Reading Harvard’s business blog, I realized how important a marketing strategy is when attracting customers. Slogans and phrases can lure consumers, but can also discourage consumers. One of the examples that were mentioned was Diet Coke. For many years, Coca-Cola wanted to steer men to drink Diet Coke, but it failed because of the perception of Diet Coke being women’s product. Later Coca-Cola launched Coke Zero packaged in black cans using male-centric marketing strategy and it became more popular than Diet Coke.

I realized how men tend to not consume products that are related to women such as Lululemon or Vitamin water. A shaving brand, Gillette had to make a separate brand name for women products because it affected male consumers. Another example that I found was Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper Ten, a 10 calorie soft drink made a slogan “not for women” while making Diet Dr Pepper’s marketing to be women-friendly.

I have learned that when marketing a certain product, you have to know your target market and try to make ad campaigns that are related to that customer segment. Because once a brand image is built it is hard to change and decisions depend a lot on commercials and media.

“Frothy Frivolous Blog Stuffs.” : A Coca Cola Comparison: Regular Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

“Should Men’s Products Fear a Woman’s Touch?” — HBS Working Knowledge. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

I recently came across Catherine Chang’s blog on Google’s future plans. It said Google is planning several new projects to increase profit and market themselves more. Catherine also mentioned Google works to incorporate technology into business. But, I believe does more. Google also creates shared value with the world by giving back to communities. In the articlethat Catherine referenced, I was able to find an interesting project, Project Loon. Since Google depends on users having fast Internet connections, Google tries to provide Internet to poorer communities. They float balloons into the stratosphere and create signals; so more people can access Google as well. I think this is a profitable way to give back to the community and help improve the lives of others.

Betabeat is another article that shows Google’s attempt to create shared value. For the victims of Hurricane Sandy, Google has donated 17,000 Nexus tablets to the town’s senior centres and libraries. I support Google doing this because I think that technology can contribute to the society by providing education and a way to communicate. But doing this after a year I wonder if it can bring a big difference.

“Google’s Seven New FrontiersAdd to …” The Globe and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

“BetaBeat.” Betabeat Googles Idea of Giving Back Is Donating 17000 Nexus Tablets to Victims of Hurricane Sandy a YearLater Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

Responding to Avani Karadkhedkar’s question, “will there be a time somewhere in the future that human interaction will decrease?” I think there will be a time that technology causes a disconnection between all people.

In today’s generation, there are more people texting than having conversations in person. It looks like more and more people are moving away from face-to-face interactions to technology-based communications. Looking at the trend of this generation, I do not think the next generations are going to stop using technology as their conversation tools.

Since mobile devices have become part of everyone’s life, without it gives people mental distress and confusion. In a recent survey, 54% of the respondents said they would pick up the phone while eating dinner and 57% said they would answer the phone while going to the washroom.

Like Avani mentioned technology is an addictionwhich is similar to drug cravings. People really need to stop relying on technology to do everything for them and not let itdominate them.

Granderson, LZ, and The Opinions Expressed in This Commentary Are Solely Those of LZ Granderson. “Do You Remember Your Mom’s Phone Number?” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

The innovation of technology allowing us to pay electronically and purchase unique products gave the vending machine industry the opportunity to step up.

In Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Ross placed several unique shoe vending machines. Consumers were content with the new way of buying shoes. When their heels start to hurt, they can simply walk up to a machine, put in some money, and instantly get a pair of shoes.  Technology has made the size of the US vending machine industry to grow over the past decade, making more than $40 billion a year.

I think the industry will continue to grow for many reasons. Vending machines are convenient and easily approachable. It is efficient because it is open 24/7 and there are no line-ups. Also, the cost of this industry is fairly low compared to other direct stores because there is no labour cost and the start-up cost is low. Plus, consumers love being able to get what they want when they want it.

“Page 11 The Biggest Trends in Business for 2013 | Entrepreneur.com.” Entrepreneur. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.

Manufacturing of the spicy condiment is one of the 10 fastest growing industries in the U.S shown in April research firm IBISWorld. About 5,500 people got into 218 different sauce companies in 2013. In addition, the average revenue of a sauce company jumped 9.3 percent per year in the last decade.  Thousands of cuisines are now making their own spicy blends are creating new sauces and tastes.

In my opinion technology has changed so much of people’s life style. Being exposed to international foods such as Korean chilli paste and Mexican salsas, consumer’s tastes changed from sweet ketchup to spicy hot sauce.  With the technology we have customers are able to find goods online it is easier to market businesses and promote new products.  Unique and international foods are becoming a new trend. It is amazing to see another country enjoying the same food as yours. Technology creates so many new opportunities and finds easier ways to communicate and come together.

“Page 7 The Biggest Trends in Business for 2013 | Entrepreneur.com.” Entrepreneur. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

Why do you think some employees are hard to manage and why is it that it is hard to motivate them to work harder? Here is one of the best tips to create good relationships with your employees:

 To retain employees, give them a meaningful career path.

Remind your employees that they can grow within your company by providing them with opportunities and discussing their potentials with them. Try to mention all the benefits that your company can bring to each employee and try to challenge him or her once every few weeks to let him or her improve and grow.

I think that by having good relationships with employees can make a company grow a lot faster. If an employee sees and understands the vision and the goal of the company then they will work harder to reach those goals and try to be part of them. Being a part of the company, they can identify with the company and have dreams and hopes, which can motivate them to improve.  This would also reduce absenteeism and turnovers by making employees want to come to work.

“Lead Your Employees Somewhere Positive and Other Must-Read Business Tips.” Entrepreneur. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

Apple has ended Coca-Cola’s 13-year run as world’s most valuable brand on Interbrand with its brand value being assessed at $98.3 billion.

Interbrand specializes in vast brand services including company’s financial performance, brand strategy and management.

Apple burst out its potential, as much for its way of becoming a cultural institution as for the products themselves. Apple has not only made the world technology step up, but also made its own kind of technology from ipods to macbooks.

“Every so often a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why Apple now ranks number 1,”said Jez Frampton, CEO of Interbrand. Apple went from 36^th place in 2000 to the top spot in 2013.

Not only apple, but other technology companies like Samsung, Intel, Google and Mircrosoft increased their brand values.

It is interesting to see how all the top companies are technologies related. Nowadays people are looking for more convenience and entertainment and technology brings you these. This makes me wonder why most top ten brands are related to technology and how the world changed so much in one decade.

Shankland, Stephen. “Apple Bumps Coca-Cola to Become World’s Top Brand.” CNET News. CBS Interactive, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

AmazonFresh is a branch of the Amazon.com American online company in Seattle, Washington. It came up with the business model of online groceries with home delivery service. AmazonFresh offering an online grocery offered many consumers convenience and variety.  With a lot of demands from outside of Seattle, the company managed to expand its grocery business outside Seattle like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Amazon’s expansions are a threat to other grocery stores such as Safeway, Target, Whole Foods and Walmart. They fear that the number one grocery leader will change to AmazonFresh

Since groceries have been known to be difficult for online retailers because it can easily get damaged and expire, AmazonFresh also hopes to sell its high-margin goods like electronics. AmazonFresh also make sures to deliver their products within one day.

Amazon is well known for its online market and is an established brand. With its costumer loyalty, people are more likely to trust the quality of their products and shift from going to traditional markets to AmazonFresh. AmazonFresh allows consumers to save time and avoid crowds especially during special events or holidays. It also stops compulsive shopping. Many times when we go shopping, it might me temping to buy other goods that we do not need and compromise on our choices because of the market not having a certain product, but AmazonFresh helps with it.

Quebec would become the only province in North America to enforce a ban of religious clothing for public employees at hospitals, schools and parliaments under a “Charter of Values”. If the bill gets through, the plan would apply to hijabs, kippas, and turbans worn by large group of religious citizens.

This act would cause career-faith dilemma on judges, police, teachers, hospital workers and even employees working at liquor stores. The reaction of citizens suggests the plan will not pass in its present form. It might be get weaker or stay the same for later elections when Parti Quebecois seeks a majority government.

The Canadian branch of the human rights organization says the parti Quebecois proposal is against Canada’s freedom of expressing one’s religion.  The federal government announced that it will seek the advice of Canadian human rights organization and head to court if the proposal is thought to violate fundamental rights.

Women who wear the religious headscarf in Quebec have become the centre of feminist arguments in the debate. Dalila Awanda who is studying to become a teacher thinks to reconsider her future plans because of PQ’s values Charter. Many religious female employees protest over the values that PQ presents.

The Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.

The growing gaps between rich and poor around the world in recent years have led millions of young children out of education and into work. As the International Labor Organization estimates that over 215 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 currently work in an illegal, dangerous and exploitative environment. An Indian labour activist, Kaliash Satyarthi set up GoodWeave attempting to liberate hundreds of child labourers. Since consumers demand cheap products, manufacturers employ children with minimal or no pay to bring down costs. On the other hand, the handmade carpet industry is helping to combat this problem and transform the rug industry by certifying child labor free rugs and providing education and opportunities to rescued children.

The GoodWeave is a route for promoting change in the suppliers, but it must also be reinforced by strategies for addressing the cause of child labour. It is important to have a pathway to end an unethical problem, but GoodWeave should enable a place toreconnect children with their communities and to facilitate a long-term child protection.  With the recognition that ending child labour is much more complex than the issue of it alone, more companies should rethink and drive wider changes in their labour. I hope that GoddWeave’s bravery is recognized and the customers will support them.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/aug/15/child-labour-product-certification