According to UBC Blogger, Iris Zhou, companies are resorting to the use of social media as a means of communication. Of course, thinking about it from a logical point of view, social media spreads information. Fast.

For example, the uprising in Egypt has been coordinated on Facebook and various forms of advertising are also located on Facebook. After Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com’s CEO, discovered the importance of social media to corporations, he warned executives that “they would face a ‘Corporate Spring‘” unless the implement the social revolution that is presently occurring. He proposed that the companies either have to make their companies social, or the company itself will be disposed.

However, Tom Austin, Gartner’s collaboration expert, created a law that basically stated that instead of having the social collaboration tools disrupt the hierarchical organizational structures, the structures itself will prevent the power of the social tools from growing.

There are two sides of the argument, and they both make valid points. Which do you think portrays companies and social media the best?

Is it possible that the two most used online functions are being joined together?

Wall Street Journal’s Live Blog revealed that Facebook now has 750 million users due to the partnership of Facebook and Microsoft, Skype’s new owner.

Facebook: an extremely popular online social networking site created by Mark Zuckerberg

Skype: a program that can be downloaded to call or video call other users

Facebook and Skype are now operating together to launch video calling on Facebook chat. With a new button between the ‘Message’ and ‘Poke’ buttons, you can now ‘Call’ your Facebook ‘Friend’! 

The benefits of this two in one function is that users of Facebook don’t have to “create new Skype accounts to make calls” and it also offers minimal set up.

Some suspect that this partnership is somehow linked to Facebook’s biggest competitor of social networking: Google+ and its ‘Hangout’ feature which includes group calling.

For me, this is pretty great. Skype uses up lots of memory on my computer so when I video call on Facebook chat, I don’t have to run Skype on my laptop so it doesn’t slow it down.

With Facebook constantly changing its layout and adding new functions, who knows what Google+ has in store to offer?

We all thought the only attempt Starbucks took to becoming “green,” or environmentally friendly, were their recyclable cardboard sleeves. However, Starbucks is now focusing on the 50$ billion Health and Wellness sector.

With Evolution Fresh Inc, Starbucks will be selling “nutritious, on-the-go options.” These options include a “unique, premium juice product.” That means that Starbucks will no longer be known for its expensive coffee, it will eventually be known for its healthy juice. This new juice will be known for its “premium quality” and nutrition. Starbucks believes that this new line of products will “attract new customers as well as meet needs of existing customers looking for nutritious beverage and food options. ” By opening up its product mix, Starbucks expanding its target market from just caffeine lovers and sleepy students to they health conscious members of society. 

Evolution Fresh was founded by Jimmy Rosenberg and it used a technology called High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP). HPP keeps the nutrients in the fresh fruit as it is being “juiced.”

I guess we have something to look forward to as this new change in the Starbucks’ line of products starts selling in 2012. Starbucks specializing in juice, who would’ve known?

In Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter’s definition of entrepreneurship, he emphasizes the NEW PRODUCTS that a company offers. The first thing that came to mind for me was Lululemon, a brand of yoga wear for men and women. Lululemon’s signature fabric, luon, hasn’t been invented of offered at any other athletic wear brands. Along with luon, luxtreme and TechFleece are all special fabrics that Lululemon uses for their clothing products. Luon doesn’t permanently stretch, but stretches temporarily 4 ways, and is preshrunk to offer what most other athletic products don’t: a great fit without sagging in the product.

Lululemon identified a problem in the market which was the lack of athletic wear that would fit the body shape without permanently sagging. To solve this problem, they offered a unique fabric to solve consumers in this market for once and for all.

Luon

Starbucks used to be the place where everyone met up for long chats or study sessions with tall white chocolate mochas and caramel macciatos. However, we just might see a migration to Tim Horton’s this winter. With its newest renovation including “wireless Internet connections, bench seating,” a new floor layout, an open kitchen, and  “arm chairs and soft lighting,” Timmy’s is now an ideal place to hang out. With its previously wooden/plastic chairs and florescent lighting gone, our Starbucks crew just might be enticed to Timmy’s.

Why not? Tim Horton’s offers smaller drinks and cheaper prices along with TIMBITS! Not only do the new and improved Timmys’ look and feel more comfortable, but it caters to students of all ages and people in the business industry with it’s free wireless Internet!

CEO Paul House said that the renovation’s goal was to “encourage customers to come inside, sit and perhaps spend a little more money rather than zooming through the drive-thru.” This renovation expands Tim Horton’s market to not only the people grabbing coffee in a hurry from the drive through window, but also the people who wish to sit or study at a newly renovated coffee shop.

Timbits anyone?