Looking towards the growing potential that Snapchat has, it is undoubted that Evan Spiegel the CEO, decided not to sell it with any amount of money offered. Based on what Adrian Wibowo wrote on his blog, his statement seemed to be agree with Spiegel, who decided not to accept any offer from buyers, even Google that value Snapchat for $4 billion.

I also personally agree with the way Spiegel and Adrian think. Being an entrepreneur needs to have the ability to take risk. Even though Google offers such a huge amount, Spiegel seems did not affected because he believes in himself that Snapchat will grow bigger that what people think it would be. Meet the CEO (Video) This is also the reason why Google and Facebook have the interest to buy Snapchat.

Being an entrepreneur also need to have the ability to responsible for what they are doing. Hence, Spiegel has decided to go with rejecting all offers and need to develop Snapchat individually without any further help. With his hard working, the reasons behind this will be slowly invisible and give advantages for himself as a one solid company.

Most Facebook users now are using Instagram as well. We noticed that every time people posted something on Instagram, there is a post on Facebook “(user’s name) just posted a photo on Instagram” with a picture with it, or “(user’s name) likes (user’s name)’s photo on Instagram”. This eventually the reason why Facebook bought Instagram’s share for $1bn. Instead of adding extra value, Facebook tries to keep users’ interest in using them.

This cooperation is basically benefiting both sides. Instagram could raise their number of users and Facebook will not loose their users’ interest. This joint cooperation will also establish an extent value propositions that can satisfy users even more, which leads to increase in customers’ loyalty.

These value propositions are specifically targeting on performance of both sites, accessibility and convenience or usability. The two of them work supportively, where both of them are connected, so when a Facebook user wants to go directly to an Instagram profile user, they can just click on the availability of Instagram link on their timeline (when someone posted something on Instagram and they connect the account with Facebook), which also offer convenience.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/business/2012/04/201249183331607267.html

Social medias are one of the key success of a business. Through them, a lot of companies take the chances to put their products (goods and services) to be well-known by people. The most wanted social media for this kind of advertisement is no other than Facebook. With its share price that most of the time increasing and billions of people use Facebook, companies believed that Facebook will increase their sales and revenue streams.

However, on the other side of Facebook, Widya Purnawan’s blog stated how twitter affects and increases Apple’s market capitalization, which I disagree with it although it happened already. Twitter can be said that its interest is less than Facebook. Its users are also not as many as Facebook has. This eventually suggested that it’s better to work together with Facebook rather than Twitter, although Twitter also have the potential to grow.

With a condition where Twitter unveiling its IPO, this might be the reason why Carl C. Icahn forced Twitter to make a big payouts to investors and therefore, Twitter guaranteed of boosting up Apple’s market capitalization.

At the mean time, Twitter may help to increase Apple’s advertising process. However, it is a lot beneficial if Apple cooperates with a social media that interacts with more people rather than promise of getting “upgraded”.

Who does not know Apple? A company that stands out with its production of more than one type or product, which can be called as product mix. It offers laptop (macbook), iMac, iPhone, iPod, iPad, and now it came back with an innovated idea of iPad, which is iPad mini with retina display.

Apple seems operating and developing through Business Technology Management (BTM) to produce iPad mini with retina display. Seeking towards customers’ needs of “more modern and sophisticated” technology, they managed to establish a decision of applying the new concept that they had before with MacbookPro. Although how the new iPad works is still the same (including the software), the new specifications create a new point of view such as thinner, lighter, sharper, and faster processor. By that, it increases customers’ interest on purchasing, as well as fulfilling their demands on having something different and new. Apple introduces iPad mini with retina display (video)

According to many reviews, this product also simply out with convenience where purchasers are able to get it at London Drugs and Future Shop, provided with choices of provider. They also offer shipping service, which ease customers to get one.

Source: http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/11/12/ipad-mini-with-retina-display-available-today/

Everyone knows that Samsung and Apple are bounded in a conflict of patent case. A year ago, California jury decided that Samsung needed to pay over $1 billion in damages. However, the statement was renewed the price tag and leave about $450 million of the original award, but still remained in doubt. Another situation, the jury is still in a situation on whether Samsung has to pay for Apple’s lost profits too or they need to pay royalties for every single device that has been sold, carrying the features covered by the patents. Jury’s document on Samsung and Apple (DOC)

Although problems within companies have not been solved yet, they are still competing in the market. Samsung may be said “copying” Apple’s idea, but in fact, a lot of customers preferred to buy Samsung instead of Apple after and before knowing that Samsung “stole” Apple’s ideas. This refers that customers’ preferences are not depending on situation of the company, but into how the company advertises its products and offer different features with the same or more advantages and lower prices. Hence, this case eventually sees the customers’ loyalty towards a firm. When customers obtained what they deserved after being ‘loyal’, they will set their preference.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/technology/jury-to-decide-how-much-more-samsung-must-pay-apple-in-patent-case.html?src=recg

Competition through airlines have been strictly increasing. A lot of offers approaching the customers, where they can get satisfaction in just paying low price tickets. Lufthansa, as one of the airlines, was forced to “remove” their first class offer due to weak demand on most routes.

Lufthansa prefers to focused on earning revenues from premium cabins instead of maintaining high-priced first class seat, which will eventually save up until $68 million. This strategy of seeking low cost success has been a right decision. Lufthansa seeks low cost success (Video) Why? Instead of helping the firm to reduce costs, it helps to boost up the selling tickets and to accelerate the break-even point of selling business or premium tickets – after experiencing loss towards the first class offers. Looking up towards the production costs, which reaching millions US dollar, it might takes times and in a need of selling high volume of tickets to increase the sales revenue.

With the incoming profit after its break-even point , Lufthansa promised to upgrade its airplane as a whole, providing major fleet upgrade and satisfy customers even more in the future.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-04/lufthansa-finds-first-class-seats-dont-always-pay#r=nav-r-story

Who does not know Twitter? It is a well known social media, which particularly ‘competing’ in a same field with Facebook and LinkedIn. It allows people to tweet – which basically telling their followers what they are doing or reveal their feeling, promote, and any other necessary activities that other social medias do.

On Thursday October 3rd, Twitter unveiled its financial statement, filed up IPO documents of going public. This ‘surprising’ decision was made due to seeking of $1b revenue and increase its market value.  However, in the mean time, the biggest competitor among every single online social media is Facebook. Twitter is just being – can be said – the available ‘substitution’ if people sometimes looking for another ‘fun’.

In this case, instead of financial problem as the barrier of entry to the ‘most-wanted-people’s-social-media’, Facebook as the rivalry becomes the subject that Twitter needs to focus on. With the same purposes, Twitter needs to develop its point of different to increase its value and attract more users, although twitter has managed to have larger number of celebrities users rather than Facebook, which can be said as one of the points of difference that Twitter currently have.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/10/twitter-unveils-highly-anticipated-ipo-filing-201310321328267397.html

Smartphones competition has been becoming a central concentration in the technology field, concerning innovative markets that keep on offering attractive and multifunctional types of phone. Blackberry, who was succeeded in attracting people’s attention in 2009, began to acquiesce the fact that Samsung and Apple are taking control over the world’s interest. Decreasing in blackberry users (Video)

After went through possible reasons of having this loss, it can be deduced that it is cause of the high competition and decreasing in customers’ loyalty. By the arrival of more up-to-date versions, people will choose to have newest model with extra features of social networking, in which Apple and Samsung provide more compared to Blackberry – since in a rage of teenagers until adults contribute most of their times in cyberspace. Hence, Blackberry who does not satisfy what current customers’ needs, gradually stepping back, which giving impact of 4500 workers’ dismissal and estimated loss of $1 billion.

In order to maintain its position like what it was, Blackberry needs to keep on developing its products, until people found higher values on it compared to Apple and Samsung. It has to come up with something different, not only media for social networking, but also special features that any other smartphones have never offered.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2013/09/201392111625703162.html

A relationship between employers, employees and customers is the most crucial component in businesses and need to be well-maintained in any kind of situations, both inside and outside the business environment, where respecting each other is the most vital thing to do. One thing that should be remembered in any kind of business: customers are the king and always right.

Wal-Mart fired an employee on purpose, who disrespectfully criticizing Muslim customers on Facebook. He posted a comment; “Halloween came early this year. … Do they really have to… dress like that,” on a picture of Muslim women wearing their traditional dress.

This immoral and unethical act has been found out by the company and they take it as a very serious problem. By the fact that it is related to the main objectives of a successful business, Wal-Mart has done an ethically right decision. As a firm who is responsible for the issue, instead of respecting the customers, they increased the value of morality, the attitude of being discipline and professional . Their decision on firing an uncommitted worker will improve the reputation, customer loyalty, as well as the environment of the working area.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/05/wal-mart-fires-employee-at-western-ny-store-over-facebook-posting-criticizing/