Gracia Chua

I was reading a fellow Sauder student, Nydia Gunawan’s blog and came across an interesting article. McDonalds is starting to offer a healthy menu to consumers. However, it comes across as ironic to many people that McDonalds is offering a healthy menu because of their poor reputation (of selling oily, fried food). No thanks to their poor reputation, parents often shun the fast food chain, in fear that their children will get addicted to fast food and grow into obese little thumbs. This could potentially inflict harm on McDonalds’ profits. So a change in their business model would be logical. In the past, their value proposition was the Everyday Value meal. Cheap fast food that would entice customers because of the price. But people nowadays value the phrase “You are what you eat” and unfortunately, McDonalds screams the word “FAT”, leaving consumers avoiding the fast food chain as a whole.

Therefore, I think it is quite smart of them to change their value propositions to Healthy McDonalds Menus. Slowly changing the way consumers view them and conquering the world day by day.

Snapchat’s the new photo app that almost everyone’s into. Initially used for snapping nudies, the app has found its way into the selfies industry. I used snapchat on a daily basis just to inform my friends what I’m up to instead of updating my facebook status or posting it on twitter. Snapchat essentially posts a threat on facebook and many other social network sites. And facebook being what they always do, tried to buy snapchat for $3 billion but…failed utterly.

The alternative to beating a competitor isn’t always acquisition. Snapchat isn’t really a sustainable business because after awhile, when users get bored of the app, they’ll stop using it. And soon, snapchat will come to a bust. Maybe all facebook has to do would be to wait for users to get bored of the app while coming up with a more sustainable business strategy for facebook.

Everyone knows what Coca Cola is. That thirst quenching soda that hits the spot on a hot sunny afternoon. In Mexico, they sell coke too. But with a tinge of difference from the coke that we’re all too familiar with.

Mexicoke, is coke sweetened with sugar, instead of corn syrup, and more delicious as justified by its supporters. But when Francisco Garza Egloff, Coca-Cola’s Mexican bottler, let slip that they might be changing sugar into corn syrup, cries of the mexicoke lovers resounded. The cries were loud enough for Arca continental (Coca-Cola’s mexican bottler) to vow only to use cane sugar for mexicoke. This seems like buyer power coming to play. The mexicoke supporters might come in a small group but they were able to dictate terms with Arca, ensuring that the mexicoke they love, will never change its ingredient.

Never doubt the power of consumers because ultimately, the customers are always right.

Being a Singaporean living abroad, people often shroud me with questions when I tell them where I’m from. The most common question would be… “I heard that gum is banned in Singapore. Is that true?” Yes, it is true. No big deal. I don’t have to worry about gum stuck under tables or getting gum on the soles of my shoe.

Singapore topped tables such as…

1. Lowest crime rates
2. The Healthiest people in the world
3. The easiest place to do business
4. The largest manufacturers of jack-up oil rigs
5. One of the least corrupt countries in the world
6. Where millionaires are minted in the shortest time
7. Top of the class
8. The lowest drug abuse in the world
9. The third largest gambling market
10. The most unhappy people in the world.

With progress, comes great responsibilities. And with great responsibilities, comes great pressure. Which eventually leads to unhappiness. Singapore would be a great example of the phrase “money can’t buy you happiness.” The older generation in Singapore are very fixated on success and stability. And the younger generation is more fixated on personal happiness. So in time to come, the happiness level of Singapore should increase. Making it one of the best place to live in the world (besides the humidity and heat).

“Why Does Singapore Top so Many Tables?” BBC News. BBC, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24428567>.

Apple products are one of the easiest products to recognize. Over the years, they’re strengthened their brand cache, leading to customers queuing overnight just to acquire their new products. They’ve been on top of the game in the technology world for quite a few years, and even after Samsung came out with their Galaxy smartphones. Their point of difference between other brands is their brand cache, design and easy syncing of devices (itunes and icloud). However, Apple is slowly losing its foothold in the industry.

As of recently, Apple released two new phones. The Iphone 5s and the Iphone 5c. The 5c is the cheaper and lower quality version of the iphone 5s. Possibly targeted at the younger crowd (especially with the neon candy colors). The iPhone 5c is also somewhat like a plastic version of the iphone 4s. Users want to see radical changes in new generations of iphone. The ipad mini, that was released last year was also similar to the ipad 2, running on the same dual-core A5.

As a loyal apple fan, I must say that I was pretty disappointed in the new apple products. The new products are getting boring because of their lack in progress. Blackberry failed to improve their product softwares and phones, leading to their downfall. If Apple does not release anything revolutionary, they will soon lose their foothold in the industry.

Finklestein, Sydney. “The End of Apple as We Know It?” BBC. N.p., 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20130904-the-end-of-apple-as-we-know-it>

One of the most luxurious nightclubs in the world, Pangaea, unveiled the world’s most expensive cocktail. A $26,000 cocktail, made using a gold-flecked Richard Hennessy cognac, a smoke-infused raw sugar cube with Jerry Bitters, topped with 1985 vintage Krug champagne and lastly garnished with a Mouawad Triple X 1-carat diamond attached to a chain. This cocktail takes the phrase “on the rocks” to a whole new level.

Besides the cocktail, Pangaea is also now the highest earning club in the world, says it’s owner, Michael Ault. Pangaea’s point of difference is their exclusivity. Every party in Pangaea is a rich man’s party. The 4,000 square feet establishment is embellished in 1000 –year-old saur tree tops or Ralph Lauren tables, granite podiums, and animal skinned sofas. Clubbing at Pangaea isn’t just a party, it’s an experience that will leave you wanting for more.

The southeast asian country, Singapore, home to Pangaea, also happens to have the most number of millionaires in the world. The big rollers in Pangaea aren’t necessarily old businessmen. The patrons of Pangaea include young people in their 20s, that own their own private jets.

As a Singaporean, clubbing at Pangaea has never even crossed my mind mainly because of the fact that it’s out of my league. Pangaea clearly sets its vision on the high society in Singapore (which doesn’t lack people with money).

“That Ferrari or that Maserati  – it is not for everyone and most people can’t afford it anyway but for some people it is exactly what they want – and Pangaea is a Ferrari of the nightclub world.”

Jetley, Neerja. “Singapore’s Multimillionaires: New Wealth Report Busts The Myths.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.

Yadav, Surekha A. “Rich Man’s Club: Pangaea Is Highest Earning Club in the World, Says Michael Ault.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 05 Dec. 2011. Web. 02 Oct. 2013.

MAHTANI, SHIBANI. “Wealth Over the Edge: Singapore.” Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal, 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324662404578334330162556670.html>.

Today, blackberry received a buy off from Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, of $4.7 billion. Blackberry was once the leader of smart phones. However, their failure to keep up with competitors such as Apple and Android, led to their downward spiral and eventual downfall. Fairfax intends to take blackberry private, acquiring all the blackberry shares that haven’t already been acquired by them, at a price of $9 per share.

What will happen to blackberry’s fate? Will Fairfaxs’ takeover bring Blackberry back to its old glory?

A few years back, China’s biggest milk powder producing company ‘Sanlu group’ admitted to adding toxic chemical, Melamine, into it’s milk powder. Melamine has a few industrial uses such as including the production of laminates, glues, dinnerware, adhesives, molding compounds, coatings and flame retardants. The “extra ingredient” in the milk powder resulted in more than 56000 infants or young children falling ill and even the death of 4 babies. The melamine in the milk powder induced kidney failure in infants.

Image taken from: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00998/sanlu-460_998320c.jpg

The company’s unethical behavior of adding melamine into their milk powder as a result of cutting production cost, lead to the death of 4 infants. I think the worst part of this whole crisis is the fact that the government officials did not do thorough checks with the milk powder before approving it to be sold of shelves. This was the result of negligence or possibly bribery of the government officials. Government officials ought to clamp down on unethical businessmen and thoroughly check through their products before allowing them to be sold in the market.

Credit:

http://www.who.int/topics/melamine/en/ — 11 September 2013

http://hbr.org/product/a/an/HKU837-PDF-ENG?cm_sp=doi-_-case-_-HKU837-PDF-ENG&referral=00103 — 11 September 2013

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00998/sanlu-460_998320c.jpg — 11 September 2013