Link to article: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/the-problem-with-going-into-business-with-a-friend/?WT.mc_id=D-NYT-MKTG-MOD-23902-11-01-HD&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_c=

I remember in one of the classes Tamar had an iClicker question for us, asking if you would start a business with a friend, a team or on your own. I chose to start a business with a friend, and despite the negative examples this article has presented, I am still firm with my choice. There are always successful and failed examples to everything in life; just because the author and her friends failed at this kind of partnership, does not necessarily mean that most people will fail too. For instance, my father started his company about 20 years ago with a client he followed up on at his previous job; he developed a strong relationship with the client so that when he started his company, he received lots of help and mentorship, even in the financial aspect. To this day, they still remain close friends and partners. Though they often argue, it does not change the fact that they rely on each other to succeed. Personally, I am looking to establish my own start-up within the next year and I am thinking of doing it with one of my close friends. It is important to go into business with someone you can trust and who you also get along with. Additionally, we both have business backgrounds in the family, it would be beneficial for our start-up. I am sure we will encounter conflicts, obstacles, and disagreements; but I think it is easier to resolve these problems between two friends.

Link to blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/theoguevara/2014/10/28/comm-101-changed-my-perception-on-charities/

Theo’s blog on his experience and his thoughts on Free the Children has reminded me of my own experience as well. This past summer, I completed Training at the United Nations hosted by World Federation of United Nations Associations; in the two-week training program, one thing that really stood out and is still refreshing in my mind was a presentation made by a NGO – Charity Water. Charity Water is determined to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. Though it is a fairly new organization, it has proven to be successful. Charity Water has a project called the Birthday Project where anyone, can participate, to raise money at a birthday party. Although Charity Water may not have a social enterprise like Free the Children does to back it up financially, it has cooperated with many big companies such as Twitter, and many celebrities have join the Birthday Project Campaign to raise funds for water projects in third world countries. The inspiring speaker from Charity Water definitely motivated me to take the initiative to join their campaign. I think a successful corporation is one like Charity Water who can influence many people to make a change in the world. Just as Theo mentioned, even charities are businesses; charities need to sell their ideas to the people as well in order for them to be successful.

Link to blog: https://blogs.ubc.ca/djung/2014/10/05/apple-pay/

I agree with Danny’s thoughts on Apple Pay. The iPhone 6 and its new features has been a huge success for Apple, and probably one of the most eye-catching innovations would be the newly innovated app – Apple Pay. However, with the recent scandals regarding the iCloud system that Apple has developed, the security breaches and privacy concerns still lingers for Apple users. Although some may argue that in this technology-centric century, people’s privacy has been invaded massively under unknown situations. However, since money is always the most sensitive topic, the security in online payments will be a major challenge for Apple’s new app. In my perspective, Apple needs to somehow ensure its customers the safety of purchasing items through Apple Pay so that this app will be more appealing to customers and a greater success for Apple itself. As Danny has mentioned, Google and Samsung have both tried this approach but with little success. Apple has always been known to create disruptive innovation, if Apple can market the app correctly and effectively, it will be another success for the brand.