RE: blog.intuit.com’s “7 Ways to Cut Your Workplace Water Bills” by Jan Fletcher.
Going through my daily (or may I say “late-night”-ly) internet browsing, I came across this particular business blog, Intuit. The writers of blog.intuit.com offer many different topics including marketing, business strategies and tips, social media, money, and many, many more. I clicked around the blog site and found the blog post “7 Ways to Cut Your Workplace Water Bills” quite interesting.
I found that this article ties in quite nicely with November 13’s Sustainability lecture in COMM101. Jan Fletcher describes seven tips to cut down water bill costs, which in turn will not only save money but also contribute to water conservation.
Here’s a rundown on the seven ways Jan offers:
- Discuss water use with new hires.
- Take advantage of incentives for water-saving technology.
- Tap water utilities for conservation ideas.
- Trade greener grass for cash.
- Calculate the cost of ongoing leaks.
- Consider alternatives to water for cleaning tasks.
- Join forces with others who support your efforts.
Reading the several ways that Jan Fletcher suggested made me think of even more ideas and expanding on the above seven ways, including reusing rainwater collected from the roof, and recycling old water from unused office mugs. What are other ways that you can think of? I find that Jan has compiled a very good list.
Regarding the blog in general, I definitely recommend to check it out, as the blog is intriguing to read, and has an array of different topics to appeal to any reader.
One Mistake Changes All
One major mistake by this once top aspirational brand and now they’re slipping down in sales.
Coach is experiencing downfalls in sales, and even Wall Street is “hedging its bets” on the company. What did they do wrong, you might ask? Luxury retail expert and president of Unity Marketing, Pam Danzinger states that Coach neglected their outlet stores and ultimately, “Coach overestimated how much its customers would spend, and priced its items too high“. This immediately made me think back to the article we had to read in COMM101 regarding Google and missing their expectations, due to releasing their third-quarter results early.
It shows that missing estimations are crucial. Coach now has to lower their pricing in order to appeal to consumers.
The decline in the popularity of Coach even shows out at the mall. Just a year ago, one would look left to right and see at least three Coach purses, but nowadays, it seems rare to see any bags from Coach. People have lost interest in the brand due to its high pricing and would rather buy other luxury products, like Michael Kors.
This definitely makes me wonder what the future will be like for this luxury brand, and whether or not they can revive their status. I’ll be following up on this issue for sure.
Original Article: Lutz, Ashley. “Coach Is Slipping Fast, And It Can All Be Traced To One Major Mistake.” Business Insider. 22 October 2012 Web. 17 November 2012. <http://www.businessinsider.com/coach-is-losing-its-value-2012-10>
Vancouver Downtown Eastside: “Open” for business
I came about a Globe and Mail article that mentioned Save-On-Meats and immediately remembered the COMM101 lecture about “social entrepreneurship”.
The article explained the new breath of life into the neighbourhood of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver; entrepreneurs and housing development were venturing into the declining area.
What really stood out from the article for me was “…[merchants] see opportunities to be enterprising because of cheaper leases, spruced-up buildings and, generally, a vibrant, youthful environment.” The word “opportunities” and social entrepreneurship goes hand in hand, and the fact that merchants, themselves, realize they see potential in such an area is brilliant. Together, the businesses who saw this opportunity have started to overcome the “outdated notions of a seedy area in decline”.
It also stated that in 2005, nearly 35% of the area on Hastings Street was an empty storefront, but the vacancy rate dropped to 13% by April 2012. This statistic reminded me that since there are more businesses in town, there’s more opportunities for people in the area to become employed, resulting in more people off the streets and hopefully, on to a better life. I believe there’s definitely a new hope for the Downtown Eastside.
I’d love to visit Save-On-Meats and experience the place in person, and it’d be an extra treat to actually get to talk to the owner and hear about his stories and future goals.
Original Article: Jang, Brent. “Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is open for business.” The Globe and Mail. 13 November 2012 Web. 15 November 2012. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/vancouvers-downtown-eastside-is-open-for-business/article5265614/>
Tom Dobrzanski – Bringing Together Passion and Business
The Zolas: Tom Dobrzanski (piano) & Zachary Gray (vocals/guitar).
Recently, Sauder graduate, Tom Dobrzanski, now a producer, engineer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and keyboardist for The Zolas, came to speak to my COMM101 lecture. It was truly a treat to hear someone who was able to combine his passion for music and business, speak about how he began his career.
After listening to him speak, I was extremely intrigued to find out more about him, and how he started up. I’ve definitely heard of a few of the bands that he produced for, including Hey Ocean!, We are the City, and Said the Whale. Just started searching up their songs, including The Zolas, and I actually really like it!
Hearing him speak about how he started his studio (Vertical Studios), made me think about what I could do with the passions I love.
This opportunity of meeting so many influential people, including Tom Dobrzanski, made me realize the many advantages of coming to Sauder, and I will definitely try take advantage of a lot of these occasions.
Here are a few songs you can enjoy:
The Zolas, You’re Too Cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPF1qjkDOsY&feature=related
We Are The City, Astronomers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5GOIYj5giI
Said the Whale, Loveless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oSyfW7Ci1E
RE: My Two Dollar’s Blog Post “Be Frugal, But Don’t Be A Cheap Bastard”
Visit “My Two Dollars” for more blog posts!
I came about the personal financial blog, My Two Dollars, whilst in the search for a perfect external blog. I browsed through the site, and found a lot of the articles quite interesting, majority of the posts being about saving money. In particular, I found the post “Be Frugal, But Don’t Be A Cheap Bastard” engaging, thoughtful and just, different. The blogger, David, reminds us that “money can be replaced – life cannot. Don’t be a cheap bastard when it comes to the important stuff in life.”
“Being frugal is one thing, but not spending a dime…means you are missing out on your sole purpose of being on this earth – living.” – David, My Two Dollars
And I completely agree with the main message he’s giving. This post made me think about the important things I’ve missed recently to save money, including the missed opportunities that have been presented to me the past 3 months of university. I have to remember that the fun and interactive components of university, that will benefit my experience, is also important of my university life.
I do realize that My Two Dollars isn’t exactly a ‘business’ blog – the posts are quite helpful in the sense that they give you tips for money-saving, but they’re also thought-provoking. Definitely check out the post “Be Frugal, But Don’t Be A Cheap Bastard”, it is certainly worth the read.
If you have read the blog post, I’d like to know your thoughts on whether it’s worth it to save money, or to splurge occasionally to spend time with those who are important in your life?
To Name or Not to Name
Fukyu Sushi Bar. Image courtesy of powerbuzz.org
Fukyu Sushi Bar located in Montreal has been ordered to change their name to something more inoffensive.
The restaurant name, ‘Fukyu’, was named after a type of kata practiced in Japanese martial arts. The restaurant owners chose the name not only because of its origin, but because they thought it would help the restaurant stick out amongst the many, many sushi bars in the city, which indeed it did.
However, nearby companies and even potential tenants were beginning to complain about the inconvenience and inappropriateness of the name.
I do understand both sides of the situation, though. As said in the article, it’s clearly inappropriate for businesses, such as a funeral service, to say they are ‘two doors down from Fukyu’. But nevertheless, the sushi business just wanted to leave a lasting impression on customers for potential returns to their restaurant.
What I would like to know is: At what point does a name become too inappropriate, and what other factors should companies keep in mind when creating a name?
Original Article: Lampert, Allison. “Fukyu sushi bar in Côte des Neiges forced to change ‘inappropriate’ name .” The Gazette. 14 September 2012 Web. 07 October 2012 <http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Fukyu+sushi+C%C3%B4te+Neiges+forced+change+inappropriate+name/7239040/story.html>
RE: Nathania Ho’s “Facebook Needs To Earn Your Trust”
How much of our posts are kept confidential?
In response to Nathania Ho’s blog post regarding Facebook and user’s confidentiality, I don’t agree that Facebook should have that responsibility to keep information that the users, who personally choose to put publicly, private.
Prior to making ones Facebook account official, Facebook kindly asks their to-be users of the social network to agree to their Terms of Service, which include the fact that whatever the users post onto the site will be a part of Facebook’s property forever, even after deleting the account. Here it states at #4, that you’ve given up copyright control of your material, and they give the example that if you were to upload a picture, Facebook could potentially copy it and sell it without your permission as well as paying you a cent. [1]
I do agree that it is not ethical at all that Facebook would do so, but it is our choice to what would be posted as well as our responsibility to read through that lengthy Terms of Service before agreeing. I’m sure that many hastily accept the agreement and, without thought, post whatever they liked, because they believed that their privacy was protected.
Read Nathania Ho’s original blog post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/nathaniaho/2012/09/13/facebook-needs-to-earn-your-trust/
References:
[1] http://www.legalandrew.com/2007/07/21/facebook-and-the-law-8-things-to-know/
Twitter: A New Meaning
Are you on Twitter?
According the article in the Globe and Mail, the Canadian corporate and elite initially critiqued Twitter as an embarrassment. They worried that it would upset clients or even worst, lead to leaks of confidential information. However, they began to realize that it wasn’t just a site for irrelevant posts about the type of sandwich you ate for lunch, but it has become something that can offer real value to businesses.
I find that using Twitter would help businesses mutually know what is going on between them and other businesses. As Som Seif said in the article, “It’s not just useless conversations or thoughts; it’s a information aggregator, tailored to publish whatever you find the most interesting.” I agree completely, you’ll not only learn about what is relevant to yourself and your interests, you’ll also be more aware of pop culture. Twitter also features a “Discover” tab that tailors news that is happening now just for yourself.
What are your opinions on businesses venturing out and using Twitter?
Original Article: Kiladze, Tim. “Once a sideshow, Twitter finds a following in corporate Canada.” The Globe and Mail. 03 October 2012 Web. 06 October 2012 <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/the-law-page/once-a-sideshow-twitter-finds-a-following-in-corporate-canada/article4587488/>
RE: Kelly Gu’s “The new e-tool: SocialFollow”
I discovered through Kelly Gu’s blog that SocialFollow is yet another social media that links together all your social networks into one place.
Which one would you choose?
The public is bombarded with different websites that do basically the same exact thing, and to get people to notice their differences we have to keep in mind the point of differences that each website is offering. For example, TweetDeck and Sprout Social are both services that help link together all your social network profiles. However, their differences include that Sprout Social is a paid service but they also monitor and analyze your business data and let you know the effectiveness of your marketing, while TweetDeck is a free social media management site but doesn’t offer the same features as other paid services in the market. [1]
As for what Kelly asks: “How many are interested in the analytics [that SocialFollows features] such as how much they had tweeted in the past week?”, in a business’s point of view, I’d say it’s not the amount of tweets people make that is significant, but rather more of how active social media users are and how a business can use this information to develop a new market strategy. There are studies [2] that show the importance of analytic information and in turn, business could use the information to create new strategies.
Read Kelly Gu’s original blog post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/kellysongmeigu/2012/09/29/the-new-e-tool-socialfollows/
References:
[1] http://www.dreamgrow.com/the-five-best-tools-to-put-all-of-your-social-networks-in-one-place/
Business Ethics: Nokia’s Misleading Ad Video
The smartphone maker, Nokia Oyj, is under fire for misleading marketing for the Lumia 920 smartphone. As Nokia attempts to bring back sales with their new devices that was unveiled just last week, an ethics officer will conduct a report to explain what happened with their marketing.
Nokia has been competing with other companies’ software in order to revive their profits. Nokia’s new smartphone, Lumia 920, featured an 8.7-megapixel camera with floating lens that uses software for image stablization. Nokia used video advertising as a means to promote the camera technology, however, the ad also caught the reflection in a window of a large white van with lighting equipment and a camerman filming from the door. We were given the assumption that the video was shot by the Lumia 920, which Nokia never claimed that was the case.
This mis-hap for Nokia will not only do the opposite of Nokia’s intentions of bringing up sales, it’ll also reflect poorly upon the company’s image and customer’s trust will decrease greatly.
Watch the video advertisment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfBtca08gF0&feature=related
Original Article:
Ewing, Adam. “Nokia to Conduct Ethics Review Into Misleading Ad Video.” Bloomberg News. 10 September 2012. Web. 11 September 2012 <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-10/nokia-to-conduct-ethics-review-about-misleading-ads>