With the changes in the media industry, companies such as Fox are having trouble competing against companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google. These companies have revolutionized the way individuals attain and engage with digital content. With the tough competition, it is not surprising that 20th Century Fox is looking to sell most of its company to Walt Disney Studios.This type of move has been seen before where two rivalries will join together to go against a bigger adversary. With the joining of the two colossal companies, they are able to put together their assets and strengthen the company in different areas. In such a competitive market, it would be a smart move for Fox and Disney to become one. This merger would definitely help Disney dominate the film and TV industry while allowing Fox to direct their efforts towards their popular avenues of media.

This would benefit both Fox and Disney as Disney would gain full rights to all Marvel and X-Men characters as well as own Fox’s studios. It is clear that Disney is not interested in Fox’s sports and news production as they already have ESPN and ABC news at their disposal. Fox would have the ability to focus on their these segments with the funding from Disney’s deals and will become a stronger competitor against other companies. These two companies joining together would create an incredibly powerful media production company. In 2016 Disney and Fox accounted for over 40% of United States film revenue. With the combination of these two companies, they will be able to dominate the film and TV industry becoming a major juggernaut competing against Netflix.

This also reinforces Disney’s plans to launch their own streaming website in 2019 that will be in direct competition with Netflix. Disney is already planning to pull their content from Netflix in 2018. With the addition of Fox studios, the FX channel, and National Geographic, they would be able to offer more shows and movies that may attract a larger array of media consumers. Disney may be able to steal customers from Netflix with their promising streaming platform with all the additional content from Fox.

Fox and Disney both have very popular shows and movies. If one company owned all of them it would definitely set them apart from the other competitors. Disney has had a good track record of acquisitions in the past such as the Marvel and Star Wars franchises. 

They are looking to take over the media industry with this bold move. I believe if any company was to accomplish it, it would be Disney. I am excited to see how this unfolds and how Disney may be expanding in the near future.

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Uber is making headlines once again announcing their entrance into the credit market with a no fee Uber Visa card. Uber has been no stranger to the news in 2017 as the CEO of Uber was forced to resign, they were abusing customer data, there have been multiple sexual assault claims, and alleged hostile workplace culture. 

With such negative publicity this year, Uber choosing to introduce a credit card with their name on it would not be a good idea. Customers would not trust Uber to not abuse the customer data. Uber’s track record is not favourable as they did not even protect its drivers and passengers. Uber would have even more access to your data with a credit card including financial information and knowledge of your individual spending.

Through the Uber credit card, customers can redeem points for Uber credits, cash backs and gift cards. The integration with the Uber app and the credit card are very efficient and sets them apart from their competitors. Uber may be hoping that introducing an advantageous credit card may steer people away from the negative things the company has been involved with lately. Instead, it is actually making customers question their safety and privacy when using Uber services. Even Apple Inc. threatened to delete its app from its phones because it compromised Apple customers’ privacy. If Uber abused the information they got from customers by simply using their transportation, imagine what they could gain from customers’ financial information.

A fellow Comm 101 classmate explored an interesting question in one of her blogs: How did a high value company gained so much criticism? Within the blog, Solbin talks about how all the scandals against Uber were damaging the brand, and how they promised good customer service but instead took advantage of theircustomers. It is no surprise that after the information revealed about Uber; many customers had a negative perception of Uber. Uber has proven to be an unethical company. The former CEO showed no regard for his customers and sold off their information. The scandals had knocked off $10 billion off of Uber’s value.

An introduction of the credit cards could have been a huge success ahead of all the scandals, but now the credit card may simply be a flop. Uber was once the leading company in the car transportation industry dominating their rivalries, but has taken significant blows to their brand, company value, and reputation.  Although some customers have continued to purchase Uber services despite of the scandals, they may not be willing to use the new Uber credit card. It will be interesting to see if Uber can salvage their brand image, and have success with their credit card launch.

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Netflix has revolutionized entertainment. Nowadays, many people don’t even have cable anymore. It was to no surprise that the Quebec finance minister wants to capitalize on this craze and put a GST tax on Netflix. Between 1.2 million and 1.45 million Quebec households hold a subscription to the service. Netflix is unlike any other streaming company; it is considered a brand. Taxation on a service like this would bring in an excess amount of funds for the government. The minister strongly believes that Netflix is a taxable service, but the only problem would be insuring the company cooperates. In addition to this proposed tax, Netflix is increasing its subscription costs ranging from $1 to $2 more a month. Jeremy Hazen, a Quebec resident and customer of Netflix, discusses that he is not happy about the additional tax or the increase in cost. 

He states that the increase in price may not seem a lot, but it is still a 34% difference of what he was paying prior with the increase in price and the GST. It’s clear most customers are unhappy with Netflix’s increase in cost, but Quebec residents like Jeremy are showing even more displeasure with the combination of an increase in price and an additional GST tax.

Netflix has changed the film industry, transforming the way individuals watch television. No other streaming websites meet the standards of Netflix. Competitors are attempting to recreate what Netflix has been able to accomplish. 

Netflix has more of a selection, their website is easy to navigate, has a variety of high quality original shows, and their videos are in HD. A subscription with Netflix would still be much more inexpensive than having cable. Regardless of  the price increase or the imposition of taxes, customers will continue to purchase the service because there is no sites that meet up to the standards of Netflix.

Personally as a frequent user of Netflix, I would continue to purchase the service despite the price increase or an addition of tax. I understand that Netflix needs more money to create more original shows and bring in other types of shows to broaden its selection. There are no other sites that meet up to the standards of Netflix. I believe the Quebec finance minister’s idea of taxing Netflix subscriptions will economically benefit the Canadian government. It is basically an easy way to bring in money for the government. Needless to say, I recognize the consumer’s perspective as it would not be ideal to pay extra for Netflix. Thinking from the finance minister’s standpoint, I believe it is a smart idea to tax a service like Netflix because it is such an attractive and popular service.

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The online market is no stranger to the business world. Why would one leave the comfort of their own home to make a purchase when they can simply buy products online and have everything delivered straight to their front door in a matter of days?  Toys ‘R’ Us has been struggling with $5 billion in long term debt and $400 million in secure and unsecure debt. Toys ‘R’ Us is only generating around $780 million in total revenue annually and this does not include interests, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Unable to make enough to pay off their debt Toys ‘R’ Us was forced to file for bankruptcy. 

So the question is, why aren’t they making enough money? The answer is simple. Customers are able to purchase more appealing items online from their competitors’ websites such as Amazon. Although Toys ‘R’ Us has a website for customers to use, it is not user friendly and it lacks a modern interface. Not only was Toys ‘R’ Us unable to keep up with the advancements in technology, they were also unable to keep up with the trends that kids were following. They limit themselves to selling products just for kids. Stores like Best Buy are able to stay successful as a prominent company because of their well-established online presence and continuously changing their product line to stay relevant for the entire general public.

With the continuation of online expansion in almost all markets, it is inevitable that an increasing amount of stores will be going out of business or redirecting themselves to an online only store. Unfortunately for the small businesses, they are competing with larger companies that allow the access to their online stores that are open 24/7 and have front door delivery. Toys ‘R’ Us’ bankruptcy is only the beginning of many other stores closing its doors due to the online market that has developed. 

Not only are online stores selling clothes, accessories and appliances, sites like Amazon have even began to sell groceries. Amazon allows customers to purchase all their necessary items all from one place. Currently, everyone is about saving time and money so no wonder a one-stop shop like Amazon is dominating the market.

Although online shopping offers convenience, it is taking the businesses of all stores like Toys ‘R’ Us. Block Busters was driven out of business similarly when online movies became very popular and they were unable to adapt to the new market. As someone who physically walked through these stores, it is sad to see them all shutting down. I will always remember the hours I spent at Toys ‘R’ Us with my sister. Times have changed. Before you know it, we will all be purchasing our products online.

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Canada is one of the best countries to live in across the world. This makes it extremely attractive for foreigners to make the move to major cities, but at what cost? In the wake of an impending housing meltdown, Canadians have gone to battle in an attempt to protect their precious territory. Residents have demanded the inclusion of a tax on foreign ownership.

The graph shows the major increase in housing prices throughout the years in Toronto.

Two main ethical concerns are brought into discussion against foreign ownership with the first arguing that those who buy based on foreign wealth, hold an unfair advantage against local residents (Gordon, 2017). Secondly, a majority of the property purchased are bought by those who do not contribute to Canadian taxes (Gordon, 2017). This creates an uneven playing field for local residents as foreigners are not penalized with taxes. These taxes fund the stable institutions, public infrastructure, and social cohesion that makes Canadian so enticing to live in (Gordon, 2017). In addition, the public has further addressed the issue of ineffective money laundering policies that have allowed continuous abuse in the Canadian housing market (Posadzki, 2017). While one side of the argument is presented, the other disputes the issues of ethics. The reputation of Canadians are being damaged due to concerns of xenophobia which is the “the irrational or unjustified fear of foreigners” (Gordon, 2017). 

While a tax specifically on foreigners may help the housing meltdown. The price of property is skyrocketing, while the increase of wages does not reciprocate even a smudge. Implementing a redesigned foreign buyer’s tax that can be refunded to buyers that pay income taxes over the course of three years will definitely help reconnect the “local housing market to the local labour market” (Gordon, 2017).

While the suggested regulations seem to support the claims of xenophobia, I believe that in the context of this situation, the government has a social responsibility to protect its people from foreign buyers dominating the property market. Although it may not hold true for all foreign-buyers, many of those who do invest in Canadian property are getting away with money laundering. As a Canadian, I cannot stand for unethical business practices done overseas to be carried on over. I understand the plight of my fellow Canadians and support a proposed taxation on foreign investments. Also, the inclusion of money laundering policies that will ensure that Canadians have a fair chance at their own real estate market. We see nothing ethically wrong with charging foreign students more tuition at Canadian universities. Why should real estate be any different? If no changes are made to the current real estate market, I question my ability to stay in Canada. Although taxing foreigners may be seen as unethical, should Canadians allow their younger generation to be priced out of their hometowns?

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Work Cited: 

Gordon, J. (2017, April 12). The ethical case for taxing foreign home buyers. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/the-ethical-case-for-taxing-foreign-home-buyers/article34690709/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com&

Posadzki, A. (2016, September 14). Anti-money laundering agency finds ‘very significant’ deficiencies in realtor probe. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/fintrac-real-estate-money-laundering-1.3761343

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