There has been an ongoing conflict between Samsung and Apple for quite some time. The main conflict was focused on patents, as seen in this article. In this article, the conflict between the two firms is “analogized to a nuclear war”, and the two firms are compared to “the United States and the Soviet Union”. I agree with this statement to a large extent.Both companies have a huge amount of influence in the market for phones and other portable devices, such as tabs (Galaxy Tab, iPad).

This video shows one of Samsung’s ‘shots’ according to another article on the conflict between Samsung and Apple.

In the same article, however, it is stated that Apple has a slight advantage over Samsung in this ‘war’ as “Apple’s patents are … related to the modern operating system” and “because Samsung seems to have copied so slavishly”. I strongly disagree to this point, as Apple uses Samsung processors and it is one of Samsung’s biggest customers. In my opinion, therefore, Apple is at a disadvantage, as should Samsung decide to stop providing products for Apple, Apple will have a great decrease in production, and the high demands it enjoys will have no value.

Having the right organizational structure is one of the key aspects of successful businesses and firms. This is because the structure of a company affects how the entire company runs. Most importantly, it affects how the company gives feedback. In his blog post, Stefan Töpfer talks about “the importance of feedback for management and improvement”.  He talks about how managers can improve the way in which they give feedback, to ensure that the message sent across is clear and accurate.

I agree that his is essential to success, since employees first need to know what is expected of them in order to perform to their potential. If they are wrongly rewarded, such as having job offers from other firms, they will work to get offers from other firms in order to get that reward. In his post, Stefan says that managers need to “make sure feedback you provide is timely, … professional and constructive … and consider how else you can help going forward”. These will all help managers make the proper feedback. Even if an employee is extremely capable, if the appropriate feedback is not given, the employee will not be able to benefit the company to his/her maximum potential. Therefore, feedback is arguably one of the most important factors to success.

Information technology (IT), along with all other divisions of technologies, is an essential part of a company. Without IT, there would be no “e-commerce”, including “online retail, Internet auction sites, group buying and … mobile commerce”. This article discusses IBM’s approach to technology in business. IBM states that “brick and mortar stores (are) still relevant”, and according to Tadd Wilson (an “expert for the retail store solution, system and technology group of IBM”), this is because “our brains are basically wired the same way they were 10s of thousands of years ago”, and that “Browsing through a store, touching merchandise … making a purchase … fulfills a need in consumers”.

I personally agree with the take that Wilson takes on for IBM. Although it is, indeed, imperative that technology, IT in particular, is constantly maintained and updated for the convenience of consumers, I feel that a majority of the consumers would prefer getting to see and touch the product before making a purchase, rather than relying on pictures and the reviews of other consumers. However, in my opinion, the main focus should be on technology, as consumers increasingly becoming more inclined to use the internet for information and not the traditional sources. This will become very important in the future, when the internet will have even more influence than it has at present.

Andrew Mason, the “unlikely CEO of last year’s unlikeliest breakout business”, brought the “bottom-feeding” Groupon into a “billion-dollar force”. He was studying to get a degree in public policy and had not had much business training. Groupon operates in a similar way to eBay: it is essentially a website featuring discount gift cards/coupons usable at the respective local or national company.

This article shows Mason’s thoughts on how he achieved such a huge success and also his future expectations. The main source of innovation for Mason actually came from his previous area of study, which involved social change. He states that “most of the web businesses that have been truly successful at making the world better” are tools that help “usher in social change”. This was what he wanted for Groupon as well, which gave him the innovation he needed to make this huge success.

However, there are also risks as there is a tendency for anything that rises quickly may crash as quickly. There are also other big competitors who add to this risk.

Diagram

This diagram shows the speed at which Mason increased revenue. In a year, he managed to get a growth of approximately $78M, from Jan’10 to Jan’11.

This article talks about Zappos, which mainly focuses on shoes and clothing, along with other products, such as accessories and eyewear. Its CEO, Tony Hseh, started the company “in 1999 by selling shoes online, and has since grown to a US$1 billion per year retailer.” This was all thanks to Hseh’s “deliberate decision to re-direct its marketing budget towards delivering exceptional customer service”. Hseh makes sure that his employees live the company’s core values through a training course, “where new employees cycle through work in the Kentucky warehouse and call center”. According to the article, Hseh has even “passed on numerous experienced employees … (because) they were wrong for the company culturally.”

In my opinion, companies should adopt this strategy in order to optimize their customer services, to a large extent. I do not agree with Hseh’s method of creating a happy mood in the office, however. It is mentioned in another article that “pods of cubes (cubicles in office) is wildly decorated … space alien motif, … group of people in party hats … playing ring toss”. In my opinion, companies should set a limit as to the activities an employee can take part in, as there should still be some discipline and order in the office.