James Shaw's Blog

When most people think of Zellers, the following words/phrases come to mind: inferior to Wal-Mart, cheap goods, the color red. Notice how fresh food isn’t on that list?

Adding fresh food won’t be easy for the discount retailer giant, but chief executive officer Mark Foote says they’re ready. Zellers has been struggling to keep up to Wal-Mart, which has been offering fresh food in its superstores for years. The capital required for such a venture is huge – refrigerated storing devices are the most obvious, but there will also be costs involved in new transport mechanisms, and goods will perish if not sold.

Martin Gooch, director of the Value Chain Management Centre, said “It’s a risky strategy… Zellers is not known for food… to do fresh food well is challenging.” (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/zellers-gets-fresh/article1686833/)

So, can Zellers pull it off? Based on the evidence, it is undoubtedly going to be a long, hard road.

No, the Tata Nano is not a new iPod. It’s the infamous $2 500 car made by Tata Motors in India. Its release in March 2009 gave hope to millions of Indians, who previously could not afford a vehicle. The company plans to bring it to North America, but its success here is uncertain.

First off, the car is going to have to meet much higher standards in the West. This is going to raise the price; potentially by enough to make its affordability no longer be its key point of difference. Secondly, since North Americans are much wealthier on average than Indians, there will not be as large of a market. Finally, who wants to drive a cheap version of the Smart Car?

When Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in February, 2004, he had no idea that the site would have 500 million users in only six years. Moreover, I doubt he ever imagined his idea being the subject of a Hollywood movie. The social networking giant is undoubtably the best example of how “plugged in” our world is becoming. Users can post their latest activities, connect with friends from around the world, and voice their opinion on products and services – which is where business comes in.

Companies no longer have the luxury of being able to establish good public relations over the course of years; they must now act quickly to establish a desirable image, and be ready to defend it in an instant. So, what are the implications of this? Most notably, Information Systems professionals are required in just about any field. They can build and run websites, while keeping hackers out.

Research shows that social media isn’t going anywhere any time soon. 60% of U.S. marketers are already using it, and 28% plan to implement it over the next year. For those who are still living in the Stone Age, their number one reason for doing so was due to a lack of knowledge. If your still not convinced, read this.

We all know that place where “a kid can be a kid.” Pizza, arcade games, and that giant mouse with the annoying voice – who wouldn’t want to take their children to such a fun place? But it’s not all fun and games at the multi-million dollar family entertainment centre; according to CBC news (http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/09/15/con-chuck-recall.html), the company is currently recalling 1.2 million toys due to a safety hazard. 1.1 million light-up rings, along with 120 000 pairs of star eye glasses, are being recalled because they have been found to be easily ripped apart, thus giving children access to the tiny batteries inside. Two incidents have already been reported of children swallowing the batteries, and who knows how many more there will be. The fact that the company did not pay close enough attention is clear evidence that they do not care about the well-being of their customers. Chuck E. Cheese’s is offering full refunds for the products, along with four free tokens – an insignificant reparation for putting a million children’s lives at risk.

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