The United Nations was established after World War II and is “committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights” (un). However, it most cases the UN is involved in the bigger details of the problem and not necessarily with the smaller details. The UN helps out countries by sending disaster relief crews or funds, but it stops there. The UN does not prioritize people’s everyday life in general.

This is where social enterprise or ARC steps in. Social Enterprise is not government run. It aims on helping the lives of individuals in less advanced and less educated countries. The goal is not just to give people in those area money and leave, but it is to feed them with knowledge that will last their lifetime. I know that this is more important than simply giving money or aid reliefs to people. By doing so, people can actually start their own businesses and make a stable income for the years to come. In addition to life long benefits, this also helps people occupy their time and gives the younger generation in that area something worth living for. In my opinion, the ARC program can also encourage youths to plan their future and to develop their countries for the years to come.

“Bodies, History, Visits, Employment, Address, Members, Budget, Information.” UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/>.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity” gets a way-off-Broadway treatment with Machinima Prime’s “Assassin’s Creed: The Musical,” a three-song musical-theater experience that stars real talent from the Great White Way.” (herocomplex).

Assassin’s Creed is a role-playing game that was first introduced to the world in November 2007 owned by Ubisoft. Since its first launch, the series that includes eight main series has “sold over 73 million copies as of April 2014, becoming Ubisoft’s best selling franchise” (Wikipedia).

Every year, the franchise releases a new series that is available on almost every device in the market, ranging from Nokia hand phones all the way to PS4 and PC (Wikipedia). This enables customers to play the game without having to buy a specific console just for it. However, the newest revenue raking market the franchise is attacking is no longer in the gaming industry, but rather in the theater industry.

Since the gaming industry is full of other competitors and Assassin’s Creed may have tapped out most of its gaming customers after being in the market for eight years, expanding into a totally new industry is worth the try. Assassins Creed has now been made into a play. It follows the game’s main events and timeline and presents it in front of a live audience with a live crew. The benefit of doing this is that now both gamers and theater lovers will watch the play. By doing so, Ubisoft will generate revenue from ticket sales and by selling the license to directors who wants to perform the play in front of a paying audience with their own crew.

Phillips, Jevon. “‘Assassin’s Creed: Unity’: Theater and Gaming Collide in Musical Mashup.” Hero Complex Movies Comics Pop Culture Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://herocomplex.latimes.com/games/assassins-creed-unity-theater-and-gaming-collide-in-musical-mashup/>.

“Assassin’s Creed.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 June 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin’s_Creed>.

This year alone ford has “issued five safety recalls covering about 200,000 vehicles in North America due to technical faults” (latimes). This recall involves more than three of its models, including the new F-150 type, and it involves faulty passenger airbag sensor and brake sensitivity.

 I know that a recall is costly in the short run because Ford has to take back all of its faulty vehicles back to its factory and do adjustments to it in order to fix its problems. The transportation cost and labor cost to pull back the vehicles is costly and it is also time consuming. It is not efficient to begin with as it is working on the same car twice. Besides costs, it is also inconvenient for the customers who need to send their cars back, or is it safe even though Ford claims they are “not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect” (latimes).

From the other perspective, I support Ford’s decision to recall their vehicles, as it is better for them to do so in the long run. Even though customers will be burdened to begin with, it will be safer for them in the long run when their cars are fixed. Ford’s decision will improve customer’s loyalty as customers will know that Ford truly cares for their well-being. It will improve Ford’s image and make it more reliable.

Hirsch, Jerry. “Ford Recalls 200,000 Vehicles, including F-150, Flex, Crown Victoria.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ford-f150-flex-recall-20141104-story.html>.

Genetically engineered foods are the next revolutionary step in the food industry. The modified potato in the “U.S.D.A. Approves Modified Potato. Next Up: French Fry Fans”, are bruise resistant and decreases “a chemical called acrylamide, which is suspected of causing cancer in people, is produced when the potato is fried” (nytimes).

The two benefits may sound very appealing to consumers; it is not as appealing to traditional farmers. Traditional farmers are farmers who grow potatoes naturally with natural seeds that do not rely on genetically modified seeds. The reason behind this is that traditional farmers will simply run out of business if everyone suddenly decides to buy the bruise resistant and less cancer-causing potatoes. The genetically modified potatoes will definitely also affect the price of fresh produce and the market equilibrium of potatoes, considering that consumers actually want to buy modified potatoes.

Even though the benefits are very appealing to consumers, consumers may or may not be willing to purchase it. The reason behind this is that consumers are sometimes reluctant to try new things, especially it if has something to do with their food that goes into their system. . Those people who are big in ethics and want to help out local traditional farmers will not be willing to buy engineered potatoes.

The idea of genetically engineered potatoes that can are bruise resistant and healthier is revolutionary, however it is up to the consumers to demand this new product or not that will affect the market of potatoes.

Pollack, Andrew. “U.S.D.A. Approves Modified Potato. Next Up: French Fry Fans.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/business/genetically-modified-potato-from-simplot-approved-by-usda.html?ref=business>.

Garuda Indonesia is Indonesia’s national airline that takes flies people locally and internationally. Since Indonesia is around 90% of Indonesians are Muslims, Garuda Indonesia made the Muslim people their top customer segment.

During the Haj pilgrimage, Garuda Indonesia successfully flew 82,809 haj pilgrims from multiple embarkation points in Indonesia. Having multiple embarkation points is a strong point of difference Garuda has. After living in Indonesia for 17 years, I know other airlines that wants to fly international from other than Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta, has to transit through Jakarta first. The problem with this is that it is time consuming. By having multiple embarkation points Garuda just made it simpler and faster for its customers to travel abroad. Garuda was able to fly 82,809 pilgrims within a month as they effectively allocated their resources and had “six Airbus A330s, four Boeing 747s and one Boeing 777” (jakartapost) for that route.

Another point I am impressed with Garuda is that it was able to achieve a “90.8 percent on-time performance (OTP) rate” (jakartapost). This may not sound like a big deal in countries where flight delays are uncommon, but in Indonesia, delays are common and delays can take up to 4 hours. By achieving a high on-time performance percentage, Garuda improved its own image by simply being reliable.

In my opinion the story behind Garuda Indonesia’s success is not complicated, but basic. Garuda choose the right customer segment to target just by knowing the basic population facts of Indonesia and by simply being on time.

“Garuda’s On-time Performance Stands at 90%.” Home. The Jakarta Post Business, 08 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/11/08/garuda-s-time-performance-stands-90.html>.

This post is commenting on Alex Mei’s “Internet: Useful Tool Or Dangerous Weapon?” post.

“The internet has also been a more effective and efficient way for people to hurt one another” is the statement written by Alex Mei that I do not 100% agree with. The reason being behind my choice is that the Internet itself is not to blame for hurting its users; rather it’s the other users themselves. In my perspective, the Internet has been a more effective and efficient way for people to do business and to conduct things remotely.

One of the most beneficial usages of the Internet for me is that even though I am attending UBC that is halfway across the world from where I live, I still get to see my parents face whenever I want to through the Internet. Besides connecting people together, the invention of the Internet has made people’s lives easier as people now can do, but not limited to: online banking, buying/selling online, taking online degrees, and attending online seminars (workawesome).

Other than for personal usage as listed above, the Internet is arguably the backbone of today’s economy. Without the Internet, the online stock market, will no longer function and people from other parts of the world will not be able to participate in today’s stock market. Foreign Exchange’s rapid price fluctuations will no longer be effective as data will not be able to be streamed real-time to its buyers/sellers that may be exchanging at the other side of the world.

Bessette, Bob. “10 Life-Changing Benefits of the Internet Age.” Work Awesome. Tina Shu, 21 July 2007. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://workawesome.com/communication/10-life-changing-benefits-of-the-internet-age/>.
picture from: http://www.daviddylanthomas.com/wp-content/uploads/world-internet-small.jpg

The disputed area between Taseko and the First Nation people

The delay in Taseko Mines Ltd.’s $1.1 billion copper-gold mine is caused because of land boundary issues with the First Nations occupying that area. The Tsilhqot’in people have ancestral rights to that area and claim that they need the area to make a living. Taking a part of their land away would cause the First Nation people to lose some of their food supply and will cause contamination around the area as well. The First Nation people are not willing to give up this part of land.

A solution that could be implemented to resolve this conflict is for Taseko to apologize for their mistake and start a brand new relationship with the First Nation people. The ultimate goal of the relationship is not only to win over the First Nation’s heart then take their land away, but also it is to establish some sort of agreement with them.

After reading the page about doing business in BC in Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (aadnc), a good strategy would be to work in alliance with the first nations. This includes giving the First Nation people jobs, paying for the loss of First Nation’s income, and even promising to keep the pollution level around the lake to its minimum.

The bottom line is that Taseko needs to respect the Tsilhqot’in people as these people have occupied the area first and been there for a longer period of time. If they don’t do this, they have a risk of ruining their own company’s name.

work cited:

Pynn, Larry. “Tsilhqot’in Set to Declare Site of New Prosperity Mine a Tribal Park.” Www.vancouversun.com. N.p., 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Unilateral%2Bpark%2Bdeclared%2BTsilhqot%2Bincludes%2BProsperity%2Bmine/10192766/story.html>.

“Doing Business with British Columbia First Nations.” Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2014. <https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca%2Feng%2F1100100021057%2F1100100021061>.

Commenting on an external blog – MINI drives sales by engaging current loyal customers.

I agree with the blog post that Jackie Huba posted. The basic idea is that the motoring company, Mini Cooper, is reaching out to its existing customers to win their loyalty by giving them gifts and thank you cards. This logic makes sense because there are lots of wealthy people all around the world who can easily buy cars. But, these people look for something more than just a product; they are looking for relationships. The relationship they seek is based on loyalty and service. Mini’s marketing strategy is to win over existing customer’s heart so that they will not purchase cars from other manufacturers. Doing this may be fairly new in the car industry, as other companies tend to only seek out new customers only. Mini is creating a family atmosphere by having annual gatherings for all Mini owners around the world (miniworld). The reason for this is so that Mini owners get to showcase their cars and share their passion of driving Minis with other Mini owners. These events are made exclusively for Mini owners as well.

Based on what I learned in class, I can say that Mini Cooper’s strategy is not only product differentiation with its sports city car filled with British passion, but also marketing focus strategy by appreciating and taking care of their customers. By doing so, people actually feel appreciated by the Mini corporation when they purchase a car from them.

works cited:

Huba, Jackie. “MINI Drives Sales by Engaging Current Loyal Customers.”Jackie Huba. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://jackiehuba.com/2014/05/mini-drives-sales-by-engaging-current-loyal-customers.html>.

“Mini Events.” Mini Events. Kelsey Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://www.miniworld.co.uk/the-scene/mini-events>.

My blog is commenting back on Timothy Chow’s blog post about the Hong Kong protest. 

I partly agree with Timothy’s conclusion that the protest is doing more harm than it is good to Hong Kong. The protests may hurt Hong Kong financially in the short run with investors and potential business firms drawing out from Hong Kong due to the uprising. The instability as of now may cause the value of the Hong Kong dollar to keep dropping to a lower rate.

However, the well being of a country cannot be measured only through its economy. Even though the protest is bad for Hong Kong’s economy, it is good for its people who are pursuing democracy. The protest has enabled thousands of people to gather around and fight for the future of Hong Kong. The positive impact of this protest is that the world gets to see how responsible Hong Kong people are, especially after they clean up the city after their protest. “As protests continue, people have been seen distributing food and water as well as cleaning up after themselves in the famously orderly city”(independent). This is a rare sight to see. Protestors usually vandalize instead of clean up. This sight can lead investors to invest in Hong Kong after seeing how civilized the people of Hong Kong are.
In conclusion, the protest may hurt the economy in the short run, but the fight is worth it in the long run.

works cited:
Dearden, Lizzie. “Hong Kong Protests: Demonstrators Clean up and Recycle after Night of Clashes with Police.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-demonstrators-clean-up-and-recycle-after-night-of-clashes-with-police-9761598.html>.

China is no doubt becoming one of the strongest countries in the world in regards to economic strength. However, the wealthy people of China have decided to immigrate to the western world. One of the top destinations for these people is Seattle, United States. These wealthy tycoons choose Seattle because of its “better education, air quality and food safety” (nytimes).

It makes sense to me that wealthy people in China will seek a place to immigrate to because of the relatively bad atmosphere in China. One of its major setbacks is its smog problem. In Beijing, during February 204, “the U.S. air-quality index had hit 512. By 11:00 am, it had reached 537. The air is off-the-charts bad” (times). Another setback is that it is simply uncomfortable living in an overpopulated city with traffic everywhere and people all around you. Because of these reasons, the wealthy people of China are seeking better living conditions in Seattle.

From my business perspective, Seattle will have lots of benefits from Chinese people immigrating to Seattle. These are the rich people we are talking about who purchase big properties. What this means is that they are buying expensive land that locals would probably not buy and they are creating jobs for the workers who build their mansion. The long term benefit is that these Chinese tycoons might establish business and even factories in Seattle which will further boost Seattle’s economy.

Article from – http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/business/in-suburban-seattle-new-nests-for-chinas-rich.html?ref=business&_r=0

Beech, Hannah. “China’s Smog Is So Bad They’re Now Calling It a ‘Nuclear Winter’.” Time. 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F9802%2Fbeijing-air-pollution-nuclear-winter%2F>.

Frank, Robert. “In Suburban Seattle, New Nests for China’s Rich.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/business/in-suburban-seattle-new-nests-for-chinas-rich.html?ref=business&_r=0>.