website

We are excited to inform you the new SBI website is Live and Ready!

Now that the website is up and running, there are a couple of housekeeping items that need to be addressed. Please read below:

Password: One of the key features of the new website is that it allows members to set up a personal password..Don't worry if you forget it you can also reset it. Please click the following link to reset your password: http://smallbusinessinstitute.biz/Sys/ForgottenPasswordRequest.

Profile: Another one of the key features is that you will now have access to update your profile information at any time. Please review your profile and make changes as needed.

E-mail: Due to the change of website providers the @smallbusinessinstitute.biz emails are no longer active. If you need to reach the board members or administrative staff you can find contact information on the CONTACT US tab or click here.

As Mike Harris stated in his announcement earlier this week, we want to do a better job of promoting the success of our members. Please send us your recent accomplishments, articles or good news, so we can share it with all SBI members.

We invite you to visit the new and improved website http://smallbusinessinstitute.biz/, tell us what you think!

SBIJ Journal

The Small Business Institute® Journal has just published its latest issue at www.sbij.org. We invite you to review the Table of Contents here and then visit our web site to review articles and items of interest.

International Journal of Business and Social Science

The International Journal of Business and Social Science is now taking manuscript submissions. All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the e-mail to the editor at editor@ijbssnet.com, or editor.ijbss@hotmail.com. For more information,click here.

Call for Panelists

The Marketing Management Association is accepting panelists for the Fall Educators' Conference on Sept 19-21, 2012 by the Mall of America in Minneapolis. Panelists are needed in the following areas:

. Effectively Using Social Media to Enhance Student Learning
. Building Information Literacy in Classroom Instruction
. Mentoring Junior Faculty: Expectations and Outcomes
. Wiki Class Applications
. Productivity in a Small or One-Person Department
. Activities to Prepare Students for the Job Placement Process
. The Millennial Mindset: Constructive Faculty Responses
. Using LinkedIn as a Teaching Tool
. Interdisciplinary Instruction: Reaching Across Business Disciplines
. Active Learning Innovations
. Managing Millennial Expectations in Team Activities
. Assurance of Learning and Student Internships
. Class Apps with Twitter, Tumblr, StumbleUpon
. Using Teaching Evaluations Effectively
. Advances in Teaching with Simulations
. Innovations in Case Instruction
. Business Ethics: Classroom Exercises with Personal Application
. Teaching Sustainability Across the Business Curriculum
. Student Learning in Undergraduate Research
. Teaching Base of Pyramid Marketing: Global Perspectives on Developing Countries
For more information, you can e-mail Dr. Brian A. Vander Schee at bvanders@aurora.edu or click here.

ICSB 2012 Public Agencies Forum

How can government bodies - such as policy departments, advisory services, regulators and service agencies - develop the most effective means of engagement, communication and information sharing with small businesses?

CONFERENCES

CALLS FOR PAPERS