In a fitting fashion, entrepreneur Anders Mjaset co-founded Mesh, an open concept office building that allows other entrepreneurs to rent a desk in the office that they can use to run their business through. This free-flowing office concept allows entrepreneurs to connect with one another, while still having a place to work on their own terms. It is this new wave of entrepreneurs who are utilizing the communication intensive lean business plan. These offices foster an open and communal atmosphere where entrepreneurs can network and discuss their ideas with others, exactly the type of environment in which the lean start up excels. It is the type of space where ideas can be shared freely and often and direct feedback can be gathered through others who are going through the same process as you. It is also a one-stop shop for inventive minds that can be combined to engineer and develop new products, allowing alterations to be easily made. These connections between Mesh and the lean start up can be drawn due to the agile nature of both concepts making each a perfect compliment of the other.

Article Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24912717

In two days, rapper Jay-Z will launch “Gold”, his new high-end fragrance, at Barney’s New York. This will signify a virtually complete turnaround in the positioning of Jay-Z’s brand: himself. When gaining notoriety in the rap world, Jay established himself as a once drug dealing teenager who grew up in a rundown neighborhood. While in the rap world this is relatively common, what is virtually unparalleled is what proceeded. After gaining fame and fortune, Jay-Z progressively positioned himself more conservatively and began endorsing various products. This launch of a high-end fragrance to be sold exclusively at a high-end department store marks the completion of this brand transformation on behalf of Jay-Z. This instance shows the power and influence that brand position has over the perception and evidently the reality of what a brand is. It proves that what a brand decides to associate with or sell, in the case of Jay endorse, has a major impact on how customer’s view that particular brand. Furthermore it exemplifies how, if executed correctly a brand or company has the ability to represent whatever image or association it so choses.

Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/jay-z-gold-fragrance-black-friday_n_4192642.html

Bill Gates is the epitome of a successful entrepreneur. By scratching his own itch for technology, the Microsoft founder made billions and is now devoting his time to giving back. While most of Gates’ time is spent on charity work, he is also an advocate for social enterprise. Recently, Gates was in Norway lobbying the Norwegian government to invest in Africa’s oil fund. Investments such as these help accelerate growth in developing countries while the projected earnings for the Norwegians are in the billions. Endeavors such as these are merely massive scale embodiments of the mutually beneficial ventures social entrepreneurs take on daily. Personally, I believe this business to be the movement of the future. As markets are becoming ever increasingly competitive in develop countries, and activists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet preach to the business elite about the appeal of charity, the concept of social enterprise stands out as a natural match. Whether its on behalf of an established company or businessman like Bill Gates, or a local start up, it appears as though social enterprise is a lucrative and mutually rewarding proposition, one that is hopefully here to stay.

Article Link: http://www.thelocal.no/20131115/gates-tells-norway-to-invest-oil-fund-in-africa

10 Wal-Mart factories in Bangladesh have recently failed safety inspections due to their subpar working conditions. As such, new life can be brought to the ethics scandals surrounding the worldwide department store. In this case, the center of the debate can be focused around the fact that while Wal-Mart ensures that safety standards are met in the public eye at their retail locations, behind the scenes the company is cutting costs to the point where they are endangering workers. Needless to say, Wal-Mart lacks the corporate social responsibility to treat all their employees adequately. Once more, it is an example of Wal-Mart’s ethical insensitivities. These events show the company’s efforts to appear harmlessly in the eyes of their customers while in the background their other employees are being put in danger due the their corporate neglect. However, the question arises; when does the ethical issue get passed to the customers? Now that Wal-Mart’s practices have been exposed, it is up to the customer to boycott the brand otherwise accepting the reality of what’s at stake.

Article Link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/report-wal-mart-safety-problems-bangladesh-20920039

Lululemon, a brand that prides itself on their excellent quality, has been under public pressure as of late as newer product lines have not lived up to previous standards. The company was founded on the value proposition that they provide innovative, quality products through an excellent customer experience. However, Lululemon has flagrantly contradicted this message by using thinner fabrics in newer product lines. Furthermore, co-founder Chip-Wilson responded to the allegations by blaming tears in the new pants on out of shape customers, another violation of the Lululemons proposed value of excellent customer service. On top of this, Wilson’s comment represents the lack of willingness, on behalf of Lululemon, to utilize information gathered from customers. As opposed to using these complaints to better the company’s products, Wilson has given customers the perception that the Lululemon is insensitive to their opinions, a move that further violates the final portion of the company’s value proposition, innovation.

Article Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/14/lululemon-alienating-customers_n_4275842.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-business&ir=Canada%20Business

Google has announced that, over the holidays, they will be opening 6 retail stores promoting their relatively new range of tangle products. The stores, which will be titled “Winter Wonderlab”, will sell tablets and computers as well as other Google branded technology. This will mark Google’s first attempt of penetrating the world of retail, an endeavor that could alter the foundation of Google’s business plan. If continued, this would add another retail sales to the list of Google’s revenue streams, which currently largely consist income from advertising in addition to the money generated from the sale of Google’s joint venture devices (such as the Asus made Nexus line of tablets or the Samsung and HP manufactured Chromebooks). This also makes Google a manufacturer and a retailer in the same supply chain, a move that would require a sophisticated operational system be implemented in order to fully meet the demands of a permanent retail location. Furthermore, this is a large-scale performance management initiative by Google’s head office. In essence, this is a test on behalf of Google to determine whether or not there will be enough consumer interest and logistical support to establishment of an ongoing retail presence.

Article Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-17/google-opening-showrooms-to-show-off-gadgets-for-holidays.html

A massive array of competitors and a price conscious customer base have transformed the airline industry into one of the most competitive markets in the world. This has made it a necessity for airlines to cut costs in order to offer customers a comparative price to that of its competitors. As such, massive aircrafts like the ones Airbus and Boeing offer, have become increasingly appealing among airlines, who can use them to sell seats for reasonable prices while limiting the overhead costs of multiple flight crews, and fuel. This being said, companies such as Japan Airlines were recently quick to purchase Airbus’s newest wide-bodied jet, despite the promise of a similar sized and more efficient Boeing jet on the way. This $9.5 billion dollar purchase emphasized the necessity of getting to market first. Although anticipated that Boeing will release superior product, the Japanese buying was forced to replace its old Boeing aircrafts with the newer Airbus jets simply because they were able to offer their product when the company needed it. This has cost Boeing valuable market share in a demographic that they once had a firm grip, and furthermore taught them a valuable lesson in being first.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/business/international/jal-orders-9-5-billion-worth-of-airbus-jets.html?_r=0

The rapid expansion of digital technology has given birth to a vast number of entirely new industries. As these new companies flourish, existing corporations are finding it increasingly challenging to stay relevant. Toyota has noticed this shift in the tech-loving young Japanese market, realizing that an increasing number of early adults no longer value the pleasure that owning a car has to offer and instead are attracted more by their generation’s tech industry.  To counter this transition, Toyota is releasing a public speaking campaign trying to invoke a renewed admiration for traditional automobiles.  However, this is nothing more than an attempt to try and force-feed an old school product to a new school demographic. Alternatively it will promptly become auto companies such as Tesla motors who will truly seize the attention of this market. Their entirely electric headline Model S vehicle comes standard with features such as a 17-inch touch screen media display incorporating the allure of technology with the practicality of a vehicle. This is an example of a business model that objectively analyzed the desires of it’s intended customers as is catering to them, a far superior strategy to those of Tesla’s tradition auto company counterparts.

Article Link:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-07/casanovas-on-foot-baffle-toyota-ceo-as-japan-sales-shrink-cars.html

Information of the Tesla Model S:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/first-drives/2012-tesla-model-s

Companies have forever acknowledged the massive influence customers have over the success of failure of a product. This is largely accredited to the power of word of mouth. Heightened by the popularity of social media, this is now, more than ever, a reality.  However, this also means that companies can now track the opinions, responses, and magnitude in which customers are talking about their products. This desire on behalf of companies is evidently occurring in the television industry, and as the article suggests, is being tended to by Twitter. The social media site, in conjunction with Nielsen (the information and measurement company), have released Nielson Twitter TV Ratings, a product that analyses both the content of tweets regarding various shows and the number of tweets posted and furthermore viewed by Twitter users. This program is an incredible tool for producers to have at their disposal, and will shape the future of the TV industry. It is one of the first products that allows companies to monitor the word of mouth process, and in turn will aid them in adapting their business to satisfy the instant requests of it’s customers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/business/media/nielsen-to-measure-twitter-chatter-about-tv.html

In the case of BP’s Oil Spill off the Gulf of Mexico, BP has agreed to pay restitutions to victims of the spill, an amount expected to be upwards of $5 billion. Since then, the oil giant’s ethical reputation has long since drowned alongside any prior positive brand recognition it once had. To try and mitigate this and the financial damage of these claims, BP has launched a $500 million PR campaign aimed at restoring its image, but more significantly to intimidate any further victims from filing claims. This is further evidence of BP failing to uphold ethical standards with regards to the oil spill and it’s victims. These campaigns cross the point of restoring it’s brand image or creating an illusion of corporate responsibility, and intend solely to scare victims from coming forward, a flagrantly disregarding of ethicality and the consequences of their actions.

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/08/26/bp-launches-massive-pr-campaign-demonize-oil-spill-victims

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/bp-launches-campaign-against-billions-in-gulf-oil-spill-payouts-1.1342013