Author: starrdan

https://blogs.ubc.ca/ysetsawat/2014/10/04/the-trump-card/

Responding to this person’s blog, I find the blog very well written and an interesting topic. I do agree that the former CEO of Blackberry lacked a mission but I believe that this came from their huge success. Originally, Blackberry was as it is now: a company that built cellphones for people who wrote many emails and needed constant communication (what he/she refers to as the “business realm”).  I believe they were hamstrung by the success they had in the teenager/young adult market. They lost focus of what they were really there for and were victims of the instability of young people’s minds, meaning they want one thing one second and another the next. Unfortunately for Blackberry, loads of users then went on to the “next big thing” (Apple or Samsung), and left it behind.  This time around, Blackberry should, as the person who wrote the blog said, focus on a more narrow market in which they will be able to survive and thrive.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/isabellabonato/2014/09/29/the-debate-over-unpaid-internships/

Responding to this person’s blog, I can say that it is true that companies exploit interns because I have been one, although not for long. It is right that students who get these internships are sometimes in debt because of their huge student loan so I agree that companies should start to pay their interns. However since there is such a high demand for job experience, it is unlikely that companies that start this trend but rather the government should state that interns have the right to earn some sort of payment depending on the hours that they worked. Another part of her blog post mentioned how it is usually people with family connections that get these internships but that is just life in general, there’s no way to change that. What I found in my internship was that I was a part of the organization but not a crucial one, more like a temporary asset. My job lessened the burden of others but if I were not there it would have still been accomplished.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/ottawas-too-heavy-hand-on-corporate-crime/article21542670/

The article talks about how the current Canadian Government has far too strict rules that prohibit certain companies from getting their contracts. The author of the article is completely against it and believes that if companies do wrong they should be treated like civilians and be given different, appropriate punishment and not just one punishment for all no matter how serious the felony. I believe it is the right approach for the government to be re-elected, as they do not want to links to corporate crime, but in the end it is going to harm Canada’s business environment.    Just because one person committed a crime does not mean that their subordinate’s jobs be put at risk, it is not the right course of action. I do think there should be fines and a reformatory procedure should take place within the criminal corporation but not cut all ties with the government. Hopefully the next government will alter this law.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2014/11/11/6038821/why-real-sociedad-moyes-looking-to-rebuild-his-reputation?ICID=HP_HN_5

This might not be a business article per say but it is interesting to me as it is about a person’s brand image. In the footballing world your name is everything, there is no veil to hide behind; if the manager performs poorly, he is solely to blame and his reputation shatters. David Moyes was an above average manager when he was coaching Everton; he was an average manager when coaching Manchester United, but that was what killed his reputation. What his customer (Manchester United) expected was huge success and a high quality of performance, needless to say they were disappointed.

This Monday, David Moyes took on the job of the Real Sociedad manager in Spain. I believe it is the right course of action for him, because he is looking to rebuild his brand image. Moyes has gone to the right customer segment, an above-average team but not one of the best, and from there on he can grow and become a premier brand, one that offers high quality for a high price.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pizza-hut-revamp-adds-global-flavours-to-menu-1.2831667

This article talks about how Pizza Hut wants to make a comeback by adding different flavours, from different cultures, to their Pizza repertoire. They do this to adapt to the ever-changing customer preferences which are now more inclined, as the article states, to having their own choice of what to put on their food and not be restricted by a restaurant’s limits on what they can order.

I think that it’s a good choice that they’re making as a restaurant because in places like Canada and the United States there are just so many cultures that it’s hard to satisfy customer preferences when each one of them has significantly different taste. While it is good that they are adding low calorie products to their menu, I would think that it is not really their market. People do not go to Pizza Hut to buy low calorie products, they go there because it is fast and inexpensive compared to other restaurants. It could end up being a huge cost for them because might not end up breaking even.

Since we did our SWOT analysis on Tesla when I saw this article I thought it was very interesting as I already knew so much background information on the company. It’s a pity that I didn’t see this when I was researching for the assignment but at least now I have found it. When I was doing my SWOT assignment I really liked Tesla as a company, I actually now want to own a Tesla car since they seem like they are a really good investment. The article talks about how Elon Musk believes Tesla’s stock price is overvalued at the moment.

After reading this article I can’t say that my view on Tesla has changed, I can only say that I respect Elon Musk more. I think it was very ethical of him to comment against his company’s stock value. He seems like a good leader to me and is definitely appealing to external stakeholders to see someone like himself investing in a “better” future for everyone. I really don’t know why he said what he did but it seems like he truly cares about well-being and that’s something that should improve Tesla’s brand perception.

http://www.businessreviewcanada.ca/leadership/1106/Tesla-Motors-CEO-Elon-Musk-Reports-Stock-as-Overvalued

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2750700/Manchester-United-continue-spending-January-admits-Ed-Woodward.html

Manchester United, an English football (soccer) team, has recently been spending millions of dollars buying players from other clubs and not only will they keep spending money on transfers, but their annual wages to be paid out to these players are now exceeding 200 million pounds. However, I don’t think it’s very ethical for the club to be spending over 150 million pounds in transfers and that much in wages, especially because these costs are only going to be covered by charging the fans more for tickets.

Another aspect that I think Manchester didn’t consider is the fact that they aren’t going to be as economically strong as last year, since they aren’t going to be playing in the champions league, and hence should perhaps have spent (a lot) less money this summer so that the fans shouldn’t now have to overpay for tickets just because Ed Woodward decided to go on a spending spree this summer. After all, it’s still a business for him and all he really wants to get out of this is more money, otherwise he would just be a fan and not the chairman. It’s unethical because United fans are extremely loyal and they will spend money they don’t have on more expensive tickets just to cover the costs.

I hate that club.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/11/masterpan-kickstarter-five-in-one-pan/

This article talks about a new product called the master pan; a pan in which you can cook an entire breakfast at once. If their crowd-funding works, I believe the product itself is going to fail miserably. You see the product and you can tell that it’s big enough to cook a proper meal at once; however, when starting the campaign the producers forgot to mention that you need a good stove in order to use this pan, otherwise it’s going to take a long time for the four small compartments to heat up properly. It is simply a bad idea to product this item. Another fault in the production/marketing of this is that it doesn’t do anything special, the food would be cooked regardless of how many pans the cook used, and there is nothing special to this master pan. It does in fact save you some money, because you only need to heat one pan, but that is not what the creators of this product are advertising. Either invent a new product, or market this one in an entirely different way.