Month: September 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/business/14mott.html?_r=1

Amidst a general slowdown in economic activity, Dr Pepper Snapple has garnered much profit last year, at a record of $555 million. On May 23, workers of Mott’s, one of the many companies that Dr Pepper Snapple markets, were on strike against a $1.50-an-hour pay cut and freezing of pensions. The basis upon which the decision of aggressive cuts is made is questionable. Despite recording stellar growth, profits and executive compensations, the company believes its workers were overpaid. But according to iuf.org ( http://cms.iuf.org/?q=node/414), “…their pay is in line with the average wage in their industry and geography.” The demands of the company were unethical. In the words of Milton Friedman, “[corporate executive] has direct re­sponsibility to his employers. That responsi­bility is to conduct the business in accordance with their desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible while con­forming to the basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.” Corporate executives of Dr Pepper Snapple have not adhered to their social responsibility. While CEO Larry Young claims that the company’s actions are in the best interests of all stakeholders, the fact of the matter is that workers are being exploited. After a 16-week strike, luckily, a settlement has been reached on Monday, September 13^th.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20100920&id=12066970

In the words of a rising Canadian artist Drake, “Point the biggest skeptic out, I’ll make him a believer.”  These lyrics epitomize Apple and its confidence in its relatively new product, iPad. Despite technical gurus and media pundits deeming the iPad as nothing more than an oversized iPhone, the product proves that there is much more than meets the eye. Given that the iPad will most likely not replace netbooks or desktop in the business world, it is still a unique, revolutionary gadget transcending the limits of preceding tablet computers (i.e. Windows Tablet XP edition). With three million units sold 80 days since its initial release, Apple has exemplified good marketing – leading with benefits and supporting with features. The iPad provides convenience and mobility. “The iPad isn’t too heavy if I support it on a bag when standing,” says columnist Peter Svensson of Associated Press as he recalls using it to read literature while taking the busy New York subway. Because of its touch interface, the product is easy to use and saves space since it does not require a keyboard or mouse. While HP and Windows are complicating the experience, Apple is going against the grain to simplify it. Just as iPods have slowly rendered CD’s and CD players less popular, iPads are replacing printouts, newspaper, magazine and books. Currently, Amazon.com Inc’s Kindle e-reader is the only respectable competitor, allowing its users to download books wirelessly and being more readable in bright light compared to the iPad. Sadly, Kindle e-reader is not as versatile, serving the sole purpose of displaying literature for users to read. Its touch screen technology is not as sensitive and, most importantly, it cannot scroll or zoom, doing itself a disservice as such feature is useful when reading fine print. iPad does not only possess the aforementioned features that Kindle e-reader lack but gives users the freedom to purchase and read Kindle books. Capitalizing on the hype generated from the iPhone, it is no wonder Apple continues to garner more success becoming ubiquitous.