This is a response to https://blogs.ubc.ca/kimberlyw/2013/10/20/nike-technology-and-their-ability-to-remain-awesome/

Nike as we all known is a company that design, development and worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. Nike introduced a new version of the FuelBand, claimed that making more friends on its social network will probably make you live longer, called itself the Twitter of fitness. I agree it is a strong move on Nike’s part to integrate it’s products with Apple’s appstore, however the android platform still remains dominant in the smartphone market and in order for Nike to truly establish its presence it needs to expand its horizons onto the android and windows OS.

PlayStation and Xbox are game consoles that we grew up with. I still remember the first PS2 and the original Xbox. The release of the PlayStation 4 in North America, is seen by many as the true dawn for next-generation console gaming after the troubled launch of Nintendo’s Wii U. After a week Microsoft fires back with the launch of Xbox one. Right now at this point people are probably struggling to choose one to purchase. The gaming market had always been a huge competitive market out there. For example the Xbox one will be 100$ more expensive, but includes a more advanced body-movement sensor in the Kinect; better voice recognition; and a more ambitious bid to take charge of your living room thanks to its ability to control satellite and cable TV set top boxes. For people like me it will be hard decision to choose from. The releases come at a critical time for both firms. Sony recently slashed its full year profit forecast by 40%, surprising investors. Chief executive Kaz Hirai would like the PS4 to mirror the healthy sales of its smartphones, rather than its struggling TV unit. Right now not only children even adults adore playing video games, the video game market will always be a critical part of our lives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24899400

EnQuest is an independent United Kingdom based petroleum exploration and production company. A £4bn investment in a major oil field off Shetland called the Kraken field, and has been given the go-ahead. It is estimated to contain nearly 140m barrels of oil, is majority-owned by Aberdeen-based EnQuest. The construction phase of the project is expected to support 20,000 jobs. This is a great opportunity for the United Kingdom in general because not only opens up considerable job opportunities that would benefit the oil industry in the United Kingdom. The development was approved by the Department of energy and the Climate Change which is a reliable source for the environment. Kraken is located about 125km (77 miles) east of the Shetland Islands. The field, which will consist of 25 wells, is estimated to contain 137 million barrels of oil. Gross peak oil production is expected to be more than 50,000 barrels per day, with first oil production planned for 2016/2017.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-24954495

Manchester United has reported record revenue of 98.5 million euros for the first three months of its financial year. Manchester United Football club is an English professional football club that plays in the Premier league. The club founded in 1878 and it’s one of the biggest football clubs in the world. For a big football club to reach record for revenue in its financial year it’s outstanding. Football is that one sports that everyone knows and plays, the competition between the football clubs are striving. Since I was young Manchester had always been my favorite team, the team is all about tradition playing in Old Trafford since 1910 and manager Alex Ferguson since 1986 till now. For many other clubs they changed their manager average around every 2 years. The way that they advertise their club was very successful. There were 12 new sponsorship deals signed, including one with Russian airline Aeroflot. Licensing of clothing and other products brought in £10.7m, a rise of 13.8% on last year, and broadcasting revenue rose 41% to £19.3m. The club predicts revenues for the whole year of £420-430m, bringing it closer to Europe’s wealthiest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24943476

Volkswagen as we all know is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered. Volkswagen is also one of the biggest automaker in the world. In the article it says Volkswagen had recalled 2.6 millions of cars. For such a big company like Volkswagen this isn’t acceptable. The recalls affects a range of models that may have problems with lights, leaking fuel lines and the wrong type of engine oil. These type of problems are considered very serious problems on the automobiles. Problem with lights and leaking fuel lines can lead to dangerous situations that may lead to serious injuries and death. The recall is one of the biggest in Volkswagens history. China is now the biggest car market in the world, an important source of demand for global carmakers looking for growth to offset declines in European car sales. After the recall it’s going to effect the total sales of Volkswagen cars in general also the manufacturer in China. Even the cars that had been recalled in those cars aren’t as reliable as before. These concerns will bring down the overall of Volkswagen car group in general.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24940238

Barclays is a well-known British banking and financial service company which is located in the United Kingdom. Barclays is the seventh largest bank in the whole world, it is universal with operations in retail, whole sale and investment banking. At this point Barclays plans to cut 1700 jobs from across its branch network within the United Kingdom. Barclays said in a statement that the way people accessed banking services was changing rapidly, especially with more people using smart phones and other technology. Although now day’s people are more reliant upon technology, was it really a right decisions in cutting 1700 jobs? Think about the lineup when we go to the bank recently, I don’t think it’s the right choice cutting that much people. In the article it also stated that The Unite union, which represents interests of the banking staff, said customer service could suffer as result of the cuts and said Barclays was making a “colossal mistake”. The quality of the service Barclays will provide will certainly decrease. On the other hand the staff remaining will be in total challenge. In my opinion Barclays didn’t make the right decision, there is also some part of banking that it cannot be done by technology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24947774

Who never rented movies and videos from Blockbuster before? Blockbuster as we all known is an American provider of home movie and video game rental services. Right now due to technology Blockbuster is facing the brink of bankruptcy. Troubled DVD rental chain Blockbuster will close 72 out of its 264 stores in the UK and cut 452 jobs after it went into administration for a second time in October. Right now at this stage of time it’s hard for people to get out of their homes and go to a video rental stores just to get movies when they are able to access it online. Blockbuster’s competitions such as Netflix and Redbox, who provide online video rental sites. Although it is extremely upsetting for the staff but the decision has to get through. In the article it stated that “We must reiterate that, as part of our attempts to turn around the business, today’s decision is necessary if parts of Blockbuster are to be saved and a buyer found.” It isn’t like before where we are all excited to go to a movie rental store to get movies, now we will just able to access it online.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24938668