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Meme Creation: A study on Memetic Profiling and its impact on marketing

activities of Sodexo

Project Report MBA

Marketing Management

By:

Antony C. D’Souza

March, 2014

Al Hikma Institute

LC: 02542

Sultanate Of Oman

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PROJECT CERTIFICATE

This project titled “Meme Creation: A study on Memetic Profiling and its impact on marketing activities

of Sodexo” is a bona fide record of the work done and submitted by:

Name: Antony C. D’Souza

Reg No :- 531211381

During the fourth semester for the award of the Master of Business Administration in Project

Management

I certify that he has carried out the project work as an independent work under my supervision and

guidance.

Signature of the Candidate Signature of Internal Examiner

Signature of the Guide Signature of External Examiner

Synopsis Supervisor

Approved Approved

Not Approved Not Approved

Comments: Signature of Director/ Coordinator Of Project

Date:

Name

P.O. Box 395

P.C 114

Jibroo

Sultanate Of Oman

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DECLERATION

Meme Creation: A study on Memetic Profiling and its impact

on marketing activities of Sodexo

A PROJECT REPORT

Under the guidance of

---------------------

Submitted by

------------------------------------------------

In partial fulfillment of the requirement

for the award of the degree

Of

MBA

In

MARKETING

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Firstly, I would like to thank Mr. Adam Clark for providing extensive knowledge

regarding the subject, for being a remarkable and brilliant guide , without whom , I

would never have imagined to do due justice to the topic of study. Thank you for

all the minor and major inputs and helping me in structuring the project in the

correct manner.

I would like to thank the General Manager, Mr. Jean Luc Simmonet for being

supportive to the project and providing additional information and the Sodexo

group marketing department for providing the necessary information without

which it would have been impossible to do the most accurate research on the

group.

I would also like to thank the Sodexo staff for providing additional information

and helping me in every which way possible.

A special vote of thanks for the Al Hikma staff being Mr. Gafoor and Mr.

Mansooj for providing proper information and guidance regarding the subject

topics and project formats.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family and friends for being supportive in every

which way possible. Thank you.

-----------------------

Antony C. D’Souza

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 7

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 8

WHAT IS MEME ......................................................................................................................................... 8

FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF MEME ..................................................................................................... 8

MEMETIC ENGINEERING ........................................................................................................................... 9

SODEXO GROUP-INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 12

HOW SODEXO DOES BUSINESS ........................................................................................................... 12

SODEXO GROUP CEO PROFILE-MICHEL LANDEL ................................................................................. 14

VARIOUS EMPLOYMENT APPROACHES BY SODEXO ........................................................................... 15

PROGRESSING TOWRDS EQUALITY ..................................................................................................... 15

PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR LGBT ..................................................................... 16

MIXING FOUR GENERATIONS IN A WORKPLACE ................................................................................ 16

PROMOTING JOBS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ........................................................................... 17

DIVERSE ETHNIC ORIGINS ................................................................................................................... 18

MEMETIC PROFILING ....................................................................................................................... 19

MEANING-MEMETIC PROFILING ......................................................................................................... 19

MEMETIC STUDIES CONDUCTED ........................................................................................................ 19

EXAMPLE OF MEMETIC PROFILING OF UNIVERSITY OF PHEONIX ................................................ 19

RAW MEMETIC INPUTS ................................................................................................................. 20

EXTRACTION OF META-MEMES ..................................................................................................... 22

EVIDENCE OF EXECUTION OF THE META-MEMES ......................................................................... 22

MEMETIC SUB-PROFILING FOR INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS ................................................................... 23

CREATING AND USING MEMETIC SUB-PROFILES FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS ................................ 23

MEMETIC PROFILING OF SODEXO GROUP ................................................................................. 24

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RAW MEMETIC INPUTS .................................................................................................................. 24

EXTRACTION OF META-MEMES...................................................................................................... 29

EVIDENCE OF EXECUTION OF THE META-MEMES .......................................................................... 30

REVENUE GROWTH ...................................................................................................................... 30

TOTAL WORKFORCE...................................................................................................................... 32

TOTAL WORKFORCE (GEOGRAPHICALLY) ..................................................................................... 33

LATEST KEY FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... 34

WORKFORCE BY GENDER ............................................................................................................. 35

WOMEN EMPLOYMENT GROWTH AS PROMISED BY MICHEL LANDEL ........................................ 36

AWARDS ........................................................................................................................................... 37

DRAWBACKS ................................................................................................................................... 45

MEMES MATTER .............................................................................................................................. 46

OTHER APPROACHES ........................................................................................................................... 46

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 47

E-REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 47

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sodexo, a world leader in providing various on-site and personal home services which include but are not

limited to catering and various other services globally, designs, manages and delivers On-site Service

Solutions with services that range from food services to construction management, reception to the

maintenance of scanners and laboratory equipment; from leisure cruises to housekeeping

The objective of this study was to understand and simplify the term-Meme and everything related to

memetic methodology. The study was also to determine whether the memetic methodology has a strong

base in its theories and if researched on the same would provide conclusive evidence of its success.

Memetic profiling Study is conducted on the Sodexo group in order to determine whether they had used

memetic methodology, and if so, as to what extent the technique has proved fruitful and whether because

of this the method the company has developed itself in the market.

Evidential information and data has been compared and conclusive evidence of the theory has been

extracted. Financial reports and demographics have been compared of the past 5 years and information

has been extracted.

The data used in this research is primarily secondary data, collected from Sodexo group and other related

portals as well as their website. Various articles, research papers, books and reports have been sourced to

provide more depth and accuracy to this analysis.

The period of study commences from 1st August 2009 until 1st September 2013, a period of 4 years.

There is no particular reason for selecting the commencement and ending date of the sample, it has been

selected randomly.

Based on the above study, the Memetic methodology is termed a proven concept and has been

encouraged to follow and practice in the marketing department in order to derive the idea and shape its

organisations motive and approach to do business.

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INTRODUCTION

Marketing is an integral part of selling and promotion of a product, an individual and a company.

Marketing these days is vast in nature that it can affect a liking of a person from thousands of miles away

with just a click away, for example Online Marketing through social media. And the most integral tool

for modern marketing is the concept known as a meme.

What is a Meme?

A Memetic or a MEME is an idea, behavior or a style which spreads from a person to person within a

culture. A Meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted

from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena.

The word "meme" was coined by Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene”, as an attempt to

explain the way cultural information spreads. Dawkins also declared in 1986, “What lies at the heart of

every living thing is not a fire, not warm breath, not a ‘spark of life.’ It is information, words,

instructions.” i

Memetics are those artificial ideas which can be psychologically created into a behavior or a lifestyle and

transmitted to a mass or a class of individuals or groups. It is that idea which is used by marketers or the

marketing department of a particular brand to entice the public and make sure that the ‘idea’ persists on a

long run.

FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF MEMETICS:

David Piersonii, from the University of Southern Maine, had recently written an article on memes called,

Corporatizing the Unconscious and how it was successfully used in a recent and prolific movie written

and directed by Christopher Nolan, named “INCEPTION”.

Here, Mr. Pierson explains the concept of that brilliant movie, and how the concept of meme was

ingeniously tailored in the storyline:

Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010) is the story of a team of skilled specialists led by Cobb to infiltrate

the unconscious mind of Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the son of a dying corporate magnate, to implant the

idea of disintegrating his father's energy conglomerate. The team is hired by Saito (Ken Wantanbe), a

Japanese businessman, who hopes to profit from the dismantling of his competitor's company. By

violating and manipulating Fischer's consciousness, Cobb and his team are able to corporatize his

unconscious mind to perform labor that benefits their client. Admittedly, the fictional concept of

corporatizing and monetizing unconscious minds is not a new one.

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In Inception, Cobb's team must carefully construct and insert a simple "version of the idea for it to

grow naturally in the subject's (Fischer) mind." They must construct a multilayered 3 dream state

situation whereby the subject "gives himself the idea" and it appears self-generated. In other words,

they provide Fischer with the illusion of free will and choice, though his decision has been

engineered from the beginning. While neuroscience has determined that during sleep, especially

REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep, the brain "plays back" the patterns of daily events, which may

serve the function of training neural networks to store memories, it has not been able to explain the

subjective nature of dreaming or why dreams blend elements from real experience with fantasy

(MacIver 2010).

“What's the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea

can transform the world and rewrite all the rules.” Cobb in the film Inception (2010)

MEMETIC ENGINEERING:

David Hillson PhD PMP FAPM FIRM FCMI FRSA, Director of Risk Doctor & Partners explained in his thesis

(Risk management, Maslow and memeticsiii

) the fundamental usage of memes and how it can be

manipulated or rather “Engineered” into a common mans’ mind.

A meme is defined as a package of informational content, approximating to an idea or concept, which

exists in the human brain or mind, and which seeks to replicate by transfer to other brains or minds. It is

the basic unit of cultural transmission, and culture can be seen as the sum total of all memes. Clearly there

are very many memes currently in existence, all of which are competing for the limited resources of

human attention and absorption into current culture. The most successful memes are those which are best

adapted to the environment in which they operate, which leads them to replicate and become dominant.

Dawkins argues that dominant memes are not necessarily beneficial to human individuals or society, and

that harmful memes can take root in the same way that viruses can cause pandemics. The important

feature which determines the persistence of a particular meme is its competitive advantage when

compared to the other memes against which it competes.

Having created this hypothetical framework, it is possible to develop an approach called “memetics”,

analogous to genetics, to describe how memes operate. The term “memetic engineering” can be used to

describe attempts to manipulate memes in order to produce a desired outcome. While the basis for

memetics is challenged by many as entirely hypothetical and unproven, the memetic paradigm offers

useful insights into many aspects of human behavior and culture, including management of risk.

The concept of memetic engineering (by analogy with genetic engineering) has been used to address the

question of purposeful and planned generations of memes to serve some end. In the wider context of

daily life the conception of memetic engineering generally signifies no more than any planned

activity that produces cultural units that may be imitated. At this level of generality the term may be no

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more than a scientific sounding phrase applicable to most human activity. However the phrase has found

some application in the advertising and management constancy industries when applied to planned and

controlled attempts to change and influence human behavior.

Richard Brodie’s Virus of the Mind iv(1996) offers a good working definition of a meme as “a unit of

information in a mind whose existence influences events such that copies of it get created in other minds.”

If we accept the premise that memes have one purpose only – to replicate – then it follows that: a

successful meme is an idea that gets copied a lot.

Just consider the most successful political slogans of recent times:

What does this say? Perhaps everything a successful political message should say – empowerment,

confidence, authority, collective endeavor, positivity and change. But, do we really need to deconstruct it

to appreciate its power? And, most importantly, how many times has it been repeated, copied and

broadcasted?

Here is how Brodie (1996) explains ‘mind viruses’:

• A virus of the mind is something out in the world that infects people with memes, which influence the

infected people’s behavior so that they help perpetuate and spread the virus.

• Mind viruses can evolve naturally or be created consciously. A virus is anything that takes external

copying equipment and puts it to work making copies of itself.

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• A virus’ mission is to make as many copies of it as possible. The virus is not alive nor does it have a

point of view, it’s just that looking at life from the point of view of the virus gives us insight into what’s

interesting about them and how they spread.

• Viruses issue instructions by giving us memes that affect our behavior. They spread when the events

stemming from the behavior reaches an uninfected mind.

Brodie (1996) also advances a plausible argument that the original strong memes were those that worked

on our “push buttons” – our basic emotional drives. He argues that when our buttons are pushed its

difficult not to pay attention to them - even if our conscious self-intervenes and stops us obeying them.

But, asks Susan Blackmore (1999): who exactly is this “conscious self” who gets to choose whether or

not we obey memes?

“If we take memetics seriously there is no room for anyone or anything to jump into the evolutionary

process and stop it, direct it or do anything to it. There is just the evolutionary process of genes and

memes playing it endlessly out – and no one watching...”

So the key point of memetics is this:

It’s not so much that people spread ideas because they’re engaged with them – rather the ideas engage

people and encourage (impel) them to spread them. The whole (conceptual) point about memes is that we

pass them on – without thinking too much about it. That is their purpose. That is their power.

The ‘idea’ is the most important tool which drives an organization into maximizing returns. It is this idea

or meme which creates this sense of attachment towards the product or service which the organization is

advertising. It is also clear that the idea has to be carefully designed or engineered to the product or

service.

From the above examples given by Brodie, Hillson and Pierson, it becomes quite clear as to why memes

to memetic methodology has been widely used by marketers and organizations alike. Memetics can be an

important technique which becomes an integral part of any organization and a powerful tool in the hands

of a creative marketing head.

Further, we will ponder as to how this methodology may have come into effect and how it may have

affected the mind and thinking process leading to growth financially and otherwise to organizations.

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SODEXO GROUP:

Sodexo, a world leader in providing various on-site and personal home services which include but are not

limited to catering and various other services globally, designs, manages and delivers On-site Service

Solutions with services that range from food services to construction management, reception to the

maintenance of scanners and laboratory equipment; from leisure cruises to housekeeping.

HOW SODEXO DOES BUSINESS: v

Sodexo has diverse networks in almost every part of the world and is built with a view to provide

excellent services by also keeping in mind the health and various other factors of both its clientele and the

employee base.

Since its foundation by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo has endeavored in its activities to comply with the United

Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Labor Organization principles. Though

governments have the primary responsibility for promoting, respecting and protecting Human Rights, the

Sodexo Group, as an international company present in 80 countries, recognizes its own responsibility to

promote and guarantee human rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Founded in 1966 by Pierre Bellon in Marseilles, France, Sodexo is now the worldwide leader in Quality

of Life services. For over 40 years, we have developed unique expertise, backed by nearly 428,000

employees in 80 countries across the globe.

In combining the diverse talents of our teams, Sodexo is the only company to integrate a complete offer

of innovative services, based on over 100 professions. We develop, manage and deliver a unique array of

On-site Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services for all our clients to

improve the Quality of Life.

Our experiences with our over 75 million customers each and every day enable us to develop Quality of

Life services that reinforce the well-being of individuals, improving their effectiveness and helping

companies and organizations to improve performance…every day.

So, Sodexo group provides excellent services under any extreme environment conditions, without being

gender, race, disability and culture bias.

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SODEXO GROUP CEO PROFILE- MICHEL LANDELvi

Mr. Michel Landel has been the Group Chief Executive Officer of Sodexo S.A. (also known as Sodexho Alliance SA), parent company of Sodexo Canada Ltd. since September 1, 2005 and its President since December 2005. Mr. Landel serves as an Executive Chairman of United Kingdom at Sodexo SA. Mr. Landel joined Sodexho Alliance S.A. ('Sodexho') in 1984 as Chief Operating Manager for Eastern Africa, Libya and Algeria. He increased sales and earnings in the units he has managed. He served as the Chief Operating Officer of Sodexo SA since December 2005.

Mr. Landel served as Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Sodexo S.A., from June 2003 to December 2005. He served as Chief Executive Officer at Sodexo, Inc. (also Known as Sodexho Marriott Services Inc.) from May 3, 1999 to January 2005 and its President since May 3, 1999. He served as the Co-President of Ireland for Food and Management Services activities, Remote Sites Activities for Food and Management Services activities and Co-President of North America for Food and Management Services activities. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Remote Sites Activities for Food and Management Services activities, Co-President of North America for Food and Management Services activities, Co-President of the United Kingdom - Food and Management Services activities. Mr. Landel was promoted to President of Remote Site operations in Africa in 1986, where he served until his move to Sodexho's North American Operations. Mr. Landel served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sodexho North America since 1989. He served as Executive Vice President of Sodexho Marriott Services Inc. and served as the President of Corporate Services since June 16, 1998. From 1980 to 1984, Mr. Landel served as General Manager for the Poliet Group in France. He began his career with Chase Manhattan Bank in France. At Chase, he worked within the accounting and control department for Europe, then started Sodexho Marriott Services Inc.'s Ivory Coast operations, becoming the first Country Operations Manager for Chase. He has been Director of Sodexo since January 19, 2009. He has been a Director of Sodexho Marriott Services Inc. since May 3, 1999. Mr. Landel has been a Director of Sodexho, Inc., since May 3, 1999. He serves as a Director of Catalyst Inc. In February 2000, Mr. Landel was appointed as Vice-President of Sodexho Alliance Executive Committee. In 1997, Mr. Landel won the industry's coveted Golden Chain Award from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators association. In 2002, he received Restaurants & Institutions' distinguished Ivy Award for developing restaurant-style brand concepts. The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society also voted him Hospitality Executive of the Year. He was also named a Recipient of Diversity Best Practices' Chief Executive Officer Leadership Award for his focus on diversity and Chief Executive Officer Advocate of the Year by Asian Enterprise magazine for his minority hiring initiatives. He serves as President of Sodexho Stop Hunger Association. Mr. Landel is a graduate of the European Business School.

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VARIOUS EMPLOYMENT APPROACHES BY SODEXO:

International Women’s Day, held every year on March 8, is the opportunity given by Sodexo to celebrate

and recognize the role of women in society, politics and the economy.

For Sodexo, it is the chance to increase the visibility of its commitments to Diversity and Inclusion and

more specifically how it supports the advancement of women at every level of the organization.

This year, Sodexo highlighted the fundamental link existing between gender balance and social and

economic performance. Just like many international studies have demonstrated it before, Sodexo knows

that with a better balance between men and women the Group is stronger, more innovative and better at

serving its 75 million consumers worldwide.

1. PROGRESSING TOWARDS

EQUALITY:vii

Women represent 54% of Sodexo’s

workforce. Convinced that fostering the

advancement of women, nurturing their

talent and, more generally, encouraging

gender balance is of vital importance,

Sodexo has long placed gender equality

at the heart of its strategy and

performance.

SWIFt is primarily focused on women in

operational roles, positions in which

women are traditionally

underrepresented. The initiatives

launched by SWIFt have made the

difference: in 2009 a mere 10% of

operational positions were filled by

women. That number has increased to

17% in 2013.The Group carries out an

ambitious and global ambitious including

among others: training and awareness

initiatives, mentoring, developing gender

balance networks...

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2. PROMOTING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR LGBT (LESBIAN, GAY

BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER) EMPLOYEES:

Sodexo promotes a company culture which is accepting of all diversities, visible and non-visible.

Through networks and partnerships, it strives to create a safe environment in which all employees can

“bring their whole self to work”.

USA - In Sodexo USA LGBT employees and their ‘allies’ can join the PRIDE network group to share

experiences, receive support and disseminate information in the organization. Alongside 8 other network

groups, PRIDE counts over 300 members.

Global - 15 employees from all over the world have joined in a new working group, which aims at

educating and supporting an accepting environment across the Group. The group’s first focus is to put

forward the ‘business case’ for working on LGBT inclusion, and developing partnerships and

benchmarking opportunities across Sodexo.

France - Sodexo partners with L’Autre Cercle, the main LGBT organization in the country. Through

seminars, workshops and other events, L’Autre Cercle shares with our organization its knowledge,

experience and research on LGBT diversity. Sodexo has sponsored their annual meeting for the past two

years.

UK & Ireland - In the UK & Ireland Sodexo partners with Stonewall, an organization which works for

equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. The entity recently entered a benchmarking

exercise with this organization, to better assess its situation and plan for future developments.

3. MIXING FOUR GENERATIONS IN A WORKPLACE:

Sodexo hires and trains employees from four different generations from young people to seniors. The

Group makes an effort to help them work together in order to share their experiences and creativity.

In Belgium, we established a task force that includes front-line staff, trade union representatives, and

human resources to develop a long-term approach to encouraging generations in the workplace.

In Argentina, we developed Youth Together, a training program to promote employment among

disadvantaged young people. Through the program, the employee who acts as the primary contact for new

team members receives diversity training, while other employees can attend diversity awareness sessions.

In France, Sodexo works with FACE to support older workers. In this program, five Sodexo employees

mentor individuals who are 50-years-old or above and have been unemployed for more than a year. Sodexo

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employees’ help these workers cope with challenges in the job market, provide support to better define their

professional aspirations, redesign their resume and launch the next chapter of their career.

In France, Sodexo signed an agreement with the French government in 2009 that includes commitments

to recruit 300 young people, 90 apprentices, and 30 trainees from disadvantaged neighborhoods over the

next three years.

4. PROMOTING JOBS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISBILITIES:

Disability isn’t a single and global issue: it is the sum of individual challenges and experiences. With

strong commitments, better awareness and dialogue, we can find collective solutions that make us

stronger, more innovative and better at what we do.

Sodexo is committed to the hiring and inclusion people with disabilities. Along with the government and

various associations, the Group offers training programs and jobs in foodservices among others

occupations.

In the U.S, we established a People with Disabilities Task Force which evolved into the employee

network group, SOAR (Sodexo Organization for disabilities Resources). SOAR focuses on raising

awareness, providing education and resources, and creating a culture that values the contributions of

people with disabilities.

In France, Sodexo signed a second agreement in 2009 to promote the employment and professional

development of people with disabilities. The first agreement had led to the recruitment of 252 new

employees and 200 interns with disabilities between 2006 and 2008.

In Thailand, one person out of every 200 employees hired by Sodexo has a disability. We work

diligently with the Labor Support Department and The Foundation for People with Disabilities to identify

people with disabilities to fill positions.

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5. DIVERSE ETHNIC ORIGINS:

Sodexo fights against discrimination on the basis of origin, through awareness raising

programs, targeted trainings and development opportunities.

We serve clients and consumers from all countries, all national origins and all cultures. We put an

emphasis on ensuring that our teams are as diverse as those of our clients, in order to better understand

and respond to the diversity of preferences and expectations. This is reflected through formal

commitments and specific tools (training, reporting, and compensation manager) that raise awareness

about discrimination on the basis of origins.

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MEMETIC PROFILING AND SUB-PROFILING:

MEANING- MEMETIC PROFILING:

Memetic profiling is an ingeniously designed marketing tool which becomes very handy for major organizations that have a large client base, healthy and proactive competitors and are continuously, as always, strive to increase their revenue per fiscal year. Memetic profiling consists of the theory which is designed to understand and comprehend the moves of the firm’s competitor. It is a study basically conducted in order to proactively anticipate the competitors’ next move and be ahead of the curve with counter-measures.

Memetic profiles are created by identifying the memes (beliefs, values, etc.) of a competitor’s top managers, which act like viruses that spread throughout an organization, and which therefore drive the organization’s behavior.

The memetic profiling process consists of identifying sources of information about competitors and using those sources to:

1. Generate “raw memetic inputs” from a competitor’s top management by assessing the content of their letters to shareholders in their annual reports, speeches, media interviews, press releases, etc.

2. Extract from the raw memetic inputs a smaller number of “Driver Memes” that drive the competitor organization’s behavior. 3. Examination of evidence to see if the Driver Memes are being replicated within the competitor’s organization.

MEMETIC STUDIES CONDUCTED:viii

David O’Gorman in his thesis on Memes, CI and Marketing: A Preliminary Framework explains how exactly memetic profiling works in modern day marketing. Here, he emphasizes the importance of reading the competitors top managers; as to why it is important to measure the thinking process of the top management of the competitors.

Example: A memetic profile of The University of Phoenix

In just ten years the University of Phoenix, part of the Apollo Group, has grown from a small private

institution to the largest private university in the United States. The University of Phoenix has campuses

throughout the country, and also is the largest provider of entirely online degrees in the world through its

University of Phoenix Online subsidiary.

This memetic profile of the University of Phoenix begins with an examination of the Letters to

Shareholders from the Chairman, other statements by the University of Phoenix top management team,

and the written history of the University of Phoenix which most likely was either written or influenced by

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top management. Memes and meta-memes are compared to the actual behavior of the organization to

verify that the behavior of the University of Phoenix was consistent with the memes and meta-memes.

STEP 1:

Raw memetic inputs: The raw memetic inputs shown in Exhibit 1 were derived from Annual Reports of the Apollo Group, the

parent company of the University of Phoenix.

Raw Memetic Inputs (RMI) from Annual Reports of the Apollo Group: RMI 1: “Apollo is resolved to be the dominant force in higher education for adults both domestically and internationally. We will do this by continuing to provide the most current and relevant education in the most convenient and efficient format possible. Our goal is to make Apollo known and admired around the globe.”(Sperling, 1999, p. 1) RMI 2: “Apollo is committed to strengthening its leadership position in adult higher education, both domestically and internationally. We will do this by constantly seeking better ways to answer the educational needs of working professionals, continuing to develop the most relevant curricula, and delivering them in the most efficient way possible.” (Sperling, 1999, p. 3) RMI 3: “Education must not only be relevant to the demands of technology, it must be efficient in terms of time and place. Thus the current mantra—‘Anywhere, Anytime Education.’ Many traditional educational institutions are unable to respond to the demands of this market, but the Apollo Group companies respond rapidly and do it with innovation and inspiration. The writing’s on the chalkboard. In the 21st century there will be two kinds of educational institutions: the quick and the dead.”(Sperling, 2000, p. 1) RMI 4: “In fact, experts estimate that 90% of the Internet education market has yet to be tapped, and University of Phoenix Online is uniquely positioned to answer this enormous demand.” (Sperling, 2000, p. 2) RMI 5: “The issuance of University of Phoenix Online common stock (UOPX) raised over $70 million. This capital infusion will enable us to enhance University of Phoenix Online’s infrastructure, increase staffing, expand its marketing and sales, and in so doing, leverage University of Phoenix’s leadership position and further increase its market share.” (Sperling, 2000, p. 2) RMI 6: “Looking forward, we at Apollo Group confirm our commitment to provide higher education of unsurpassed convenience, efficiency, and value to working professionals. The dramatic spread of our innovative educational format, from coast to coast and around the world,

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confirms the power of an idea whose time has come. We’re at the forefront of a new era in higher education, and we’re just getting started.” (Sperling, 2000, p. 2) RMI 7: “Over the years, hundreds of colleges and universities have competed with Apollo by offering programs that incorporate various aspects of Apollo’s instructional systems. Most recently they are offering courses and degree programs using Internet and Web technologies that are designed to compete directly with University of Phoenix Online. Because all but a handful of these online programs are being offered by public and nonprofit institutions, they can operate at a loss. Nevertheless, they have yet to pose a serious competitive threat to University of Phoenix Online.”(Sperling, 2001, p. 2) RMI 8: “At Apollo Group, we intend to retain and strengthen our market dominance and our leadership position in higher education in order to ensure that, a decade hence, our courseware ‘will be educating more people faster, better, and cheaper around the globe’.”(Sperling, 2001p.2) RMI 9: “But the big story this coming year will be resource. With resource, all course materials are created digitally and delivered via the Internet. Students will have instant access to their course materials, syllabi, textbooks, assigned reading, powerful multimedia presentations, plus the University Library and hyperlinks to relevant websites, all at a lower cost. At the same time, the course materials can be updated and re-configured easily, so content will be more current and more relevant to the course of study. This innovative delivery method for course materials promises to provide a competitive advantage that will further our lead in higher education.” (Sperling, 2001, p. 2) RMI 10: “At all Apollo Group subsidiaries, we strive to improve the quality and value of our programs and products. As a result, we continue to extend our competitive advantage, expand our markets, and increase profitability for our shareholders.” (Sperling, 2002, p. 3) RMI 11: “All college enrollments are projected to expand over the next decade. College enrollment among students that work full or part time is expected to grow even faster. Whereas most colleges and universities are not designed for this working population, Apollo Group is. At Apollo Group, our completely scalable format utilizing practitioner faculty is uniquely qualified to answer this demand.” (Sperling and Nelson, 2003, p. 3) RMI 12: “Sperling anticipated the confluence of technological, economic, and demographic forces that would in a very short time herald the return of ever-larger numbers of working adults to formal higher education….According to Sperling, working adult students were invisible on the

22

traditional campus and were treated as second-class citizens….As an institution, University of Phoenix is unique in its single-minded commitment to the educational needs of working adults.” (Apollo Group, 2004b) RMI 13: “Indeed, we are keenly aware of the competition inside and outside of the industry, but it will not dictate how we operate. We are the leaders in this industry and have developed a strategic plan to increase our distance from the pack—a fact that has been borne out by our increased geographic breadth and our rapidly rising enrollment numbers.”(Nelson, 2004, p. 3)

Step 2:

Extraction of meta-memes Once the raw memetic material has been assembled, the next step is to determine the meta-memes

exhibited in the material. This step is analogous to what organizational anthropologist Sathe has described

in a unit on deciphering a culture. Sathe (1985) said, “The most subjective and tricky part in the process

of deciphering a culture is in ‘distilling’ the content of culture from its many manifestations.” Because of

the subjective nature of both the selection of the raw memes and the extraction of meta-memes, it would

be a good idea to have more than one person involved in the process. The meta-memes for the University

of Phoenix are shown in Exhibit 2.

University of Phoenix Meta-Memes Derived from Raw Memetic Inputs Meta-meme #1: The University of Phoenix targets working adults. (Based on RMI’s 1, 2, 6, and 11) Meta-meme #2: The University of Phoenix should operate in a highly efficient manner. (Based on RMI’s 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 11) Meta-meme #3: The University of Phoenix should strive for aggressive growth. (Based on RMI’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, and 13) Meta-meme #4: Traditional higher education is a dinosaur incapable of meeting the needs of working adults. (Based on RMI’s 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 12) Meta-meme #5: The University of Phoenix views higher education as a competitive environment. (Based on RMI’s 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 13)

Step 3:

Evidence of execution of the meta-memes

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In this step, it is judicious to verify that the memes and meta-memes are in fact being replicated within the

organization. In the case of the Apollo Group, it appears that they are. Revenues at the

Apollo Group has grown from $125 million in 1994 to $1.8 billion in 2004 (Apollo Group, 2004a). With

enrollment in excess of 228,000 students, up from 32,000 in 1994, the University of Phoenix is the largest

non-profit university in the United States, and on track to become the largest university in the world.

Dedication to the needs of working adults remains strong, with professional degree programs such as

information systems, business, nursing, and criminal justice. No private or public university comes close

to meeting University of Phoenix Online enrollments, which confirms Chairman Sperling’s view that

traditional institutions of higher education are maladapted to serving the needs of working adults.

Operating efficiencies from a scalable course design and the centralization of student services continue to

be implemented (Apollo Group, 2003 and 2004a).Overall, the University of Phoenix is executing its

meta-memes. Memetic sub-profiles for individual products

A memetic profile of top management such as the one shown above describes the meme-set that drives

the overall behavior of an organization. However, corporations typically have more than one product or

service. If that is the case, memetic sub-profiles can be developed for each product or service. The

development of the memetic sub-profiles involves gathering and utilizing several sources of memes and

meta-memes. The primary source of memes and meta-memes for a sub-profile are derived from the

memetic profile of the top management team as described in the previous section. The question to be

explored is to what extent top management’s memes and meta-memes influence the meme-set for a

specific product. Some products may operate with a meme-set that is virtually identical to that of top

management.

From the above examples on profiling and sub-profiling given by O’Gorman, it is pretty evident of how a

company might proactively counter its competitors’ products with theirs.

However, the example given by O’Gorman was based on a university where profiling was done on a

single product/service based on annual Letters to Shareholders and speeches.

Creating and using memetic sub-profiles for consumer products:

In contrast to the role that the sales force plays in generating the memetic profile for industrial products,

when it comes to consumer products, that task shifts to the marketing staff, especially marketing research.

The process for generating a memetic sub-profile for consumer products would, essentially, be the same

as for memetic profiles such as that shown for the University of Phoenix. The difference is that rather

than using source materials such as annual Letters to Shareholders and speeches, the source material for

memetic sub-profiles for consumer products would be competitor advertisements, sales promotion

materials, information gathered directly from consumers via marketing research and the like. The set of

memes gathered by examining advertising and from marketing research could be augmented by

information from the sales force and marketing staff using the techniques for generating memetic sub-

profiles for industrial products.

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MEMETIC PROFILING OF SODEXO:

Let us now look into the SODEXO group and how it does its business through the application of memes. We are going to focus on the Profiling part of memetics and determine as to how memetic profiling may help in determining its revenue growth. Remember, it need not necessarily be used by its competitor

Following the above example of University of Chicago, a similar study is conducted on Sodexo group:

STEP 1: Raw Memetic Inputs (RMI) from SODEXO websites, portals, Interviews:

ix

RMI 1: “I’m a boarder here and I spend a lot of time on campus, so quality of life is important to me. I especially like the food Sodexo serves because it is diverse in every sense: you can find Western, Chinese, Indian – and even find fusion food of sorts (they’ve just introduced naan pizzas!). The food also caters to every health interest, as well as dietary and religious requirements. Sodexo hosts international nights where they focus on a country or region, with boarding students providing recipes from home – recently it was a student from Rwanda. They also have ‘Sodexo Surprises’ – for example on Halloween we came down for dinner and the Sodexo teams had laid out this huge meal for us and they were all dressed up.”— Ishann Srivastava, student, 17 years old, India RMI 2: “After working with Sodexo for 4 years, I really enjoyed the company structure and culture, the great benefits and the commitment to training and development at Sodexo. Thankfully I kept in touch with Sodexo through the Reconnexions program and was finally able to rejoin with a local position. Sodexo is a great company to work for; it provides great career advancement and networking opportunities. Sodexo also offers opportunities that help today’s work-life balance. Overall, I enjoy making every day a better day!” (Lilibeth Garcia, Senior

Recruiter, Houston, TX) RMI 3: “Without question, the best part about working for Sodexo is the people in my humble opinion. Sodexo is blessed with a workforce that has a diverse background. I so often come in

25

contact with business partners who amaze me with the amount of functional knowledge and great attitude they bring to the table. My role allows me the “entrepreneurship” environment I need to manage challenges in my fine of sight, while guaranteeing the right support when needed.” (Roopesh Ranganathan,

Sr. E-Procurement

Architect, Buffalo,NY) RMI 4: “I served in the United States Navy for 3 years as a chef. During my enlistment, I was deployed three times to the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, each time for six months. I was recognized with a captain’s award, combat award and many tours of duty medals. I completed my chef training through the Navy culinary school in San Diego, CA. The Military prepared me for my current role with Sodexo as it taught me discipline, a good work ethic and an appreciation for life and people. Most of all, the Navy matured me. I am excited that Sodexo is recognizing veterans for their

service to our country and is a company where transitioning military can come to work.” (Benjamin Battle, Executive

Chef, Navy-Petty Officer) RMI 5: Our health and wellness programming focuses on educating our customers on the benefits of making healthy lifestyle choices and provides inspiration for behavior change. Solutions such as our Mindful offer that promotes the selection of healthy, flavorful

and satisfying meal choices; our partnership with MyFitnessPal to help customers and clients track physical activity and nutrition; and our cooking and shopping skills classes enable individuals to make informed choices that lead to healthier lifestyles both at work and home. Our large fleet of registered dietitians deploys programming to improve nutrition and wellness in

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every market segment we serve. We also create healthy living and working environments, which are important to our physical and emotional well-being. Sodexo currently manages foodservice or facilities services in 267 certified green buildings throughout North America. We help hospitals achieve the highest standards of sanitization so they can provide their patients with the best care available. For example, we have significantly reduced hospital acquired infections, at a significant lower cost, to treat each room by implementing Xenex, a mercury-free, no touch room disinfection system. (Nutrition, Health and Wellness Campaign by Sodexo) RMI 6: “As part of our ongoing effort to improve the nutritional value of the products we use, we worked with the European subsidiaries of one of our major global suppliers to improve the nutritional value of our soups, sauces and broths. As a result, we have succeeded in reducing the salt and fat content of the sauce bases that we use.” (Nutrition, Health and Wellness- Europe)

RMI 7: I have been the Executive Sponsor of the Sodexo PRIDE (People Respecting Individuality, Diversity and Equality) Employee Business Resource Group for three years, and I constantly reflect on the progress we are making in the acceptance and education of LGBT workplace equality. I truly feel that Sodexo’s commitment to removing barriers, creating an inclusive environment, and preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has made a difference in the lives of many employees, both at work and in their personal lives. I can tell you from experience that PRIDE’s signature program, Connecting through Stories, Enhancing Employee Engagement through Storytelling, is an eye-opening and emotional session that brings to light the real stories of our employees and has an impact on attendees around the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual individuals and their allies. It isn’t just about changing laws, it is about the personal change that happens when we share our story; and each of us has a story – regardless of how we identify. Most likely if you don’t identify as LGBT, you know someone, work with someone, have networked with someone who is. Programs such as Bringing Your Whole Self to Work, the Straight Ally and LGBT Conversation Guides, Mentoring and Life Works are just some of the tools that support both our LGBT employees and their allies. (Peri Bridger: Reflecting On LGBT Progress)

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EXCERPTS FROM MICHEL LANDELx:

RMI 8: “Diversity and inclusion is an inherent part of our culture and business growth. The energy and talent at all levels of the organization is unleashed, resulting in innovative solutions that contribute to a spirit of team, service and progress. With diversity and inclusion as a competitive advantage, Sodexho is an employer of choice and the benchmark for customers, clients and communities domestically and globally.” (Diversity,200

xi6)

RMI 9: “People behave and react very differently depending on the culture,” Landel said. “Rather than viewing such differences as abnormal, people must respect others, expect to be challenged, encourage debate, and not assume that there is only one answer. Humans are not only different but they are complex. “Understanding cultures is probably one of the most difficult things to do. You have to have patience, not make quick judgments, and accept others for who they are.” (Diversity, 2006) xii

RMI 10: “We serve more than 100 cultures every single day,” Landel said, “and if you don’t understand your customers, you don’t compete. Australia and France are taking the lead in adapting the global strategy to local cultures.(Diverstiy, 2006) xiii

RMI 11: In a very difficult economic environment, I am pleased to confirm that Sodexo continues to be a growth company, demonstrating the effectiveness of our strategy and the strength of our unique positioning as an integrator of Quality of Life services. During the just completed fiscal year, we have maintained the investments necessary to support Sodexo’s continued transformation. (Fiscal – 2012

Message, 2012)xiv

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RMI 12: "We have a clear strategy that allows us to create more value for our clients and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by continuously capitalizing on our expertise in our three activities. We benefit from a number of strengths. In a market with considerable potential, our unique range of Quality of Life services responds to the expectations of our clients and our consumers; our global network is unmatched; we are the undisputed leader in emerging countries; and our teams are engaged and united through a strong culture. We remain faithful to our mission and, in a global economic growth model that is destined to evolve, Sodexo will more than ever play a role in the development of the communities in which it operates. Finally, our financial model and our independence allow us to make long-term investments as we build our future." “I am convinced that our competitiveness and future growth depend primarily on our ability to accelerate our company’s transformation, which has been ongoing for seven years. Sodexo is in the process of inventing a new profession: services that improve Quality of Life. Our goal is clear: to make our offer a unique offer and our brand a strong global brand that clients and consumers want and for which they are willing to pay a price commensurate with the value delivered. (M.Landel on Fiscal-2013)

xv RMI 13: As soon as I took up my position as CEO in 2005, I made my position on the subject and willfully set a target of 24% women in top management by 2012. (Interview, 2013)

xvi

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STEP 2:

From the above Raw Memetic Inputs, the following Meta Memes are

extracted:

(Meta-meme #1): Sodexo treats all its employees regardless of race, nationality, gender or diversity, equally and with respect. Therefore, Sodexo will treat its clientele in the same way. (Based on RMI’s 1,2,7,9,13)

(Meta-meme#2): Sodexo being the 21st largest employer in the world; the second largest employer in Europe; and the largest employer in France; signifies the ability to create great environments for its employees to work in. Therefore, it must possess the ability to create the same great environments for its clientele. (Based on RMI’s 1,7,10,11,12,13)

(Meta-meme#3): Sodexo provides Quality of Life to its employees. Therefore, it will provide Quality of Life to its clients. (Based on RMI’s 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11 and 12)

(Meta-meme#4): Sodexo’s presence in 80 countries, signifies its expertise to operate in diverse, remote and in some cases harsh environments. Therefore, there is no challenge that Sodexo cannot overcome. (Based on RMI’s 1,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13)

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STEP3:

Evidence of Execution of Meta-memes:

Based on the above information, the message provided by Sodexo is clear and precise s the following

dater collected provides enough evidence to the execution.

REVENUE GROWTH:

xvii

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xviii

32

TOTAL WORKFORCE: xix

33

TOTAL WORKFORCE (GEOGRAPHICALLY) xx

34

LATEST KEY FIGURES: xxi

:

35

WORKFORCE BY GENDER: xxii

36

WOMEN EMPLOYMENT GROWTH AS PROMISED BY MICHEL

LANDEL : xxiii

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AWARDS:xxiv

It is quite clear as to how much Sodexo might have earned for its global success since the inclusion of

Michel Landel and the evidence of which is furnished below speaks volumes:

Quality of Life

Sodexo provides Quality of Life Services that contribute to individual well-being and organizational

performance. In improving people’s daily well-being and comfort, our award-winning Quality of Life

Services make work and living environments more attractive, improve each individual’s effectiveness and

increase client competitiveness.

2012

� October 4, 2012Sodexo’s Food Wins Food Management Magazine’s Best Concept Award.

� September 19, 2012Sodexo Helps Two School Districts Earn Prestigious Florida Healthy Schools Awards.

� May 24, 2012 Sodexo Future Chefs Program Earns National Restaurant Association Recognition in First-Ever Innovator of the Year Award.

38

2011

� October 18, 2011 Sodexo’s Student Nutrition and Well-Being Expertise Helps 111 Schools Nationally Earn Prestigious USDA Recognition.

� October 6, 2011Sodexo Recognized for Food Hot Concept.

� September 2, 2011 Sodexo Wins Two Food Management Magazine Best Concept Awards.

� April 15, 2011 Sodexo Helps Manchester Township School District Earn Three Awards in USDA Student Wellness Program.

� April 11, 2011Sodexo Helps Birmingham Public Schools Earn Eight Awards in USDA Student Wellness Program.

� January 7, 2011 Sodexo Partner Benedictine University Wins Baseball and Softball Facilities of the Year Award.

2010

� December 15, 2010 Sodexo Earns “Most Vegan-Friendly College in America” at Northwestern University.

� December 15, 2010 Sodexo Helps Namaste Charter School Earn Highest Honors in USDA Student Wellness Program.

� April 27, 2010 Sodexo Again Named One of World’s Best Outsourcing Companies.

� April 8, 2010 Sodexo-Operated Mess Hall at Parris Island Wins Top USMC Honors.

� March 9, 2010 Sodexo Named One of the World’s “Most Admired Companies” by Fortune Magazine.

� March 9, 2010 Jazzman’s Café and Bakery Named a “Top 25 Bakery Café Chain” by Technomic Information Services.

2009

� October 29, 2009 Sodexo Helps Three Schools Earn USDA Recognition for Outstanding Nutrition Environment.

� July 16, 2009Technomic Names Pandini’s a “Top 100 Fast Casual Chain” for 2009.

� March 29, 2009 Sodexo Earns ISO/IEC 20000 Certification for Information Technology Service Management.

� March 17, 2009Sodexo-Operated Mess Hall Wins Top Honors for Second Year.

� February 27, 2009 Sodexo Pass USA Named Winner in Third Annual Paybefore Awards.

� January 5, 2009 Sodexo’s Abetterday.tv Web TV channel recognized with Stratégies Award

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� January 5, 2009 Sodexo recognized as a “Superbrand” in France, the UK and the U.S.

Diversity and Inclusion

With 125,000 employees serving over 15 million consumers daily at 9,000 locations nationwide,

promotion of diversity is not an option; it is an imperative. The diversity of backgrounds of our

employees is vital to our success: they reflect the diversity of our clients and consumers and enable us to

adapt to a constantly changing environment. Because we know that diversity is a source of creativity and

innovation, we have made it a true expertise.

2012

� November 16, 2012 Sodexo Receives a 100% Rating From Human Rights Campaign on their 2013 Corporate Equality Index.

� November 13, 2012 G.I. Jobs Recognizes Sodexo for Fifth Consecutive Year As a Top Military Friendly Employer.

� September 6, 2012 Sodexo Recognized by LATINA Style Magazine as One of the Best Companies for Latinas to Work for in the U.S.

� July 19, 2012 Three Sodexo Leaders Recognized Among the Top 100 Executives in America.

� June 29, 2012 Sodexo’s Virtual Diversity and Business Leadership Summit Recognized with the Innovations in Diversity Award by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

� June 12, 2012 Asia Society Recognizes Sodexo with HONOR for Distinguished Practice as the 2012 Best Company in Promoting Asian Pacific Americans into Senior Leadership.

� April 25, 2012 Sodexo Ranked #2 on the Diversity Inc Top 50 Companies for Diversity List For Second Consecutive Year.

� April 4, 2012 Sodexo Named “Best Company for Hourly Workers” by Working Mother Magazine.

� January 24, 2012 Catalyst Honors Initiatives at Sodexo and Commonwealth Bank of Australia with the 2012 Catalyst Award.

2011

� November 17, 2011 Sodexo Executive Dr. Rohini Anand Honored with Mosaic Woman Leadership Award.

� November 11, 2011 Sodexo Recognized for Fourth Consecutive Year as a Top Military Friendly Employer.

� July 18, 2011 Black Enterprise Names Sodexo One of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity for Fourth Consecutive Year.

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� July 14, 2011 Sodexo’s Reg Gilliam Honored by Washington Government Relations Group with President’s Award for Leadership & Excellence

� May 31, 2011 Working Mother Magazine Names Sodexo to 2011 Best Companies for Multicultural Women for Third Consecutive Year.

� April 15, 2011 Sodexo Again Recognized as Best Place to Work for Hourly Workers by Working Mother Magazine.

� March 15, 2011 Sodexo Named as One of Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by National Association for Female Executives.

� March 4, 2011 Sodexo Ranked Among Top Two Companies for Diversity and Inclusion.

2010

� December 14, 2010 Sodexo at Nicholls State University Recognized by Louisiana Governor’s Office. November 10, 2010 Sodexo Recognized for Third Consecutive Year as a Top Military-Friendly Employer.

� September 16, 2010 Sodexo COO and Education Market President Wins Award for Mentoring Women.

� September 10, 2010 Sodexo Named Among 2010 Best Companies for Asian Pacific Americans.

� June 29, 2010 Sodexo Again Named One of 40 Best Companies for Diversity by Black Enterprise Magazine.

� May 25, 2010 Sodexo Named a Best Company for Multicultural Women.

� April 19, 2010 Sodexo Named 2010 Straight for Equality in Business Award Winner.

� April 14, 2010 National Restaurant Association Honors Sodexo with Faces of Diversity Award.

� April 13, 2010 Sodexo Named One of America’s Best Companies for Hourly Workers.

� March 10, 2010 Sodexo Ranked Number One Company for Diversity.

� January 12, 2010 Sodexo Tops 2009 HACR List of Most Inclusive Companies for Hispanics.

2009

� November 11, 2009 Sodexo Recognized as Top Military-Friendly Employer

� November 7, 2009 Sodexo Wins Workforce Management 2009 Optimas Award.

� November 3, 2009 Sodexo Lauded as Top Company for Executive Development.

� October 14, 2009 Sodexo Receives 2009 Diversity Grand Prize for Global Diversity Policy.

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� October 2, 2009 Sodexo’s Tracy Kelly Receives Leadership Award from the Society for Foodservice Management at its 30th National Conference.

� September 22, 2009 Sodexo Named to Hispanic Business Magazine’s List of Top 60 Diversity Elite Companies.

� September 14, 2009 For Third Consecutive Year, Sodexo Receives Perfect Score on Corporate Equality Index.

� August 24, 2009 Sodexo Named a 2009 Top 50 Company by LATINA Style Magazine.

� June 26, 2009 Sodexo Featured as a Top Company for Diversity in Black Enterprise Magazine.

� May 29, 2009 Sodexo Named a “Best Company” for Multicultural Women by Working Mother Magazine. May 15, 2009 Sodexo Receives 2009 Disability Matters Award.

� May 12, 2009 Sodexo Ranks in Top Ten of Companies for People with Disabilities.

� May 7, 2009 Girls Inc. Honors Sodexo President for Empowering Big Dreams.

� April 29, 2009 Sodexo Named One of the 2009 Top Ten Employers for LGBT Workers.

� April 15, 2009 Sodexo Executive Receives National Restaurant Association Honor.

� April 7, 2009 Sodexo Named as One of the Top Three Companies for African Americans on 2009 Top Ten Companies List.

� March 23, 2009 Sodexo Among Top Three Companies for Recruiting and Retention on 2009 Top Ten Companies List.

� March 13, 2009 Sodexo Ranks 6th of the 2009 Top 50 Companies for Diversity.

� March 12, 2009 Sodexo Executive Wins Prestigious International Award.

� March 5, 2009 Sodexo Diversity Officer to Accept 2009 Trailblazer Award from Women’s Foodservice Forum.

� February 16, 2009 Sodexo Chosen as a 2009 Top 100 Employer by the Black Collegian Magazine.

Employee Development The primary asset of a Quality of Life Services company like Sodexo is its 125,000 employees. It is they

who invent, design and deliver our services on a daily basis to over 15 million consumers to improve their

Quality of Life each day.

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The success of Sodexo – and its clients – depends on the expertise and commitment of Sodexo’s

employees. Sodexo therefore invests in its primary asset – its people.

2012

� November 14, 2012 Sodexo’s Mobile Recruitment Strategy Recognized with Multiple Awards.

2011

� December 19, 2011 Sodexo Wins Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards.

� December 7, 2011 Sodexo Receives 2011 Optimas Award for Innovation and the 2011 OnRec Award

for Excellence in Inclusion Recruiting.

� May 16, 2011 Recognized for Innovation – Sodexo Education Summer Training Earns Virtual Event

Excellence Award.

� April 5, 2011 Sodexo Earns Melcrum Award for Best Strategy for Engaging Hard-To-Reach.

Employees March 2, 2011 Sodexo University Receives ASTD Excellence in Practice Award for

Training Program.

2010

� March 26, 2010 Sodexo Named Recruiting Department of the Year by ERE.

� February 25, 2010 Sodexo Education Market Wins Award for Virtual Training Program.

2009

� December 2, 2009 Sodexo Earns SNCR Excellence Award for Innovative Use of Social Media.

� September 17, 2009 Sodexo Named a 2009 Top 100 Intern Employer by CollegeGrad.com.

� February 4, 2009 Sodexo Named One of the 20 Best Places to Work for Recent Grads by Career

Services Organization Experience, Inc.

Local Communities

Sodexo supports local community development everywhere that it operates by creating long-term

employment, improving the employability of local populations, supporting responsible and local

43

purchasing, and committing to the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the local communities where

we operate. This also means protecting the environment by providing sustainable solutions for our clients

and future generations.

2013

� January 30, 2013 Sodexo Recognized at World Economic Forum in Davos for its Corporate Sustainability Practices.

2012

� October 31, 2012 Sodexo Globally Recognized by Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for Eighth

Consecutive Year.

� June 4, 2012 Sodexo Congratulates Campuses Named to The Princeton Review’s 2012 Guide to 322

Green Colleges.

� February 22, 2012 Sodexo Earns Distinction on 12th Annual List of Pros to Know Published by

Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine.

2011

� August 23, 2011 Sodexo Supply Management Earns World-Class Distinction.

� April 12, 2011 Sodexo and Kent Denver School Unveil First LEED Platinum Dining Facility

Worldwide.

2010

� February 23, 2010 Sodexo’s Sustainable Development Commitment Recognized Again in

Sustainability Yearbook.

� March 22, 2010 EPA Recognizes Sodexo for Environmental Leadership; Company Adopts ENERGY

STAR to Help Hospitals Reduce Environmental Impact.

� March 22, 2010 Sodexo Named One of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for Second Consecutive

Year.

� May 27, 2010 Sodexo-Operated Conference Center Wins National Award for Sustainability.

� June 4, 2010 Sodexo Helps Clients Earn Sustainability Distinction.

� July 19, 2010 Sodexo Laundry Services Technology Recognized by CIO Magazine as One of the CIO

100 Award Honorees.

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� August 5, 2010 Sodexo Foundation Honored at 10th Anniversary Dinner for Philabundance

Community Kitchen.

� September 16, 2010 Sodexo Commitment to Combining Economic and Corporate Citizenship

Performance Recognized Again.

� September 20, 2010 Sodexo Celebrates LEED-EB Platinum and ENERGY STAR Certification of its

North American Corporate Headquarters.

� October 14, 2010 Sodexo Mexico Earns Social Responsibility Award for Sixth Consecutive Year.

� November 18, 2010 Sodexo Receives the First Annual President’s Award from Bread for the World

and Alliance to End Hunger.

� December 3, 2010 Sodexo Dining Services at Loyola Marymount Earns A on Green Report Card

2011 by Sustainable Endowments Institute.

2009

� October 14, 2009 Sodexo Earns S.C. Government Kudos for Sourcing Locally.

� September 16, 2009 Sodexo Recognized Again for Commitment to Balancing Economic and Citizenship Performance.

� September 14, 2009 Sodexo Campus Clients Earn Green Recognition.

� April 27, 2009 Sodexo Named One of World’s Top 50 Green Outsourcing Suppliers.

� April 15, 2009 Sodexo Named One of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies”.

� March 23, 2009 Sodexo Recognized as Cornerstone of Maryland Communities and Economy.

45

DRAWBACKS:

Although conclusive evidence extracted from the above research suggests that through memes or memetic

methodology one can actually forecast or predict the policies or the actual path taken by an organization

or determine a certain outcome suggesting that memetic profiling can be considered a vital tool for

marketing, it does not provide conclusive evidence as to whether it is, in reality, used in order to spread or

portray the ideas with which the company is striving or going along with.

It’s only fair to point out that memetics (which has been around for a few years) is not yet widely

accepted as a theoretical explanation of why ideas spread.

On the face of it, it does seem like huge Darwinian hubris to assume that the laws of biology explain why

ideas spread. All Dawkins actually suggested (in The Selfish Gene) was that there might be a parallel

between natural selection in the biological world and the spread of ideas in the cultural one - not that

natural selection could substitute for cognitive and social psychology, human ecology and history.

xxvBoth Stephen Pinker (1997) and Alistair Mc Grath (2005) argue that it requires a huge leap of the

imagination (What’s wrong with that?) to take a fundamentally biological theory and apply it to the

spread of ideas and the development of cultures, and that Darwinism is really quite poorly adapted for the

purpose.

There is actually no evidence that memes exist…

Dawkins himself admits (In his preface to Blackmore’s Meme Machine 1999) that “we don’t know what

memes are made of, or where they reside. Memes have not yet found their Watson and Crick, (they)

presumably exist in brains and we have even less chance of seeing one than seeing a gene.”

And, it is not truly scientific...

What is the mechanism by which memes are transmitted? How does a meme cause memetic effect? How

could we ever set up experiments to identify and establish the structure of memes let alone their effects?

Can Memetics meet Karl Popper’s criterion for a science: that it should produce hypotheses that can be

disproven? Does the meme concept count as a validly disprovable scientific theory? Probably not, so

memetics thus remains a science in its infancy, a pro-science to proponents, or a pseudoscience to its

detractors.

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MEMES DO MATTER:

Memes are ideas and ideas eventually determine the financial outcome and growth of an organization. So,

memes should not be taken lightly or go on to suggest that memes do not matter. Authors like Gerald

Zaltman provides input suggesting that memes do matter. He, offers the following theory when faced

with an unlikely or unfamiliar proposition:

“Suspend your judgment to avoid prematurely dismissing an idea; instead, ask yourself, “If this idea was

true, would it change how I think or what I do?”

Aaron Lynch’s (1996) xxviprovides a different yet profound justification of the memetic approach:

“(Memetics) takes the much explored question of how people acquire ideas and turns it on its head: the

new approach often asks how ideas acquire people. “

Now, if we combine the two theories, a number of interesting thoughts and possibilities may emerge:

• That ideas may exist independently of the people who spread them (although people may modify them)

• That contagion occurs through ideas recruiting (i.e. attracting) people (although it is people who come

up with the ideas)

• That we don’t follow/copy each other. We actually follow/ copy the idea

• So while it looks like it’s the people doing the work, it’s really the idea that is doing it.

Other APPROACHES: xxvii

For an idea to become contagious, it surely needs to spark a social response in addition to the individual

emotional one. To understand (and indeed to measure) this, we need to move the focus away from

individual (rational) response towards considering the social and cultural impact that ideas have. And to

do this we need to draw on a range of disciplines:

• Memetics encourages us to focus on how ideas engage and recruit people: on what makes them

contagious and how they by-pass of our conscious rational response.

• Cognitive Neuroscience tells us that the consumer’s emotional, unconscious mind is just as important

as their conscious rational self. And that our own (verbal, rationalized) explanations of why we like

something are often misleading.

• Social neuroscience suggests that our brain has developed in response to the complex societies in which

it has to operate - and that individuals have developed a capacity to empathize and to assess the

attractiveness of an idea to others.

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CONCLUSION:

The two particular cases (Memetic profiling based on Phoenix and Sodexo), offer comparable datasets,

and lends to a conclusion all too tempting to make – that in fact Memetical Science in all its subjective

forms and imagined pursuits, posses ‘Influencing Affects’ – burying themselves through the hole in our

sub-conscious minds, imposing us towards unknowingly making choices that were designed by others.

That is the magic of marketing the ‘Bottom Line’.

Having examined the drawbacks, one may conclude that memetics are not full-proof and lack evidential

backing to it. It is a theory in principle and is in reality - more psychological rather than substantial which

makes it harder to assume that it actually works, even though the research conducted is conclusive with

facts.

Phoenix case provides information suggesting that memes are in fact a strong tool; Enough evidence is

shown in the case suggesting that the memes and the meta memes are replicated positively and are giving

out a positive financial outcome for the Apollo group.

The research done and data collected on Sodexo group, provides concrete information that the CEO, Mr.

Landel had vision and planned out in the initial stages; By successfully spreading his vision, on a regular

basis, in order to create an idea in the potential clienteles’ minds and also in the interested candidates

alike to work in this organization, has worked out in favor of the Sodexo group. The evidence is quite

clear. ‘World leader in Quality of Life services’, a meme in itself, provides a clear pathway or plans as to

which way the Sodexo group is heading. And backed up by activities and the framework it is quite clear

that Memetics have had a positive effect on the group.

Like the Apollo group, Sodexo CEO made sure to plant that meme which has led to a positive growth in

its business. Earning billions in revenue, increasing and maintaining the standard of living, ensuring a

healthy environment and also maintaining the philosophy he set out right from the initial stages.

The example provided by O’Gorman regarding the Phoenix case and after personally doing the research

on Sodexo group, that after carefully examining the facts and patterns drawn out form the case the

information gathered provides evidence and to some extent factual evidence that memetics methodology

holds ground and can be used as a tool for integrating the plans in an organization into effect, when

marketers use the method. Even though , many have concluded stating memetic science as a theoretical

science and in practicality not a viable option, we should consider following memetics and integrate its

techniques while creating a marketing plan or shaping the plans at the initial stages of the commencement

of an organization.

… Because, after all, an idea has the power to create or devour, so why not plant the right

one…

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E- REFERENCES:

i http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/selfishgene-dowkins.pdf

ii http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit8/papers/Pierson_David.pdf

iii http://www.risk-doctor.com/pdf-files/TRN02.pdf

iv http://www.metaphorixuk.com/docs/Contagion%20PaperARF%20FINAL%20inc%20Figs.pdf

v http://www.sodexo.com/en/corporate-responsibility/business-commitments/human-rights.aspx

vi http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=327974&ticker=SDXAY

vii http://www.sodexo.com/en/corporate-responsibility/diversity-inclusion/priorities/lgbt.aspx

viii http://www.scip.org/files/JCIM/3.2_ogorman.pdf

ix http://www.sodexo.com/en/default.aspx

x http://www.sodexo.com/en/default.aspx

xi http://uds.uvm.edu/documents/CEOsWhoGetit.pdf

xii http://uds.uvm.edu/documents/CEOsWhoGetit.pdf

xiii http://uds.uvm.edu/documents/CEOsWhoGetit.pdf

xiv http://onlinereportsfy2012.sodexo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/RA_EN_ML.pdf

xv http://za.sodexo.com/saen/Images/A%20Solid%20Performance%20in%20Fiscal%202013.txt_tcm50-746737.pdf

xvi http://za.sodexo.com/saen/Images/A%20Solid%20Performance%20in%20Fiscal%202013.txt_tcm50-746737.pdf

xvii http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xviii http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xix http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xx http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xxi http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xxii http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

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xxiii

http://fiscal2013.sodexo.com/key-figures-recognitions/#we-are-business-integrity

xxiv http://www.sodexo.com/en/group/awards/recognitions.aspx

xxv http://www.metaphorixuk.com/docs/Contagion%20PaperARF%20FINAL%20inc%20Figs.pdf

xxvi http://www.metaphorixuk.com/docs/Contagion%20PaperARF%20FINAL%20inc%20Figs.pdf

xxvii http://www.metaphorixuk.com/docs/Contagion%20PaperARF%20FINAL%20inc%20Figs.pdf