With court cases constantly ongoing between the First Nations and our governments, Premier Christy Clark recently addressed First Nations representatives in regards to the alternative solutions to their conflicts. Christy Clark insisted that cooperation and negotiation between the two groups is the best way to move forward, which is something I agree with. I believe that solving problems through negotiations would save our province and taxpayers a substantial amount of money. Furthermore, negotiation could prove to be much more effective than the long and dragged out court cases. For example, with B.C Hydro’s upcoming Site C project would be a good situation to exercise negotiation and cooperation. While it is evident that BC will need more clean energy sooner or later, the construction of a dam would not only severely damage the First Nation’s property, but also create hostility between the government and First Nations. A feasible solution could be for Christy Clark to implement her plans of negotiation and consider alternative sources of energy such as wind power. This way, not only would our future energy needs be satisfied, but the concerns of First Nations would be addressed too. However, while the plans of negotiation are easy to create, both the Government and the First Nations must be lenient and understanding to each other’s concerns in order for both sides to truly cooperate.

Like Tristan, I believe there is an important link between a brand’s image and a product’s success. In his blog, he analyses that the reason Kia’s  luxury vehicle, the K900 has fallen flat on it’s face is due to Kia not positioning itself as a luxury brand. Why would anyone buy a $50,000 Kia, when they could indulge themselves in a Mercedes E-class? However, while it is true that brand positioning is important, I believe the reason behind the K900’s poor sales is not solely because Kia is not a luxury brand, but also, Kia’s poor brand recognition and small market share. For example, while Toyota does not carry the image of a luxury brand, it is certainly a reputable brand. This allows a product like its $80,000 Land Cruiser, to trump the sales of the “luxurious” Range Rover in countries such as Australia.  Currently, Kia is not in a position to introduce a luxury vehicle and take on two market segments. First, Kia should definitely address it’s market share and brand image in the mass market segment of the automotive industry. This may be done through product differentiation or rebranding, but introducing new luxury vehicles surely does not help with the cause.

Blackberry, the company that’s been struggling to make it’s mark in the smartphone industry in recent years, have recently introduced their latest and greatest- the Passport. Sporting an untraditional design and aimed at the business market, the Passport sold all of it’s 200,000 units just two days after the launch of the device. Although the units sold are certainly no match for the newly released iPhone 6, the device was once again sold out immediately after the Blackberry online store was restocked. However, in today’s business world, many firms implement a “bring your own device” policy, in which means the Blackberry may have trouble competing with the  sea of iPhones and Samsung’s. I believe Blackberry’s traditional selling point, which is the physical keyboard, is no longer a value proposition to most consumers. Text input on touch screen keyboards nowadays are accurate enough that a physical keyboard not only takes away from the screen real estate of a device, but also makes the device seem old fashioned. While the Passport is certainly a good start for Blackberry, I would suggest that a shift in the companies priorities. Rather than trying to capitalize on an old and unwanted technology, Blackberry should go back to the Business Model Canvas if it wishes to be the dominant force it was 10 years ago.

Due to the release of investigator Carmen Segarra’s tapes showing the regulators of Goldman Sachs participating in a culture of deference, the practices and ethics of Wall Street are once again showing it’s dark side. Regulators were found to be afraid of provoking the financial institutions and therefore lenient towards the investment banks shady practices.  For example, despite concerns raised by the New York Fed team in regards to Goldman Sachs’ deal with Spanish bank Banco Santander, Segarra’s, tapes revealed that the regulators did not want to press the banks and have their inquisitions seen as criticisms. According to Senator Elizabeth Warren, when regulators put protecting banks from accountability ahead of protecting citizens from risky and illegal behaviours, the entire economy becomes extremely vulnerable. We certainly don’t need a rendition of the 2008 stock market crash.

After reading Elaine Nguyen’s blog on The Wolf on Wall Street and watching the movie myself, I can see why Wall Street doesn’t always like to play fair. As Elaine stated in her blog, sometimes there isn’t a clear difference between ethical and unethical practices, especially when such large sums of money are involved.  However,  with such a large impact on the economy, Wall Street bankers and government regulators should work together to ensure the health of our economy and the financial well being of the economy