Cassandra mentions the increasing consumer popularity of e-commerce and its negative effects on existing shopping malls. Canada expects e-commerce sales to nearly double by 2018. If these trends continue, malls will be at risk of losing a large percentage of their customers.

Cassandra makes many good suggestions on malls finding ways to differentiate themselves from e-commerce and really advertise the positives to doing purchases in person rather than online. I strongly agree with the need to advertise the pros to shopping in stores such as having the ability to have your product immediately rather than waiting weeks for it to be shipped, trying things on to avoid the hassle and frustration of purchasing something that is faulty or the incorrect size. However, they also need to improve their locations by creating an environment that is just as user friendly as online shopping by categorizing products so that they are easy to locate and keeping them clean and organized; this can be further improved and surpass online shopping through excellent customer service. These minor changes make it more appealing to the consumer. However, I also think it is important that malls adapt to the advances in technology rather than differentiating themselves from e-commerce. All stores should create websites where you can purchase certain products online. This way, the consumer can get the best of both worlds out of your company.

Photo Source: http://www.sodtechnologies.com/blog/e-commerce-solution-for-better-shopping-experience/ 

Photo Retrieved: September 28th, 2014

https://blogs.ubc.ca/cassandracannon/2014/09/25/online-shopping-threatens-malls/ 

Photo Source: http://thisisnotadvertising.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/share-a-coke-campaign-a-coca-cola-with-your-name-on-it/

Retrieved on September 26^th, 2014

The creative “Share a Coke” campaign has been a major success for the soda company, Coca-Cola. The idea of sharing a coke and catching up with friends is a great marketing strategy that targets a broad range of people yet remains personal. The personalization of the product gives the consumer a sense of connection to the brand and tricks them into thinking that coke bottle was made with them in mind. Coca-Cola has turned soda into a trend. Where people would have ignored the soda fridge in the past, they now seek it out in search of their personalized pop. The campaign also aimed to turn coke into a “gift”. People would have never considered buying soda as a gift for a friend in the past since it is impersonal and boring; but now it’s personal and exciting making everyone want to find a can of coke for someone they know.

I have yet to find my name on a coke bottle and it is frustrating to have to purchase a bottle labeled “Eric” just to satisfy my cravings; however, these disappointments and frustrations have not been enough to overpower the “Share a Coke” campaign and affect my consumption of coke.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/share-a-coke-credited-with-a-pop-in-sales-1411661519

Photo Source:                                                                                                                                  Photograph by Rick Rycroft, Associated Press                                                                                Retrieved on September 22nd, 2014 http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Canada+joins+WestJet+charging+checked+domestic+flights/10214182/story.html 

The Air Canada and Westjet duopoly in Canada makes it easy to overcharge customers for services on top of their already expensive airfares. Consumers are unable to push back and force change in these airlines decisions because Canada lacks competition in this industry and these airlines are well aware of the unwavering high demand for their services.

This article peaked my interest because I am constantly flying from Vancouver to Edmonton throughout the school year. This added $25 fee, though not much once or twice, eventually adds up. Without choice in airlines, I will be forced to pay this fee for checking baggage every time I fly home. This new additional fee only applies to those flying in the economy class. These subtle changes over time may eventually lead to a shift in people purchasing seats in business class over economy class, ultimately generating more profit for the company. When the Transat Inc. CEO stated, “We will look everywhere we can to make more profit,” it was evident that airlines put a higher importance on profit than their customer service. These big companies are willing to cut corners and take advantage of customers to make a profit and remain competitive globally, not a very comforting thought when you are in their aircrafts thousands of meters above ground.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Canada+joins+WestJet+charging+checked+domestic+flights/10214182/story.html 

Photo Source: http://www.dillerlaw.com/gm-ignition-switch-recall-starts-multiple-investigations/ Retrieved on September 10th, 2014

The stakeholder theory states that for a corporation to be successful it must never look at one particular stakeholder in isolation but rather consider each stakeholder’s individual desires equally, which creates value for everyone. The values of the consumer stakeholder’s of General Motors were neglected when the corporation ignored the substandard ignition switches in two models of cars. This oversight by the leaders of GM resulted in thirteen deaths of GM customers.

One would assume GM has a code of ethics that emphasizes an importance on open and honest communication with customers while constantly improving their services and investing in innovative solutions to create value for stakeholders. If these values exist, they certainly were not applied when the company failed to recall two car models until a decade after the defect was discovered and thirteen lives had been lost.

Overlooking this defect was a breach of ethics of any reasonable consumer producing company. The decision was most likely made in order to avoid the high cost of a recall and a public relations setback.  Ironically, these objectives were not achieved. Instead, the company faces both costly setbacks and a severely hindered reputation a decade later. The article references a term “ethical fading”, a way of describing how managers often place a high importance on internal stakeholders values such as profit while losing sight of their company’s morals, resulting in a breach of ethics and a lack of recognition for all stakeholders in the company.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/keith-rupp/2014/04/02/gms-recall-crisis-is-a-result-of-poor-corporate-decision-making