Month: December 2010

This article talks about how Chinese Gymnasts may be participating in ambush marketing at the Asian Games. The gymnasts repeatedly made hand gestures to mimic the logo of their sponsor Li Ning.

Ambush marketing is a serious issue because many companies pay big money for sponsorship rights at sporting events. It raises a question of ethics if other companies find ways to avoid paying for sponsorship rights at the event, however still have their product be in the limelight.

The Olympic Council of Asia has now begun an investigation to decide if what the gymnasts are doing is ambush marketing.

Market research looks at the past and present in order to help make future decisions. Check out this Market Research Report for Green Consumers in Europe. The report looks into European consumers and their focus on being environmentally friendly in order to determine how they should be developing future products.

Look at this article for more about market research and why it’s important.

This video talks about how MIT’s Sloan School of Business, Ely Dahan would improve market research.

This article talks about how consumer spending has increased; however unemployment rates still remain high. This is due to consumer behaviour. The behaviour of consumers is affected by their culture as well as social and personal factors. Since it is approaching Christmas time, it makes sense that spending has increased. Consumers aren’t as concerned with their income because they are motivated by other factors.

Check out this article to see what James Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management forecasts for household debt and growth of the economy in the US.

http://www.freethechildren.com/aboutus/history.php

Craig Kielburger encompasses exactly what a social entrepreneur is. In 1995, when Craig was 12 years old, he recognized that child labour was a global issue when he read the story of Iqbal Masih in the newspaper. He used entrepreneurial principles to make a social change. His social mission is to free children from poverty and exploitation. In order to help achieve his social mission, Craig and a few other people started a social enterprise “Me to We.” Half of Me to We’s profits go to Free the Children.

Social enterprises are so important because they have many societal and economic impacts. In the past year Me to We has donated more than $1 million to Free the Children, planted 80 000 trees to help the environment, and has impacted 550 000 young people by their message, books and leadership programs.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69D5N720101014

This article talks about how Google shares have increased by 9 percent.  Investors were originally worried that Google had been spending money “recklessly” on things like Android mobile software and renewable energy projects.  They didn’t know what the returns would be however Google’s revenue significantly increased.

Investors had the right to be concerned because the returns were uncertain; however since Google took a risk, it resulted in higher returns. In the past, Google has primarily relied on online advertising to generate revenue.  Check out this article article from 2008. It shows how Google was losing stock value and talks about how Google needs to find a new way to generate revenue.