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>.