As holidays are approaching, businesses are planning how they are going to spend their holidays. While many people would think that holidays are for resting, away from their clients and stress, many successful businesses emphasize the significance a holiday holds regarding building rapport with clients and creating good impression to the public.

In the article, “You Need a Plan for the Holidays,” the author describes how a company could spend the holidays effectively to promote positive impressions. For example, gifting something more useful than a box of chocolate helps a company make its customers think positively of the company.

Though I do not wish to spend my holidays as efficiently as some of these successful businesses do, I was amazed by the importance of marketing for any business. If a business wants to sell a product, it needs customers, and in order to gain customers, a business should market itself. Above all, the most important marketing strategy I’ve learned from this article is thinking outside the box, in spite of its cliche-like sound.

In the article, “Budget Optimism Boosts U.S. Stock Futures,” the author explains that upon US President Barrack Obama’s re-election, the US economy finally experienced a boost after a long recession. As the stock prices went up, many businesses saw increases in sales and net profits, and I believe this will also have a positive effect on the Canadian economy.

I do not know to what extent US economy can influence the Canadian economy, but I do know that there are close ties between the economies of the two countries. I think this is because of the exposure of Canadian customers to the media produced in the US, which strongly affect the way Canadians perceive things.

When customers are told the economy will prosper in the near future, they tend to make more purchases of luxury goods; and this is what I expect to see within a few weeks in the Canadian economy. Due to the strong tie between the two cultures, such a positive outlook in the US economy will not only affect its own but will also bring about positive impacts on the Canadian economy, in which Canadian customers, exposed to the US media, believe they will soon be better off too.

Was it just me, or did everyone else think Apple Co. will always be on an uphill with its sales and share price. Yet, as its technology-giant competitor Samsung launched its Galaxy S3, Apple experienced a huge fall in its sales and share price.

In the article “Apple’s Tablet Share Slips In Lead-Up to iPad Mini Launch,” the author describes how this loss is continuing on to the tablet market. While Apple’s long time customers and fans had long waited for the launch of iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, they both turned out to be huge disappointments, with little changes made to their old versions.

In comparison, Samsung, Apple’s tech-giant competitor, came up with its never-been-so-good Galaxy S3, and is now experiencing a constant rise in its sales and share price.

In my opinion, such a tragedic situation has come because of Apple’s slow reactions to changes in the smart phone/tablet market, as well as its reluctance to make further changes in their products. I have to admit, though, that Apple’s marketing team has done a fantastic job, making everyone want to buy its products. Yet, its management, who failed to come up with a device that would satisfy its customers, like Samsung has done with its Galaxy S3, has done such a poor job that such a strong company is now on a downhill.

In response to Jean-Philippe Boutin’s blog post “Evaluating Our Carbon Footprint,” I developed better knowledge about the ways carbon emission was measured, and the ways through which we emitted carbon into our atmosphere. According to Boutin’s blog post, carbon emission level has been constantly increasing, which has ultimately caused changed to our vulnerable planet.

While we all know emitting carbon is bad and that we should stop ourselves from polluting the Earth, I personally find it very hard to reduce my carbon footprint. When I calculated my carbon footprint per year, I got a number slightly above 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Though the number is far less than the country average, I was still surpised to figure out how much “contribution” I was making to exacerbate global warming.

After finding out that my number was above that of most of my peers, I determined to reduce my carbon footprint and save the planet, though the contribution may be little. By eating less meat, and walking, I can reduce my carbon footprint by 3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Though it may sound like nothing, if everyone shows as much interest as I do, and take actions to reduce their carbon footprint, I am sure that we can slow down the negative changes that are on-going on our invaluable planet.

*Also look at: YouTube Carbon Footprint*

After learning about social entrepreneurship, I was interested in what companies I was familiar with were social enterprises. As I did my research, I was surprised to find out the number of entrepreneurs who were really motivated to doing something that was not focused on making money – such as making a change in their community.

Out of all the social enterprises, Toms, my favourite shoes brand, sticked out to me. Toms’s one-for-one movement, for every purchase made, gives a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Because I had thought that “social” entrepreneurs could never be so successful, when I read the article “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs,” I was really amazed by the Toms CEO Mr. Mycoskie‘s entrepreneurship that had made the business such a huge success.

The story of Mr. Mycoskie and his passion for his business did not only surprise me but also motivated me to take part in such positive changes. I started considering social entrepreneur as my future career, and also strongly believe that it would bring me more satisfaction than would any other career, because making a change is much beyond simple business-running and money-making.

“After Hostess Brands announced it’s going out of business following a labor dispute, panicked consumers have rushed to stores to stock up on their favorite heart-clogging treats,” says Dominique Mosbergen in her article, “Twinkies eBay: Hostess Treats On Sale For $200,000 Amid Trinkie-Pocalypse Fears.” 

In the article, the author describes that black markets for Hostess Brands have emerged in order to meet the drastic increase in consumer demand. Twinkies fans, as Hostess is going out of business, are searching in madness for ways to buy their long time treat before they are all gone. In response to such a craze for soon-to-be-gone Hostess Brand products, one seller on eBay is auctioning a box of Twinkies at a starting price of $200,000.

Personally, I am not much of a fan for Twinkies or any other Hostess Brands. It is hard to believe how normal consumers can be so eager to buy a box of snack cake. What is more unbelievable is how a company with so much demand can go out of business. By studying the company in more depth, I learned that there was a series of union strikes, which led to a complete turmoil in the operation system. This very well highlights the importance of communication between the management and the workers, as well as the role of operations manager, who is in charge of organizing all operations within a company.

Sally Chen, in her blog “Berberry Embraces Technology: Digital Marketing,” discusses Berberry’s shift in its product line. Incorporating high-tech gadjets, Berberry has developed a whole new world of fashion. This innovative move has brought Berberry an increase in demand in the market, as well as an increase in the market share. While this move, as described in Sally Chen’s blog post, has clearly brought comparative advantage to Berberry to cope with the serious economic downturn, I personally see this move as a possible threat to the brand.

Berberry, as a result of this shift in the product line, will see its long time fans turn down on it, as the brand’s patent classyness has been much removed by the adaption of high-tech gadjects. That is, the new marketing strategy comes in contrast with the brand’s image that has been set from decades of brand positioning in the minds of consumers.

Personally, such a shift toward technology appeals to me as a disappointment rather than a positive innovation. This is why, in most cases, companies should carefully examine its strengths and weaknesses to derive opportunities and threats, upon which they will make decisions regarding shifts in product lines and marketing.

*Also look at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1H9arC4zP0

In response to Can Celikyilmaz’s blog in “Nokia Is Losing Big In The Competition Of Smartphones,” I developed insight in market competitions and the significance they hold when determining an industry’s attractiveness. In the article, “Nokie Surrounded By Competition,” Nokia’s chief executive states that the company has responded too slowly to the change in demand in the market, while its competitors, Apple and Samsung, have moved on to develop new technologies with which they have gained complete lead in the market share.

In spite of the changes in technology Nokia has recently developed, however, the company is doing poorly in the fierce competition existent in the industry. As illustrated in “The Smartphone Shakeout: Time Is Running Out for a Viable No.3”, smartphone companies struggle to see an increase in the market share due to intense rivalry, which is directly related to the market strategy and Porter’s five forces tool covered in class.

For Nokia to put an end to the endless fall in its market share and total revenue (and profit), its marketers should take a closer look at the industry’s rivalry, and drive a normative statement that suggests an action with which the company will survive in such an “unattractive” cell phone industry.

The Walt Disney Company has finally unveiled the new website – aimed at delivering a pure entertainment experience for its “guests.” In the article, “Disney Unveils New Home Page With Entertainment Focus,” Kara Swisher discusses the new website and the effects it will have on the minds of the customers. This new marketing strategy aims at providing its old and new Disney fans with a vibrant entertainment experience that will continue on from the movies and television shows to their smartphones and tablets, and computer screens.

While it is clear that the newly-refurbished Disney.com will bring positive effects to the company, as smartphone/tablet users now have access to the world of Disney at any place they desire, it does impose some risks, says Disney Interactive co-President James Pitaro. The old users who are familiar with the services provided on the old website might leave the revised version, on which they will find difficulty looking for some of the old features that have been removed permanently.

 When a company makes changes to its marketing strategy, there are always risks that require company marketers to analyze and determine if the possible outcomes are worth the possible losses. In the case, Disney, as it attempts to target the smartphone/tablet users with its fun features available on the new home page, it is putting at risk the old “guests” who might still be looking for the original website with easy access to services other than fun games and video clips.

How much disclosure should certified financial planners have with their clients? In the article, “Is the Fiduciary Standard a Joke,” Allan S. Roth discusses whether financial advisors should focus on their own profit-making or act upon the interest of their clients. While it is not in their best interest to reveal all means of financing to their clients, CFPs still hold a duty to have their clients informed. Yet, most of today’s CFPs still keep much information hidden from their clients, leaving them uncertain of where their own money is flowing.

Recently, a number of certified financial planners have been convicted of “double dipping,” through which CFPs took commissions from their clients multiple times; the victims of this practice insist the need for a change in the system to which CFPs disclose all transactions of their clients’ capital and have them fully aware of where their money is flowing.

It is always an uneasy task to find a balance between ethics and profits. It is at times true that one can make more money when he or she neglects ethics and focuses on his or her own money-making. Yet, in an ideal world, those who advise on ethics and act upon the interests of their clients will gain good reputation, which in turn will help them become more prosperous both as a businessman and a human being.