Kyung Min's Blog

Although this “universal credit card” is still in the startup phase, its idea has been turning heads in Silicon Valley. Yes, Kanishk Parashar, the founder of this new company called Coin, is not creating a new method of payment, but he is creating a better credit card. His idea stems from the idea of a universal credit card that can reprogram its magnetic stripe on demand to mirror any type of credit card the user loads into it. This feature will allow credit and debit cards, as well as gift card, loyalty cards, club cards, and any plastic card that has the ability to be swiped. Some may question its longevity because of its electronic capacity, but the device will have an internal non replaceable battery that will live a projected two years, as well as a shock and water resistant structure. After reading about and watching Brian Wong, a Sauder alumni, co-found Kiip, articles on startup companies have become more interesting to read, as entrepreneurship is a high risk, but high reward industry and it is intriguing to see other entrepreneurs try to sell their idea to possible investors to jumpstart their company. 

The Article: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-15/a-startup-thats-building-a-universal-credit-card#r=nav-r-story

With popular online retailers such as Amazon suggesting products to purchase based on past purchases, supermarkets such as Safeway have deviated from the norm by using complex algorithms to sift through shopping data to make an educated guess on what the consumer wants or needs, creating a unique personalized list with subsidized costs. In addition, supermarkets have begun to reward their club card members by sending personalized coupon booklets. From a marketing and accounting perspective, creating personalized offers can be extremely beneficial for companies as it has a very strong possibility of driving up sales and increasing the number of customer visits to stores. More importantly, by offering a specialized coupon to a specific consumer, the customer is more likely to purchase other additional products besides the one deal they came in the supermarket for. This boom in sales has directly impacted supermarkets today. Fore example, this new personalized data shopping innovation has led to more than forty-five percent of Safeway purchases to come from shoppers who are offered unique deals through their computers or phones. Another benefit of this new data capture system for supermarkets has been its diminishing direct price competition. For instance, prices in newspapers and fliers are no longer universal, as prices can now differ for each shopper. This new technique, is not almost impossible for competitors of companies to see and track prices.

“I think of a world that can anticipate my needs” – Todd Morris, Executive Vice President at Catalina Marketing

To read more on the story, you can check out the article here: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-supermarkets-offer-personalized-pricing#r=hp-sf

Kelly Merryman, Netflix’s Vice President of Content Acquisition, stated that the company actively searches for television programs that have high rates of piracy when deciding on purchasing series. For example, Netflix recently launched its application in the Netherlands and extended the hit television show Prison Break to Dutch viewers. Why? Because the show had been doing exceptionally well on piracy websites. Although Netflix is a business, its impact on illegal downloading has been tremendous. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated earlier this year that BitTorrent downloads within Canada fell by half after Netflix opened its doors. The company’s success can be largely credited to its low monthly cost for its legal alternative to making illegal downloads. With this, Netflix has created a positive brand identity, and as the company continues to grow as a point of reference for a stable and efficient streaming application. 

On a side note… One of Netflix’s cons is that it does not have many renetlevant hit television shows that are current with the times. As a result of licensing and exclusive rights agreements, a show like HBO’s Game of Thrones (the world’s most sought after torrented series) will not be available on Netflix, as well as many other popular shows.

The article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2013/09/16/netflix-checks-piracy-stats-to-help-it-decide-what-to-buy/

Another similar article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24108673

Throughout the years, the battle between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s Playstation has been a touchy subject amongst many gamers. With the emergence of new and innovative technology, the grand debut of next-generation consoles are just around the corner. Playstation’s most treasured selling point, their free online experience, has been scrapped and will now consist of a paid subscription just like their rivals at Microsoft. The big question is: will this move be a step in the wrong direction for Sony looking back months from release day? With big time next-fen game titles such as the Xbox exclusive Titanfall generating more buzz than any other, Microsoft has been living up its pre-release day hype and their motto of “software sells hardware.” In addition, loyal Halo fans have already made their decision based solely on the success of the Bungie franchise itself. Yes, PS4 will launch a week earlier than the Xbox One, it is projected that the Xbox One will still almost sell double its volume than the PS4 by the holiday season. In the end, both consoles will come down to personal preference, but as the world of gaming enters the universe of next-generation consoles, it will be interesting to see which company will cash in the most. 

Articles: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2013/11/05/the-5-best-reasons-for-buying-the-xbox-one-instead-of-a-ps4/, http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/11/16/xbox-one-vs-ps4-the-console-wars-are-just-getting-started/

The Article: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/oct/08/e-cigarettes-chemicals-antifreeze/

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/health/e-cigarettes-debate/index.html

As the flavours of electronic cigarettes ranges from gummy bears to pancakes and waffles, the overwhelming amount of choice available to consumers, markets towards teenagers that don’t necessarily understand the health risks of cigarettes. Although this misguided perception that the devices do not carry the same, if not identical health risks as cigarettes is still not proven, there has been an increased amount of speculation amongst researchers that this new phenomenon carries cancer-causing chemicals and an even greater health risk. With rising speculation of electronic cigarettes including an ingredient used in antifreeze and having similar short-term effects seen in patients with an addiction for tobacco and smoking.

The importance of this issue is because of its rising popularity amongst the younger generation, but the unknown long-term effects this “healthy alternative” has on its consumers.

An excerpt from the article… “It’s a way-cool little device… They’ve been made attractive to what I call the iPhone generation. The real risk is that they don’t see it as a risk because it doesn’t hurt them – on the surface.” 

As a casual electronic cigarette user myself, I understand where the article is coming from, in regards to its popularity amongst young people. Personally, the only self-reassurance of using these new electronic cigarettes is that they do not contain tobacco, but still give off a “cool smoke-cloud” effect without the dangerous health risks. My personal ignorance, as well as my friends and the other people in my generation, the lack of knowledge and labelling on the electronic cigarettes of the powerfully addictive substance Nicotine has the probability to cause greater harm to our generation then the legal ties that are being discussed (legislation to put regulations on the distribution of electronic cigarettes).

Devil’s advocate: “They’re likely to be far, far less hazardous than cigarettes… And they are helping adult smokers quit.”

Although this rise in demand for electronic cigarettes may just be a fad, until then, the possible harmful effects of this new unknown product is a top priority as the amount of new users increase. At the end of the day, nicotine is still addictive, and a guideline, as well as a structure that prevents the selling of electronic cigarettes to minors should be discussed within the federal government.