UBC COMM101- Ganasan Ponjani

Despite all the criticism that the Iphone 4S received for being too “similar” to the Iphone 4, this new Apple product has sold at a very rapid pace. It has been on pace to break existing smartphone sales records in the United States, Europe and the UK. Long lines began to form outside retail outlets across the globe the day before the launch, as Apple devotees wanted to ensure they were one of the first to receive Apple’s newest product.

The Iphone 4s’s sales success can be directly related to the passing of Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs. Customers aspired to obtain the last Iphone unveiled during Steve Job’s life, as they wanted something to “remember him by”.  This played a big factor in the sales success of the new phone, however we should not be surprised with it’s accomplishment. After all, the 4s is an Iphone, and the best produced thus far. Although customers believe there is no much difference between the 4s and the 4 and that it is just a bridge between the 4 and the 5, this Iphone will be a memorable one as it is the last one during the life of Steve Jobs.

Citation: “IPhone Sales: Did Steve Jobs’s Death Drive Record IPhone Sales? – CSMonitor.com.”The Christian Science Monitor – CSMonitor.com. Web. 24 Oct. 2011. <http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Latest-News-Wires/2011/1014/iPhone-sales-Did-Steve-Jobs-s-death-drive-record-iPhone-sales>.

Blog Link: “Lululemon’s Problem: can’t meet demand?” – Melody Han

As Melody touched on in her blog, Lulelemon has not been able to meet the demand of their customers. There are two ways to look at this situation. It can either be seen as positive for the business or a negative.

It can be seen as a positive since shortages would ultimately mean that there would be no inventory going to waste. The store would sell everything in store and as a result, suffer no losses from the unsold merchandise; which is ideally what a business strives for. However, this situation can also been seen as a negative. Shortages would mean that the store would often be sold out of items, and this could lead to customers gettting frustrated and switching to a local competitor store such as Nike. Shortages would also mean that they company would lose out on the potential revenue which they would have received if they did have those items in store.

There can be two ways that people look at this situation, and the debate could go on and on. However, I truly believe that if a store does not meet the demand of their customers, such as case of Lululemon, it would ultimately be a negative for the business.

Citation: “Lululemon’s Problem? Customers Can’t Get Enough – The Globe and Mail.” The Globe and Mail. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/lululemons-problem-customers-cant-get-enough/article1945253/>.

Blog Link: ” I’m Lovin’ It ® ” – Are you really loving it? – Yen Fung Wong

McDonald’s is hands down the most popular fast food restaurant in the world. However, although it is very popular, it is one of the most scrutinized restaurants in recent memory. For example, as Yen pointed out, the nutrition levels of McDonald’s food is falsified by their OWN nutritionist and this is seen as unethical. However the fact is, is that most people already realize that McDonald’s food is widely known to be linked to diseases such as diabetes and obesity, but why do they still continue to eat there?

They continue to eat there because, in actuality, a small percentage of fast food diners actually pay attention to the nutritional facts. They are more concerned about enjoying a tasty meal and saving the time they would have to be in the kitchen cooking. McDonald’s is not doing anything illegal in this situation, because if they were, they would not be allowed to be dishonest in the first place. The numbers may be a bit revised, however people already know the food is bad for them and yet don’t change their ways. McDonald’s is being a bit unethical in this situation, however this does not change the consumers decisions to eat at their restaurant.

Citation: Peters, Allison. “10 Facts Aboout Mcdonald’s Fast Food Restaurant You Should Know.”Healthmad. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. <http://healthmad.com/nutrition/10-facts-aboout-mcdonalds-fast-food-restaurant-you-should-know>.