First Nations partner issues is one of the most vital external factors impacting an organization’s business model. First Nations are trying extremely hard to regain their identity and this is creating some major challenges for companies. Businesses must be mindful of legal issues in terms of land purchasing and using land that belongs to the First Nations people. As a business, you have to think about these factors in order to plan ahead and come up with manageable solutions. The First Nations partner issues limit business expansion and create obstacles for businesses to overcome. Therefore, I believe that when a business is in a situation such as this, they must consider all of these factors involved. The First Nations partner issue may also create additional costs for businesses and take time to resolve.

In my opinion, the main thing that businesses should be mindful of is to tackle these issues in an ethical manner. As we have discussed in previous classes, business ethics is a very important concept. It is extremely crucial for companies to respect aboriginal rules and regulations. They must keep in mind that this is their original land and territory. This is just one of the many external factors that businesses must deal with on a daily basis, and it is vital for them to plan carefully and wisely.

With the increasing growth in online shopping, many companies feel threatened and fear that the online market will negatively impact them. Several retailers, including Wal-Mart have already noticed a significant drop in the number of customers that physically visit the store, but rather make online purchases in the comfort of their own home. Companies like Best Buy Co. and Staples are closing many of their store locations and using more space for e-commerce pick-up. Online shopping is convenient for most people and it is gaining popularity, however, in the long run, it could post a serious threat to society as a whole (eg. unemployment).

Pei Ran Liu also made the same point in his blog post, mentioning that the growth of e-commerce throughout the past few years has put a lot of pressure on physical stores. He made a very interesting comment in regards to the success of the online market, depicting that “it is inevitable for online markets to gain popularity because they take advantage of the cost leadership strategy by offering a great selection of products at lower prices”. I completely agree with this argument and I believe competing with the online market will take more than just lowering prices and providing more in store services, physical stores must become far more innovative and creative.

Just when we all thought that BlackBerry was ready to give up due to its failure in the past few years, the company comes up with a new, innovative idea that could truly be a game changer. In my opinion, BlackBerry finally realized that they must return to their original idea of providing phones for people in the business world. The new BlackBerry Passport has a very large screen, “13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, 32 GB of storage, a MicroSD card slot, and a 3,450 mAh battery”. These are just a number of the many useful features that are included in the new BlackBerry Passport that meet the demands of corporate users.

In my opinion, BlackBerry is doing the right thing by shifting its focus back to its original purpose and idea. Pei Ran made a very good point in regards to this in his blog post stating that “BlackBerry’s new strategy allows them to play their strengths and create a smartphone targeted towards corporate users.” This is what they’re good at and this is what will get them back in the game. The shift in focus will enable this company to rise to the top once again. Although it will be difficult for them to win back their customers, I believe that BlackBerry will be able to achieve success.