New Advertisement Strategy for Facebook?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

As winnieng has suggested, this new form of advertising called the “mobile app install ads” has brought convenience to the growing and developing individual businesses on facebook. You could get an advertisement installed just by copying and pasting your app’s Google Play or Apple App Store URL in to the Ads Creat Tool, and facebook will help you advertise your company in the facebook world. With this new strategy, facebook is encouraging startup businesses to expand on social networking sites by collaborating with facebook. This is a very effective way to create new revenue streams for facebook because it is easy and relatively affordable, and reach out to more businesses as they recognize the power of Facebook and what they can accomplish through mobile advertising apps.

Snapchat Turns Down Multi-Billion Offer

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

As mentioned in josephlee’s blog, Snap Chat has turned down a multi-billion offer from Facebook and anticipates to raise money at a $3.6 Billion valuation. Snap Chat is an application that allows users to send videos and pictures for up to 10 seconds to selected individuals on their contact list. However, these photos/videos will display only once and then disappear and become untraceable forever. Despite the limited time and usage, snapchat has become one of the top grossing apps downloaded on the App Store, competing head to head with more detailed and complexed social apps like Candy Crush and Instagram. Snapchat has a very interesting concept that is unique to the app market, and offers its target market the convenience of navigating through the app with the simplicity of a swipe of your finger. It is not to my surprise that Snapchat turned down the multi-billion offer.

Electronic Currency Breakthrough: World’s first Bitcoin ATM goes live in Vancouver

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

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On Tuesday October 29, 2013, the world’s first Bitcoin machine was built at Waves Coffee in Downtown Vancouver. Bitcoins are transferred through a peer-to-peer network and transactions appear on a public ledger that is accessible to all who use the currency, allowing people to exchange Canadian cash for the digital currency at a current rate of $211.79 per Bitcoin. Users must first set up a digital wallet, which gets managed through an app. The purpose of Bitcoin is to make electronic payments faster and easier- it would effectively decrease the transferring fee from people who want to transfer currency to another person in a different country. It will also significantly decrease the transferring time of any fund. Bitcoins is taking electronic currency to the next level; with its fast access and easy transfers it has effectively spread to other businesses in the lcoal Vancouver community. As of today, about 16 Vancouver area merchants accept Bitcoin.

Nintendo President encourages competition from PS4 and Xbox One

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

“The added competition of the PS4 and Xbox One is good for the Wii U because the industry becomes “energized” as a whole.” Says Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who believes that while the two other consoles will be targeting a hardcore gamer base, the Nintendo will always receive interest from any party because of its longevity, and the return of classic characters. While other companies will launch new consoles and intensify the competition for Nintendo, Iwata wonders if the target user will actually be the same. The new games that will be soon available for Wii U (eg. Super Mario 3D World, Wii Party U etc) is targeted more toward family use, and Nintendo is targeting those who bought Wii and would be interested in the Wii U offerings. This is slightly different from what Playstation and Xbox are doing, where their new consoles are targeting a “hardcore gamer base”. Therefore, the launch of other video game systems is also good for us because they energize the video game industry as a whole.

54-year-old White Man shoots Black Teen in the face for “Self Defense”

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

Renisha McBride, a 19-year-old teenage girl was shot in the face by a 54-year-old man in his front porch in Detroit, Michigan, on the night of November 2nd, 2013. The lost teenager was seeking for help after having been involved in a car crash on the street nearby. The homeowner said he had feared a burglary, but civil rights leaders are demanding justice. Michigan is one of few US states with a “stand your ground law”, which allows the use of deadly force if a person feels their life is in danger. The case has attracted the attention of civil rights leader the Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Michigan congressman John Conyers. This article is a clear example of the unsolved issue associated with racism and discrimination. It boggles my mind that if the same incident were to happen except instead with a caucasian female, would the homeowner have reacted differently to the situation and as a result sparing the life that he would’ve took if it was a black woman?

The homeowner was charged with second degree murder and manslaughter.

Obama’s Health Law Fix

Posted on November 18, 2013 by katrinagao

President Barack Obama recently announced a one-year reprieve for Americans facing cancelled insurance coverage under his healthcare law. “I completely get how upsetting this can be for a lot of Americans… To those Americans, I hear you loud and clear.” Says Obama in response to the angry Americans who raised their concerns of the rollout. The white house announced that there were about one million Americans who successfully registered on the health care but were either unqualified for a health care plan or did not find a plan that was suited for them. Another problem has been individual Americans who received letters from their insurers that they may be loosing their old plans because they no longer meet the law’s requirements for basic benefits prescriptions drugs. In Obama’s attempt to make the health plan more affordable for all Americans, he announced to make an extension of the Grandfather Clause for both the people who’s plans have changed since the law took effect, and people who bought the plans since the laws took effect. Insurers can extend current plans that would otherwise be cancelled into 2014 and Americans whos plans have been cancelled can choose to re-enrol in the same kind of plan.

Crisis averted: Sriracha shutdown on hold

Posted on November 17, 2013 by katrinagao

Earlier October, there was a fast spreading article that alerted the shutting down of the Huy Fong Foods Sriracha hot sauce factory located in Irwindale, CA, due to the complaints of the residents in the nearby communities. Several of the city’s residents said the smell caused their eyes and throats to burn. According to the Los Angeles Times, a judge ruled on Halloween that the hot sauce factory has until a Nov. 22 hearing to determine whether the factory was causing a public nuisance in violation of a municipal code. Fortunately, the stay of execution gives Huy Fong Foods enough time to finish the chile harvest and processing period to make enough rooster sauce for the next year. In my opinion, Huy Fong Foods should consider building a factory in a more deserted area, away from the city where the smell would not affect too many residents. The chances are, that the residents of Irwindale who were complaining about the smell of the chilli are a fan of their hot sauce products as well, but were only concerned for their children and the elderly residents who could not stand the smell.

Toronto Mayor Admits to Smoking Crack Cocaine

Posted on November 17, 2013 by katrinagao

Afterr five months of denying his drug abuse scandal, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford finally admits to smoking crack in a video that was leaked earlier this year. “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,” Ford states to the press in a media conference in November, “I’ve made mistakes.. all I can do is apologize and move on.” However, the Mayor’s behaviour has been inconsistent with what he is telling to the public. Earlier this week, Ford apologized for several incidents where he got “hammered” in public while he was mayor, promising to “curb” his drinking. During the summer, he told reporters he had smoked “a lot” of marijuana, but did not go into details. I was genuinely stunned by Ford’s reluctance to resign or step down, as he has failed to take responsibility of his actions and properly represent the city of Toronto. In my opinion, this is an ethics issue and may cause internal conflict and ruckus within the community.Rob Ford: “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine”

Marc Jacobs leaving Louis Vuitton

Posted on October 8, 2013 by katrinagao

Marc Jacobs, an American fashion designer, recently ended his 16 year partnership with Louis Vuitton to prepare for an initial public offering. WIth the LV stock market rising (currently up +0.38%), it was quite a risk for Jacobs to leave a long term non-renewable contract with one of the world’s leading luxury-goods industry. Chairman and Chief Officer, Michael Burke, explains in an interview that “[Luis Vuitton is] doing what’s good for Marc and the future of his company, Marc’s wish is to take it to the next level.”. Jacobs owns only part ownership of his brand, Marc Jacobs, where most of the ownership belongs to LV. With that being said, Jacob insists on developing his own brand in isolation of LV in order to distinguish difference in style and to target a more specific target market. However, Jacob rest assures the public that he is leaving on a good note by ending his fashion show with a model with Louis Vuitton painted all over her body. His exit validates that the brand is more important than any one person. Furthermore, LV is considering hiring former Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière, to give Vuitton a new burst of creativity.

Toys R Us facing sexism claims

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Toys R Us, one of the leading toy retailers in the world has recently bowed to anti-sexist marketing demands and therefore discontinued all gender labelling for its products. While targeting gender specific consumer groups will create inclusiveness for girls and boys, it has come to a concern of most adults that such marketing strategy is subconsciously encouraging the idea of sexism to children. Let Toys Be Toys is a consumer group representing thousands of shoppers who are campaigning for this issue. Megan Perryman, one of the campaigners proclaimed “Even in 2013, boys and girls are still growing up being told that certain toys are for them, while others are not. This is not only confusing but extremely limiting as it strongly shapes their ideas about who they are and who they can go on to be”. On this note, Toys R Us takes immediate action without any hesitation or delay. This business ethics issue demonstrates the power of the consumers in guiding large companies like Toys R Us into changing one of its prolonged policies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Delmar-Morgan, Alex. “Toys R US to stop marketing its toys by gender in wake of sexism claims.” The Independent. September 4, 2013.