Johnson & Johnson was established in 1886 and deals in a wide variety of household products. It has its headquarters in New Jersey in the USA with numerous branches all over the world. Barron’s magazine has ranked Johnson as one of the most respected companies among other credentials and recognitions that it holds. The company was founded by Robert Wood Johnson with the main purpose of producing surgical materials and antiseptics. Johnson worked hand in hand with his two brothers, and together, they agreed to venture into products that would improve on sanitation. Robert Johnson became the first president of the company, and the company officially started its operations in the year 1887. In the year 1920, the company diversified from mainly manufacturing surgical products and started to manufacture consumer products.
The name Johnson became a familiar trademark among mothers who preferred the products for their household needs. The company has continually been trusted for its quality products that are used in health care institutions. In order to keep up with the current trends and to ensure that its trademark is trusted, the company is adapting to the new environmental changes. With the current need to preserve the environment, the company has adopted environmentally friendly measures. The company has observed a reduction in the amount of water being used, less energy consumption and being transparent in its business undertakings. It is for this and more reasons that it was ranked third in United States companies in the green ranking.
The company has also experienced substantial growth in the use of the internet as a means of communication. During the early years when the internet was being launched, the company was at the forefront and utilised the media to increase its sales. It registered a large number of domains between 1996 and 2000. The total domains for the company are 29, 925 which are far more than those owned by technological companies. This has enabled the company to market its products far and also familiarise its customers with the developments being done by the company. Technology has been a feature that has continued to grow with the company as it adapts more sophisticated procedures that enable its customers to make their purchases online.
The company uses the Red Cross symbol after obtaining legal permission from the United States government. This was a great achievement for the company as it was trusted enough in producing health care products. It was also after being granted such permission that the symbol was patented to protect it from misuse by unauthorised individuals. The company was allowed to use the symbol on its products except using it on aircraft and transportation vessels. This was done to ensure that the same is not confused with the ones mostly used by the military that mostly used it on transportation vehicles. There was a problem that arose when the American Red Cross society used the symbol on the products that were distributed to the public for use. The American Red Cross society is mainly a charitable organisation, and the use of the symbol causes a lot of wrangles with Johnson. The company thereafter filed a suit against the company but later, on the court ruled that the symbol could be used by the two organisations.
The company adopts the use of properly researched chemicals to ensure that its products are safe for use. The compounds that are used in the products are tested considering the areas where they will be distributed. This is done to ensure that they do not cause skin problems and other side effects to the users. In countries where the products are supplied, environmental analysis is usually carried out to ensure that the contents are compatible with the needs of the people in that country. There was a case in China where the mothers complained of some components that were used in baby products. Some of the children that used the products developed allergies due to excess chemicals that were used. In defence, the company stated that the excess may have been caused by the production process and was not intentional. The complaint was recorded in the shampoo that was used on babies, but the problem was later solved. Apart from the few issues that have been recorded by the company, it continues to be trusted for its products as it retains most of its loyal customers. It has also maintained its line of production in household goods and health products.
Citibank, on the other hand, is a retail consumer banking which is situated in the United States. It carries out its operations in other hundred countries worldwide. The Genesis of the bank was in the year eighteen twelve. It is the fourth largest bank in the USA, with over half of its branches located in the country. The bank offers a variety of banking services to its clients. Among them are insurance and investment services. Apart from personally meetings its clients and providing them with the necessary services, the company also deals in online services. Its customers can basically carry out their transactions online. This has enabled the bank to diversify its activities on the international market and thus making it have a technological advantage. The bank was greatly affected by the global financial crisis that hit the world between 2008 and 2009. It was bailed out by the US government considering the agreement that was entered into by the company.
The company believes in growth and expansion, which is a principle it has adopted over the years. Apart from simply increasing the number of branches that it owns, the company is also involved in procedures that are aimed at improving the services that it provides to its clients. The expansions mainly started in the United States, where branches were established in major cities of the country. Due to increased demands in other countries, the company also established such branches in other countries. Since its establishment, the bank has entered into several mergers and acquisitions. Among such acquisitions are the California federal bank in 2002 and the first American bank of Bryan in 2004. The bank has been credited for its services and subsequently awarded; for instance, in 2008, it was crowned deal of the year at the 2008 ALB Japan law awards.
The new stadium for the New York Stadium was co-sponsored by the bank. It was officially opened in 2009 and was called Citi field. Considering the losses that were experienced by the company from the subprime mortgage in the US, the company employed recovery strategies. Apart from the bailout that was assisted by the government, the company cut down on the number of employees and also relocated some of them. This was done as an immediate solution to ensure that the company does not accumulate more losses that would tamper with its operations. The company had to change its top management to bring a change to the activities of the company. In the board meeting that was called in 2007, it was agreed that the company would reduce its lending capacities on subprime, which was mainly responsible for the losses that were recorded by the company. The surge in the real estate that was experienced between 2002 and 2007 made the company incur a lot of losses. It hence needed an individual that would help them through. Robert Rubin, who was the former secretary of the treasury in the United States, was appointed to be the CEO of the company to help it out of the problem.
The Johnson & Johnson and Citybank companies both deal in different lines of services. There are certain similarities that have been observed in the organisations in the way they carry mouth their operations. One of the similarities is that they have both embraced the need to grow and expand. They were both established in the United States in only one city. They discovered that they needed to expand their operations in other cities of the United States and also all over the world. As their products continue to gain international recognition, there was a need for them to go further to ensure that all their customers have been reached. The expansion of both organisations began in the United States and then spread to other countries.
The other similarity between the two organisations is the integration of modern technology in their operations. Both companies were established in years when technology had not grown at such a level. As they saw the need of integrating such technology, they also integrated them into their operations to enhance the services that were administered to their clients. The two corporations have also been faced with certain challenges that made them seek legal addresses.
There are also certain differences in the companies; the first one is the kind of services that they deal in. Johnson & Johnson deals in household and health care products while Citibank deals in banking services. This major difference hence makes them carry out their operations differently. The issues that are faced by Johnson & Johnson are different from those being faced by Citibank. While Johnson was accused of including dangerous chemicals in their products that caused allergies to the children in China, Citibank faced issues of using the money of their clients to repay their debts. Johnson being a company that deals in manufacturing processes, it was possible for it to adapt to the green phenomena by reducing the amount of energy and water being used in its production process. On the other hand, it is probably impossible for Citibank to adapt to the green phenomena considering the kind of services that it is involved in.
There is also a difference in the credentials that the two organisations have received. This is basically because of the services that they provide to the people and the response that they receive from the organisations and groups offering their rewards. They also have different strategies that they employed to solve their crisis. Some crises may involve relocating and firing employees, while others involve the intervention of the courts.
