Month: November 2012

This post is a follow up on my post titled BP’s Enormous Oil Spill.

British Petroleum has been fined 4.5 billion in criminal fines and penalties. This fine comes after a lengthy trial process, and this marks the resolution of only one of the many lawsuits filed against BP. For a company like BP, which has profits of around 25 billion a year, a fine of 4.5 billion seems like a slap on the wrist.

It sets an example for many other companies, that carry the chance of environmental harm in the oil driven industries, but i believe for an oil giant like BP it just isn’t enough to teach them a lesson. You just can’t put a price on the lives lost on that oilrig, and the permanent damage caused to that entire ecosystem. This small fine allows BP to shrug off their unethical safety practices to increase their profit. BP has a rough road ahead of them, and maybe future lawsuits may hinder their ability to neglect critical safety measures.

This isn’t the end of the punishment that BP faces, as there are countless lawsuits still pending. 

This post is based on Christian Legazpi’s blog about Suzuki stepping out of the US auto market. Legazpi agrees with Suzuki’s decision to step out of the US automotive industry based on recent performance. He says focusing on their key markets like ATVs will prove to be successful for Suzuki. Suzuki is the perfect example of  a company that failed in expanding out of a market they excelled in, into one they weren’t familiar with. Here is a brief history of Suzuki‘s dominance in the motorcycle industry. As Suzuki entered the new millenium they began to slump due to focus on automobile projects, and it was evident through their declining appeal in the motorcycle market. Through this ranking provided by Motocross Action Mag you can compare the amount of prior Suzuki best motocross bike winners to the winners of the past few years, which are dominated by companies like Yamaha.

I used to own a Suzuki, but ever since their decline and the rise of companies like Yamaha; I decided to switch over to a Yamaha and never looked back.

Suzuki must locate that inner dominance that they once possessed and climb back to the top of the motorcycle industry. 

Many believe these two great names are excellent for initiating a debate between Windows and Macintosh. One must look past this naive debate to witness the true greatness of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both created their illustrious lives through entrepreneurship and managed to create technology that has changed the face of the world. Nearly every household has a personal computer, the views of these great men caused this to be a possibility. “We started out to get a computer in the hands of everyday people, and we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams,” stated Jobs. The characteristics of an entrepreneur were abundant in both Jobs and Gates.

With such prominent entrepreneurs from the baby boomer generation, it will be difficult for anyone to replicate such dominance. Mark Zuckerberg has been immensely successful with Facebook and he has displayed that there is still room for young minds in this realm of entrepreneurial greatness. Only time will tell what brilliant minds will be able to rise to the occasion and become entrepreneurs that shift our way of life.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.” 

It is clear that Coca-Cola has been vastly successful since its founding in 1886. It’s no surprise that investment guru Warren Buffet has amassed an enormous fortune that was partly created by owning Coca-Cola stock. Interbrand rates Coca-Cola number one in terms of the best global brand. Here is a short video about why Warren Buffet believes Coca-Cola is a great business.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQBUzH6iXgM

Coca-Cola will continue to be an excellent business for decades to come. Coca-Cola invests capital in key departments such as IT and Supply Chain Management. With a company investing in these components and growing with the trends of the future it is bound to be successful. I find it extremely interesting how a company with such a simple product has been so successful. If you walk outside your bound to come across Coca-Cola products on every corner of the globe, they aren’t localized. Their ad campaigns are interesting and luring, they make consumers want to feel that refreshing chill of an ice cold Coke. The money Coca-Cola invests is reflective of their success, as they invest in key departments on global scales.

Coca-Cola, the iconic brand that is here to stay.