P.C.’s blog, “VW’s Struggles on the Road to World Domination” in The Economist on October 14^th explores Volkswagen’s attempt to dominate in the car industry.  The blog post addresses the announcement of Volkswagen and Suzuki’s partnership in 2009 that has made little to no progress.  However,  as P.C. outlines, there is an increasing demand for Volkswagen vehicles as they are targeted to young adults.

I believe a partnership between Volkswagen and Suzuki is unique.  For example, Volkswagen is a German brand and Suzuki is a Japanese brand.  Volkswagen and Suzuki are also both culturally different; hence, the point of differentiations for their vehicles are dissimilar.  Many consumers view German cars as being high-quality and are well-engineered; whereas, consumers view Japanese cars as being efficient and reliable.  In the future, the idea of having cars that possesses both German and Japanese qualities is quite enticing to many consumers.

Take a look at this Volkswagen commercial: Volkswagen Commercial

I find Nicole’s November 6^th post on HMV’s announcement of closing of its Robson store very interesting.  Being a resident near Vancouver, personally, one of the main features that the Robson HMV has that stands out for me is its size.  With a store so large in size, it makes me wonder to how many products have to be sold in order to pay off its expenses?  In her blog post, Nicole has addressed the issue of a shifting trend, where consumers are relying more on online music and video streaming.  Advancements in technology have threatened DVD and CD retail companies, such as HMV.   The blog post has provided me with the insight to really how fast technology and trends are changing in society.

With similar companies, such as Rogers Video which has closed down stores (Richmond News) and Blockbuster which has already gone bankrupt, I believe it’s time for HMV to start initiating new services to keep up with social trends.

Picture credits

Relating back to class 20’s topic of social entrepreneurship, I immediately thought of a charity I read about last year.  This Vancouver-based charity, the “Cinderella Project” is an organization that is entirely run by volunteers and is funded through donations and sponsorships.  Its goal is to encourage youths to stay in school.  The Cinderella Project created a program called “Boutique Day” where it provides students from lower-income or less fortunate families with special event attires for their graduation.  Not only are these students given the opportunity to experience their graduation, but the Cinderella Project also helps boost their self-esteem, despite their financial background.

I believe the Cinderella Project is an excellent example of social entrepreneurship.  Although it is a local program, the motivation and concept behind its project is very meaningful.  It is stated in its website that “Nearly half of all Cinderellas and Cinderfellas are chronically ill or physically or developmentally disabled” (http://thecinderellaproject.com/about.htm); hence, the project not only creates diversity, but it also provides youths with opportunities.

Click here to find out more about this amazing project.

The classical definition of entrepreneurship is typically a person who starts his/her own business.  When it comes to entrepreneurship, the company I think of immediately is Apple.  Steve Jobs, one of the co-founders of Apple, has perhaps created one of the most influential brand that revolutionized technology.

After reading the Class 19 preparation, I concluded that Apple is an excellent example of  an existing entrepreneurial company that focuses on most, if not all of the important entrepreneurial qualities.  Apple is proven a successful brand through its increasing “amount and speed of wealth“.

Most importantly, Apple possess the entrepreneurial quality of innovation.  With constant development of innovative products such as iPad and iPhone, Apple’s main advantage over its competitors is its devotion to innovation; hence, Apple is definitely one of the best modern-day example of entrepreneurship.

Picture credits

Priscilla Wito outlines a very interesting point in her post in her blog entry “BlackBerry Goes Black for 3 Days”.  She questions the creditability of companies when they release information about costs and expenses into the public.  This introduces the interesting question, why do companies lie?  Perhaps companies lie to maintain a reputable brand image?  Or perhaps companies lie to appear to be more consumer-friendly?

The reason why companies lie has also been a topic addressed in Jerry Schuitema’s economics blog.  Schuitema explains that a company may have mission statements that “reflect benevolent intent”, however, if “The company whose actions don’t bear out its statements of purpose is telling a lie” (http://schuitema.blogspot.com/2011/09/are-companies-lying.html).

Both Priscilla Wito and Jerry Schuitema’s blogs similarly explore the ideas of companies’ reliability.  This makes me question if I, as a consumer, can trust the information companies publicizes into the media?  This also makes me curious to how many companies I make purchases from are lying?  I believe companies are very powerful and it is difficult for consumers to expose the truth.  For consumers, the question is no longer why companies lie; the real question is which companies can be trusted?