Satisfying consumers’ need is one of the basic elements of running a successful business. They value the most to a company. Facebook users trust its service, and put personal information on their webpages. Then, Facebook are responsible to the information，and should make sure it won’t flow without users’ permission. However, as discussed, personal information had started to appear in many sites associated with Facebook since 2010 without uses awareness, because gathering personal information is “the best way for online advertising to find target”, and also a good way for Facebook to make money. Now, Facebook might “be wedded to national information networks and the governments that control them”.
This profit is unethical because it set up on the loss of consumers’ privacy.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smF1ZV7vikw

“Facebook is subsidizing mobile phone data service, making it “free” for users – but with a catch: for all practical purposes, Facebook then becomes their entry into the internet.”
Facebook makes use of its huge market share advantage: they are the largest online communication service company. They have strong buyer power due to the number of users, but weak threats, because they almost monopolize the market worldwide. It is pretty hard to find substitutes, although there might be some potential competitors.
In terms of Porter’s Generic Strategies, Facebook uses a strategy in a narrow segment: becoming the only company that holds users’ personal information. In addition, the subsidizing mobile phone data service is a focus strategy since it differentiates from other companies.

The concept of CSR was invented in the West nearly two decades before China began acceleration to its present speed of integration into the global production chain.
Issues that are related to CSR in China are highly topical. Each year, millions of Chinese workers take part in massive protest actions to express their grievances. Western companies are now seriously investing in the formulation and implementation of CSR policy of their Chinese partner and suppliers. To make a long story short, the companies have been pursuing an approach of policing CSR compliance in China.
Labor and environmental issues are the thing that is causing headache to China’s political leaders these years. They relate to the key concerns of development and stability that serve as the basis for the legitimacy of the political leadership in reform era China. Major global players push for improvements as the thrust of CSR enters China and internal stability is threatened by civil unrest and labor protests that have exploded in number and severity over the past years.

As a company that sells skin care and cosmetics products, Mary Kay has its very unique organizational culture. For example, every employee has to adopt education and training system to provide the best professional knowledge and service for customers (Strategy of hiring staffs). It offers “Pink Card” as a prize to the staff who is the best seller in a period of time (Strategy of awarding).
The core mission of Mary Kay is to enrich women’s life (eliminating cancer, ending domestic violence, and so on). It shares the priorities of “God first, family second, career third”, also, it encourages the employees to find the proper balance of priorities in their lives has remained a vital part of the culture around the global. At Mary Kay, employees understand that a successful career is just one part of a balanced life.
There are a lot that can be learnt about how to have a more valuable life as a woman from Mary Kay, the spirits of the Mary Kay herself and her company’s are bound to influence many women.

Link:http://www.douban.com/group/topic/30288051/

While I was learning the concept of BTM (Business Technology Management) in class, I thought it was just a type of management that brings together information and technology so we can make good decisions. However, I found out that Wilfrid Laurier University is offering a major called BTM to the students when I was looking for the information about BTM. I think it is a pretty cool and perspective idea since success in today’s business world depends on effectively leveraging technology in the workplace and beyond increasingly. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are at the heart of everything that happens within and among organizations, their suppliers, customers and other stakeholders. The Brantford’s Bachelor of Business Technology Management (BBTM) program they offer can prepare graduates to be leaders in a turbulent world of technology-based change. What’s more? The university also provides Co-op automatically for the students in the program, give them the opportunities exist in various departments of hi-tech companies and IT departments of other companies across the province, including Brantford-Brant, Kitchener- Waterloo and the Greater Toronto Area.

A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered and a belief from the customer that value will be experienced.Developing a value proposition is based on a review and analysis of the benefits, cost and value that an organization can deliver to its customers, prospective customers, and other constituent group within and outside the organization.
A brand is not equal to the products. Products are what the factories are producing, but brand is what the consumers are buying. The existence of a brand must be followed by the products, however, the products might not be accompanied by the brand. For example, Coca Cola. What kind of brand is it? What is the core value of the brand? Apparently, it is not a product without a brand. Many new drinks are taking the leading role of the second and third level of the beverage market together. For instance, Pepsi is attracting teenagers by offering the title of “new choice”. Facing the competitive market, Coca Cola brought out the idea “happy”, and made many slogan to reveal their core value—happy, which is correspond with the need of happy for the customers.

The very first bottle of Coca Cola came into the world in America, so as Pepsi, but it is later than Coca Cola for 12 years. The taste of Pepsi is extremely close to Coca Cola’s, so they named their coke after Coca Cola. Since Coca Cola is used to the 12 years to expand their brand name, they had already had a steady customers base and had controlled most of the soft drinks in the market, when people thought about cake, they would think of Coca Cola naturally. Although Pepsi once decreased the price of the coke to 5 cents per pound (a half of Coca Cola’s price) , Coca Cola’s status was not shaken by it. In the market of beverage, Coca Cola is the leader, and Pepsi is the challenger. As the challenger, there are two strategies that can be chosen: challenge Coca Cola to gain more market shares, or participate in the competition but make sure there will not be a huge change in market shares. After trying the second one for 5 decades, Pepsi noticed that it did not help much. As a result, Pepsi started to use the first choice, this is what they have been doing after World War Two.

As a student from China, expect for missing the food from my hometown, I also miss the convenience of online shopping. I used to use Taobao for shopping a lot. You can find almost everything you want on the website in a lower price, as long as you can think of it. Most importantly, the logistics of Taobao is amazing! You can get the things you bought this morning in a few hours if you and the shipment site is in the same city. If you ordered something that is in a different city, you can get it within 3-5 days. I had a friend who used eBay for shopping, and he told me it took 2 weeks to transport the goods to his house. What’s more? Why Taobao is irreplaceable in my heart is because it is very save for us to pay online, we do not need to worry about losing our money when paying for the goods. Also, Taobao encourages the seller and the buyer to communicate with each other before making the deal, in this way, the customers can know more about the thing they are choosing in a direct way, the seller will have to chance to introduce more about the products and advertise for the other goods. However, eBay forbids this in order to make sure there will not have a loss in money. eBay is a strong website but Taobao is more powerful when it comes to making a deal.

Monster Beverage Corporation found out the differences between energy drinks and the normal drinks after some failure of marketing. When the other brands tried to narrow down the distance between the customers, Monster tried to highlight its fashionable aspect; when the other brands emphasized the fitness of the drink, Monster produced an energy drink with high caffeine and sugar in it, usually with the portion that could help customers keep concentrate and clear-headed. Just like medicine, the value of energy drink is its function, not the flavor. To distinguish itself with other brands is important to Monster.
As an energy drink, Monster’s biggest competitor is Red Bull. Everyone wants to be the first in their realm, but Monster holds a different opinion. It thinks that to be “the second big” energy drink can be as strong as Red Bull and may lead to a greater success, so instead of being friends with Red Bull, Monster chooses to stand on the opposite side, to offer the experience that Red Bull cannot provide to the customers. If we do a SWOT analysis by using this point, being unique would be an opportunity to Monster.

Business ethics are moral principles that guide the way a business behaves. The same principles that determine an individual”s actions also apply to business.
The law is the key starting point for any business. Most leading businesses also have their own statement of Business Principles which set out their core values and standards, for examlpe, Anglo American’s call this “Good Citizenship”.
A business should also follow relevant codes of practice that cover its sector. Many companies have created voluntary codes of practice that regulate practices in their industrial sector. These are often drawn up in consultation with governments, employees, local communities and other stakeholders. Anglo American has played an active part in initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative.
Anglo American has also contributed to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. This code sets out principles and practices for ensuring that a company’s need to ensure the security of its employees and operations in volatile countries does not adversely impact upon the local population. Thus the Principles provide guidance on how both private and public security forces assigned to protect a mining operation or an oil and gas facility should be vetted, trained in human rights, monitored and controlled.