We humans currently live in a world where smart phones are indispensable to our lives. Due to other smart phones who hold a great amount of the market shares, (iphone, nokia, sumsung and motorola), competition is obviously very high. In these past years blackberry attempted to distinguish themselves. Their main focus was on e-mail, calendar and communication features making it optimal for busy businessmen. In addition their focus was for corporate users, promoting their high measures of security and reliability. However this morning, it was reported that users have been cut off and all communications have been disrupted. If faults like this continue, blackberry may lose trust in the market.

However, more recently, Research in Motion is starting to change its target market to high-end consumers who will perhaps buy the device for leisure as well as for work. This means its principle will start to overlap with other smart phone devices. Blackberry’s uniqueness was its keypad – enabling users to type quicker, however now they are slowly integrating a non-keypad phone. Although the market for smart phones is highly competitive, I believe blackberrys should still stick to its original motto and stay focused to its more appreciated buyers.

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There have been recent revelations of death from overwork in Japan. Japanese companies have therefore started to regulate business ethics, yet ethical issues are still prominent. It is said that businessmen in Japan work up to sixteen hours a day, while having to meet their bosses demands. Although their diligence and patience are not much appreciated, businessmen continue to work with a slight aspiration to be promoted, for a better living. It is stated that “Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the survey take fewer　than 10 days of vacation a year” (Los Angeles Times).

Owing to the old customs in the Japanese business world, businessmen are naturally inclined to introduce themselves by their name followed by their rank in which ever company they work in. The nature of the business world in Japan is perhaps creating this pressure of having to be elite.  However is it the society which created such working environment that should hold the blame of workers dying from overtime? Is it a question of companies having to reconsider their policies? Or is it an ethical decision made by the individual to exceed their limits to work more.