Sony released the PlayStation 4 earlier last week and sold over one million systems within 24 hours. Customers lined up for hours before midnight in order to get their hands on the console. The gaming industry has always had tight competition in which one company can get the upper hand over the other by including one small feature. My analysis shows that the Sony’s PS4 with likely dominate Microsoft’s Xbox One. Although they are nearly identical devices, it seems as if Sony’s console has a couple features that will consistently have consumers choose their product.

The gaming industry has a loyal following who research these devices months in advance and compare them side by side so they can make the best decision in purchasing one or the other. Historically, these consoles are released every 7 years or so. Therefore, it is very important for each company to bring the best to the table, otherwise they will lose a big portion of the market share for some time. Sony and PlayStation have been making deals right and left with private developers and even soda companies to make exclusive offers to customers who choose their console over the other in order to dominate the market.

Main Citation:

Huang, Grace. “Sony Monitors PlayStation ‘Issues’ as Debut Sales Top 1 Million.”Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-17/sony-sells-1-million-playstations-in-north-america-in-24-hours.html>.

Image:

http://us.playstation.com/ps4/index.htm

After a series of Tesla model s cars caught on fire, Tesla faces the possibility of having the model s recalled. This resulted in a 29% drop in stock prices for Tesla Moters. The threat of having a car recalled is a huge deal to car manufacturers. When consumers are looking to purchase a new car, they are aware of the dangers that come with it and expect a car that will keep them safe. In the past, companies like Toyota and Audi received awful press from incidents similar to this. Consumers take news like this very seriously.

However, the worst part about this mess is that Tesla Moters was one of the first companies to jump into the luxurious, but sustainable, car industry. They took a risk producing this car and it paid off. However, now that a couple of cars caught on fire, it is possible that the brand image of Tesla will be forever tainted. Hopefully a company who tries to innovate to benefit the world, while providing a competitive and high quality good, won’t suffer due to a news story that was blown out of proportion.

Main Article:

Plungis, Jeff. “Government Not Musk Will Have Final Word on Tesla Recall.”Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-13/government-not-musk-will-have-final-word-on-tesla-recall.html>.

Image:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1110_2012_tesla_model_s_first_ride/photo_01.html

The stack ranking system has been popular since 1980. However, since then, companies have been implementing other systems, and dropping the stack ranking system all together. Microsoft is one of those companies. The reason that the stack ranking system is quickly being abolished by these companies is because it doesn’t foster creativity within the workplace. This wasn’t much of an issue when it was first introduced in 1980. However, now that times change so quickly it is huge advantage to have workers who produce ideas for the company. Google is a great example of this. The employees are allowed to work on any project they want on Fridays. By using this system, Google has come up with great products which lead the market in innovation.

Yahoo is still using this stack ranking system with its employees. This is an awful idea because Yahoo is being used less in comparison to companies like Google. Having employees mindlessly working on their projects with fear of losing their jobs is not a great way for the company to make a comeback. Instead they need ideas to differentiate themselves from other companies in order to dominate more of the market.

Article Citation:

Avram, Abel. “Microsoft Ditches the Stack Ranking System. Yahoo! Lays off 600 Because of It.” Microsoft Ditches the Stack Ranking System. Yahoo! Lays off 600 Because of It. Contegix, 16 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. <http://www.infoq.com/news/2013/11/stack-ranking-microsoft-yahoo>.

Image: http://www.businessinsider.com/marissa-mayer-is-firing-500-under-performing-yahoo-employees-2013-10

In complement to Karan Girotra and Serguei Netessine’s blog post, it is key to note that Amazon is always looking to improve. There is something to be said for companies who find their niche and stick with it. This is not a bad idea, however, the society we live in requires big businesses to always look towards the future. Even if they have the competitive advantage now, they must constantly be aware of how quickly technology is progressing and the volatility of consumer preferences. This characteristic is what separates highly successful businesses from ones who will always be second best.

However, it is easier said than done. It can be quite difficult for companies to receive accurate data from gathering information on consumer preferences. Even if these businesses were able to know exactly what the consumer desires, that doesn’t necessarily mean they know where the market it heading. It only tells the businesses what the consumers want now. Although it is helpful the know this information, companies like Amazon have shown how successful it can be to focus predominantly on how to expand and improve their business, even if it means changing everything they have ever done.

Original Blog: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/amazon-constantly-audits-its-business-model/

Image: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/amazon_inc/index.html

According to Shomas Mah’s blog post, Tiesto was forced to cancel a show due to a flight being delayed. An unfortunate circumstance to be in however, he had the courtesy to reach out to his fans and explain why he was unable to perform and as a result his fans maintained their loyalty to him.

If a company makes a mistake that affects the customers largely in a negative manner, the customers deserve an apology. It is evident that not many companies and organizations in today’s society accomplish this correctly. It is even less excusable given the nature that reaching consumers all of the world, is evidently as easy as tweeting or posting on Facebook. If more companies did this, their consumers would be significantly more loyal to their company. For example, if someone purchased an IPhone and there was a major defect that ceased all functionality of the device, that person deserves an explanation for the problem and reimbursement. Although this might hurt this company in the short run, if they do this for everyone they can expect a great sense of loyalty and consumer presence at their next big launch event.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/10/dooms-nights-tiesto-concert-canceled/

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/ryanmac/files/2012/08/tiesto2.jpg

According to Scott Marshall’s blog post, Google was obliged to remove certain pictures of Max Mosley after a ruling by the French Court. It is also interesting to note that Google was forced to pay damage fees to Max Mosley due to privacy infringement.

From a business perspective Google is a company that offers a service to its customers in the form of convenience. Simply stated, Google didn’t post these pictures on the Internet, instead they make it easily accessible. Shouldn’t Max Mosley be attempting to file for breach of privacy against the original posters of the content. After all, it isn’t Google’s responsibility to filter what is put on the Internet.They are just a search engine just like any other company with a similar service. For example, Yahoo, provides a very similar service as Google, and has just as much authority to spread Mosley’s pictures over the web. But Google was the target instead merely based on their size and power in the industry.

Another point to note is the French court ruled that Google must make a program to filter the content that invades Mosley’s privacy. Essentially, this program is censoring the free speech privilege of Google users.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/06/google-remove-max-mosley-orgy-pictures

As innovations has shown us, it seems as if an upcoming step for the world of technology is the creation of devices which the user can wear.  From my analysis, the main barrier to entry for these companies is marketing the product to make it appealing to the consumer. It seems like people are willing to accept the new technology, however they won’t be caught dead wearing a silly pair of high-tech glasses such as Google Glass.  

The company, Jawbone, known for their high quality Bluetooth headsets, recently launched a new product known as the Up. It is similar to Google Glass in respect to the fact that both products record data from the user’s day-to-day life. However, the advantage Jawbone has over Google is the fact that their product is a subtle and stylish bracelet which is more appealing to consumers. It is common for users to sacrifice incredibly useful features to obtain a less efficient product that looks nicer. This is explains the concept that if producers want to succeed in the wearable technology market, they must make their product aesthetically pleasing as well as inventive product’s features.

Main Citation:

Brownlee, John. “The Invisible Future Of Wearables.” Co.Design 2 Oct. 2013. Fast Company. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://www.fastcodesign.com/3019157/innovation-by-design-conference/the-invisible-future-of-wearables-according-to-jawbone>.

Supporting Citations:

Boag, Paul. “Time to get Healthy.” Web log post. Boagworld Complete. 27 Apr. 2013. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://boagworld.com/working-in-web/time-to-get-healthy/>.

Standish, Maude. “Data Is The New Astrology.” The Huffington Post 25 Apr. 2013. TheHuffingtonPost.com. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maude-standish/data-is-the-new-astrology_b_3150148.html>.

In correlation with recent events, BlackBerry is currently being sued by thousands of shareholders because of misleading information in relation to the company’s future. After, the company took a quick turn downhill its shareholders claim that they were not given sufficient warning in regards to the company’s financial state. My analysis shows that BlackBerry’s alleged fraudulent financial accounting was most likely due to pressure from the competitive smartphone market. iPhones and Android smartphones are becoming increasingly popular while the necessity for a exclusive business phone is decreasing. This is proven by the recent activity in the stock price and business practices of Blackberry.The company’s stock price closed today at 7.69 which is 4.23% lower than it was 5 days ago and 25% lower than it was less than a month ago. Blackberry also laid off 40% of its employees and claimed a billion dollars in loses from the launch of its new Z10 smartphone. This seems to be a good indicator that the company is doing everything in its power from going bankrupt. This begs the question if the company was intentionally producing false indicators of its financial state to desperately stay competitive in the smartphone industry.

Orginal Article:

“BlackBerry hit by shareholder lawsuit claiming company misled investors.” The Guardian05 Oct. 2013. Guardian News and Media Limited. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/05/blackberry-shareholder-lawsuit-investors>.

Additional Resources:

LUBBEN, STEPHEN J. “The Bankruptcy Question for BlackBerry.” The New York Times – DealBook 24 Sept. 2013. The New York Times. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/the-bankruptcy-question-for-blackberry/?_r=0>.

Tsukayama, Hayley. “BlackBerry nixes earnings call in light of sale; T-Mobile stops selling the handsets in stores.” Washington Post 26 Sept. 2013. The Washington Post. 07 Oct. 2013 <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-26/business/42409224_1_blackberry-z10-blackberry-platform-t-mobile>.

Twitter was a concept that was before its time. It became a successful SMS-based social network by entering the mobile industry when other companies didn’t notice the opportunity. By taking the approach of targeting the mobile industry before moving towards computers, Twitter was able to compete against other social network companies such as Facebook. Twitter distinguished itself by allowing users to message one’s thoughts out for anyone who is interested to hear. On the other hand, Facebook intended to have their followers leave a social legacy of their time spent on Facebook, while at the same time, give their users the ability to interact with others doing the same thing. They accomplish this by integrating more tools and methods for users to share their stories. This is why Facebook became increasingly more popular whereas Twitter wasn’t able to keep up nearly to the same extent of Facebook. To my understanding, Facebook showed innovation and adaptation to the the fast changes of the social media world. Twitter has stayed fairly static in what they offer to the user. Is it possible that users are growing tired of the blandness that Twitter is becoming? Could this explain their decline in marginal growth. 

Perez, Sarah. “The Potential And Pitfalls Of Twitter’s Mobile Business.” TechCrunch RSS. AOL Tech, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013. <http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/05/the-potential-and-pitfalls-of-twitters-mobile-business/>.

Following the announcement of the new iPhone, our attention, as consumers, has been drawn to the ethicality of Apple’s business practices. Apple markets their phones to seem clean, simple, and sharp. However, this image is a facade to cover the 72 hour work week in which Chinese workers are exploited to produce the beloved next greatest smartphone. But Apple can’t be blamed. Isn’t every company just trying to make profit in the best way possible in order to satisfy financiers?  But they must please all stakeholders. No company wants the consumers to see the harsh reality that is the lack of morals these companies truly ultimately possess. But the company must make sacrifices. From the consumer’s point of view, they know these harsh practices are occurring, and they know they aren’t ethical, but will this stop them from obtaining the smartphone they so desperately crave at a price they can afford?

The answer is no. However, justification for the harsh business practices that their supplier participates in would be welcome. Apple, alongside other companies, consistently release to the press that they are taking measures to reduce the exploitation of labor. But, are these promises actually executed upon? Conclusively, the consumer desires the product, the financiers want profit, and so the company will continue exploiting labor while “attempting to do otherwise”.

“Can you buy the iPhone 5S or 5C with a clear conscience?” The Gaurdian.
Guardian News and Media Limited, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/10/iphone-5s-5c-apple>.

“Production.” Apple Insider. AppleInsider, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.
<http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/02/20/
foxconn-hiring-freeze-unrelated-to-production-of-apples-iphone-5>.