Ben Cummings' Blog

The Arc Initiative is an organization that goes to impoverished countries and provides business and entrepreneurial skills, which will eventually lead to long-term economic betterment for these local communities. In the class 20 prep, the question posed is ““If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or social enterprise?”

Although the United Nations provides funding and with full funding, they could make extreme changes to the finances of small countries, they do not provide skills for the future. As for social entrepreneurship and the arc initiative, rather than simply providing money, they provide the skills needed for growth within the country and for long-term economic success. It is like handing a teenager a million dollars, or giving him the resources needed to go to university, obtain a post secondary education and gain the skills needed to make a million dollars. Social entrepreneurs simply view the world in a different way than most; they see a solution where most see a problem. They go beyond what money could do, they provide life-changers such as education, housing, and clean water.

The difference between Social Entrepreneurs such as Dorothy Stoneman and the United Nations is that Social Entrepreneurs make these changes in the world because they feel like they should and they want to. United Nations provides impoverished countries with finances simply because it is a business dedicated to that, not because from the bottom of their heart they feel that a place needs help.

Teammate and friend Nick Haggerty in Ethiopia this past summer as part of The Arc Initiative

In this blog by former NFL player Jeff Nixon, he defines the sad reality of careers in professional football. The well-known acronym NFL means something other than National Football League to players, it means “Not for long”. To most aspiring football players, this may sound like a life changer as their career plan was to be a “Pro football player” However, to many athletes such as myself, this is the reality and many decisions are made due to this matter.

For a highly recruited football player to choose the University of British Columbia may seem unnatural, as UBC is not known for its football program. Yet most people don’t take into consideration the importance of getting a good education while playing the game you love. Personally, choosing UBC to “play football” after high school allowed me to attend Sauder and get a degree from one of the top 50 universities in the world. At many camps and combines I attended, football experts and NFL and CFL alumni continually exaggerated the point of using football to get an education. I chose UBC so I can begin my business career while pursuing my pro football dreams, so I don’t have to experience the devastation faced when football ends and your sitting there thinking… What next?

Pictures: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130130180737-jones-football-injury-story-top.jpg

http://rlv.zcache.com/not_for_long_nfl_bumper_sticker-r660335b573324ec0a11fe413b92ab1c4_v9wht_8byvr_512.jpg

As mentioned in Adam Sanders blog post, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that Starbucks will be offering a delivery service starting in 2015. To avid Starbucks drinkers, this may sound like a joke, as Starbucks is a high-end, welcoming, business oriented coffee shop. However, to businesses with employees, this may sound great as the employees could all put in delivery orders for drinks.

In my opinion, this is only getting Starbucks farther away from its original business model. Starbucks needs to focus on being a “Coffee shop” rather than a fast food restaurant. In 2013, when Starbucks introduced a large amount of drive thru’s, I feel that they took a big risk. Most coffee drinkers who want a quick coffee at a low price will choose Tim Horton’s over Starbucks. The espresso crowd will gladly park, do business on their mobile device while waiting in line, appreciate some friendly interaction with the “barista” and do some networking with other patrons customers waiting for their special order. As mentioned, Starbucks wants to be the third place between home and work, which coincides with the original business model of a welcoming environment, personal relationships, and customizable drinks. However, with drive thru’s and delivery services, Starbucks may begin to fall into the fast food category and may never regain the elite coffee shop status that they once were.

References

Starbucks’ new delivery system – more than just a new service

With a net-worth of 520 million dollars, you would think Shawn “Jay Z” Carter’s business endeavours were over. However, this past week, Carter purchased world-renowned champagne brand, Armand de Brignac, which is better known as “Ace of Spades”. Specifically, Carter purchased the interest of the company owned by the Sovereign Brand. Details regarding the sale are still unknown but “after submitting an offer a Sovereign spokeswoman said, “we simply couldn’t refuse.”” Carter acquired the company.

In class 2: Marketing Meets Accounting, we investigated the Nike “LeBron” brand where Nike raised their prices significantly due to LeBron James’ presence in the product. This works the same way for the Sovereign brand and Jay Z. Although the wholesale price for a single bottle of Ace of Spades is $225, they can now raise the price even higher, as the brand is owned by one of the wealthiest people in North America. The influence of a celebrity on a product is enormous and will increase revenue greatly for the company and the individual. This creates not only a well-known face for the Ace of Spades brand but also very influential celebrity to back the brand. Also, if possible, this increases Jay Z’s image, as he owns a part of one of the most expensive alcoholic beverages in the USA.

Show Me What You Got Lyrics – Jay Z: http://rap.genius.com/Jay-z-show-me-what-you-got-lyrics#note-32390

Picture: http://media.meltyfood.fr/article-1769648-ajust_930-f1379499409/beyonce-et-jay-z-roulent-pour-l-ace-of-spades.jpg

“It’s something that we will, and are, working on closely with our restaurant owners to understand what actions may be necessary,” Tim Hortons CFO Cynthia Devine said when asked about the rising price of Arabica beans.

Tim hortons coffee drinkers better prepare for an increase in their coffee budget. In this upcoming year, Tim hortons is reviewing the prices of the coffee and taking into consideration the increase in the price of Arabica beans. Tim Hortons executives are going to continue to investigate the situation and find the best possible price increase or solution to this problem. Arabica bean pricing is increasing rapidly and other coffee makers and restaurants are making the leap in preparation for the upcoming budget change.

Tim Hortons will face a lot of challenges throughout this upcoming cost increase. In my opinion, Tim Hortons should stay true to themselves. The cost increase impact should be minimized and they should only increase prices enough to get back to their target profit as a company. If they increase prices and start to diversify from their original business model, Tim Hortons will be compared and evaluated at the same price range and status as Starbucks

Picture: http://www4.timhortons.com/ca/images/general/tim-hortons-takeout-cup.jpg

Omar Dhanani’s blog post on Adam Sandler’s deal with Netflix outlines the hopes of Netflix’s new endeavour, producing movies. This new business proposition turns Netflix into not only a movie provider, but also a movie producer. It takes a lot to make a good quality movie that will make a high profit; this means that the first movie Netflix produces must be a very well done, high quality film, to attract customers.

In the first four movies, Netflix will need their new star to pay off and bring a whole new fan base to the movies. If the films go well but Adam Sandler doesn’t really create a fan base, Netflix will know that their latest signing was a waste of money. Adam Sandler gives Netflix a great option as Sandler can serve as the main character in most genres of movies, but will most likely stick to the original comedy. He also provides a brand of new movies; the new Netflix films can be branded with Sandler’s fame, attracting a large group of movie watchers. Lastly, this opportunity gives Adam Sandler to begin to grow himself as a business person rather than just a voice and an actor. In my opinion, Adam Sandler and Netflix create a great business model
that should encounter a lot of success.

Picture: http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/542d53926bb3f7e2497c71de-1118-692/adam-sandler-netflix.png

Christy Clark has a big decision to make, do ethical environmental decisions take precedent over economic prosperity? In this article regarding a new tribal park near Chilcotin, BC, and a $1.1 billion New Prosperity copper-gold project, Premier Christy Clark is faced with the decision of what to put first, BC’s economy or the ancestral heritage of the Tsilhqot’in tribe.

Full protection status is a designation that the Tsilhqot’in are looking for in the tribal park. As said in the article, it is felt that that it is the only way to protect this rich landscape. Through Taseko’s key activities, the project would’ve had negative affects on Fish Lake and the surrounding ecosystem. However, the opening of this billion-dollar mine would create many jobs for unemployed workers in BC and creates a huge increase in tax revenue for the government.

In my opinion, Premier Christy Clark should honour the history and traditions of the Tsilhqot’in tribe and grant them this tribal park. Doing this will allow Taseko to present the mining idea to the tribe. The Tsilhqot’in will deny Taseko access, which they are able to do with this heritage land. Christy Clark will show a sense of ethics in business with this decision, and it will allow her relationship with the Tsilhqot’in to continue to prosper.

Pictures: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/992942/thumbs/o-FIRST-NATION-TREATY-facebook.jpg

http://www.oceans-and-above.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3189&g2_serialNumber=2

The Apple iPhone 6 was one of the most anticipated releases in 2014. At the time of release, sales skyrocketed, customers lined up for a chance at the phone, and everything seemed to live up to the hype. Until the Apple Bendgate scandal was released, Bendgate showed that the Iphone 6 and 6 plus will bend with about 70-90 lbs of pressure put on them. This was huge news to the tech market, especially to smartphone users who tend to put their phone in their back pocket.

Samsung took complete advantage of the situation. Samsung not only implemented a metal frame into the new Galaxy models, but they released a commercial exploiting the iPhone 6’s flaws. The advertisement also included video of the Galaxy Note 4 undergoing the same tests as the iPhone and remaining completely straight.

This is a very aggressive move on Samsung’s part, the advertisement directly compares the durability of the two phones, and leads the consumer to believe that the Samsung is a better phone. Even though Samsung is trying to make a statement, negative advertisement carries a very high risk. Many consumers like myself may find the commercial offensive and continue to support the highly professional, simple Apple products. I personally purchased the iPhone 6, knowing that Samsung was releasing their new models soon, because I like the simplicity and functionality of Apple and iOS software.

Samsung will receive mixed consumer reviews on this commercial, but while producing a commercial as aggressive as this, there is not much else they can expect. In my opinion, this was a very unprofessional, poor move by Samsung.

References

http://www.popherald.com/news/2014/10/3378-samsung-group-using-iphone-6-bendgate-scandal-to-sell-more-galaxy-note-4.html

http://www.popherald.com/news/2014/09/3341-apple-iphone-bendgate-saga-tests-show-you-can-bend-the-iphone-6-plus-with-90-pounds-pressure.html

After much anticipation, Nike has postponed the release of Lebron James’ 12th custom pro model sneaker, the LeBron 12. According to the article, there was a small cosmetic issue that Nike found out that will indefinitely delay the release from the original date of October 11th (Globally)

The demand for the “LeBron” model is very high, as last year’s retail sales hit $300 million. However, Miami, LeBron’s home for the past 4 years, has a very large and dedicated sneaker community, which definitely increased the sales of the past 4 LeBron models. Yet, the “sneakerheads” of his former home, Cleveland, may not have supported the last few models as they may have felt a sense of betrayal. This offseason, LeBron decided to return to Cleveland and continue his career with the Cavailers.

The LeBron 12 has a set price of $200, which to the general public seems ridiculous for a pair of basketball shoes. However, last years model which had a retail price of $200 as well, had hundreds of thousands of people lining up overnight. All these people were hoping to get their hands on a pair of the sneakers and if they couldn’t get their size they would hope to get another pair and resell them for a profit. Many people who are lucky enough to get a pair will never even put them on their feet, but buy them simply to add to their sneaker collection.

All in all, I am very interested in seeing what happens with the sales of the LeBron 12, not only due to the delayed release, but due to the conflict of two cities.

References

http://www.bidnessetc.com/26669-nikes-muchawaited-lebron-12-delayed/

http://online.wsj.com/articles/nike-delays-launch-of-lebron-12-basketball-shoes-1412219869

Nike LeBron 12 Release Delayed

Environmentally conscious people are constantly trying to change the ways of the general public and provide a new era of global preservation. This Brooklyn, New York town home, designed by Greenstone founder Eitan Baron, is an outstanding example of how environmentally friendly options can be used without sacrificing quality or style. In this case, Baron had planned to put in an electric car charging station in the parking space, which would encourage the buyer to purchase an electric vehicle. However, he found that it would be easier to include an electric vehicle in the selling price, giving the buyer no option but to be eco-friendly. Accordingly, the 6 million dollar home only suits the Tesla Model S, the worlds only fully electric, luxury vehicle.

As many may think, an electric vehicle included in a 6 million dollar home does not really make sense as they are normally considered “cheap”. However, the Tesla Model S has established itself as a high end luxury car, with the advantage of being fully electric. Unlike most, the electric engine does not compromise speed as the Model S goes from 0-100km in 4.4 seconds, faster than the Porsche Cayman S and its style is simply unmatched.

To me, the Model S is a perfect complement to the upscale Brooklyn town home, high-end, understated but luxurious and lastly, different.

References

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/brooklyn-home-comes-with-a-tesla-2014-9