According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, The United Nations is tasked with maintaining peace, security, and friendly relations amongst participating countries while aiding social and economic development. If the United Nations was fully funded, they could do a lot of positive work around the world that they wouldn’t be able to with budget constraints. More funding would mean a more efficient United Nations overall.

Source: http://images.ssireview.org/sized/images/blog/Social_Enterprise_wordle-640×507.jpg

Even if the United Nations was fully funded, social enterprise and programs such as the Arc Initiative would still be prominent. A huge point of these kinds of institutions is that we may get involved and do our part to work toward something we’re passionate about while bettering the livelihood of those we are trying to help. Just because the United Nations is fully funded, it doesn’t mean they can cover every problem in the world. Social Enterprise and the Arc Initiative give us the opportunity to get involved which is an invaluable experience for us and is invaluable to those being helped.

Recently, North Face Korea released an ad for their company’s jacket. In this ad, unsuspecting customers are surprised when the ground beneath them starts to disappear and they are forced to grab the rock climbing placements along the walls. Following that, a North Face jacket descends from the ceiling and the customer is given 30 seconds to decide whether or not they want to climb the wall and jump for it. If you happen to grab the jacket, you are awarded with it. Here’s the ad: North Face Korea ‘Never Stop Exploring’ Advertisement

Source: https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/18869603/disp/5c67cc4b8de14d58f12d32aec7c2fc79.jpg

I really enjoyed this because it’s a great brand experience that taps into the brand’s original roots that people tend to forget. North Face is not primarily a fashion statement; it’s an outdoor company. Although their clothing catalogue can be considered quite fashionable, this ad reminds us that North Face is an outdoor company that makes apparel and items tailored toward physical activity and practicality.

In this article, Amazon has just announced that they will be providing same day delivery to Vancouver, a service that was only available in Toronto for Canadian citizens. I, for one, am impatient and I like to get things while exerting minimal effort so this new service really tailors to my preferences. Not only does it appeal to me but, as stated in the aforementioned article, same day delivery is very popular in the united states.

Now this begs the question, “Will we be seeing more of this?” In my opinion, yes! Google and Amazon have been battling it out for delivery service supremacy so they’re in a constant struggle to revolutionize the game. Both companies have plans to utilize drone technology in order to compete with one another.

Unmanned aircraft, which is frequently used by government military, will be delivering your parcels.

This really raises the bar for those looking to enter the industry but it’s truly exciting to see where this goes from here on out.

Most of us are familiar with the fact that Blackberry hasn’t been on top of it’s game in recent years. Sales have fallen and hit record lows but, with the release of the Blackberry Passport, things might be looking up.

Mentioned in Eric Lin’s blogpost, Is Blackberry “Back in Business?”, he says that “[he] believes Blackberry’s traditional selling point, which is the physical keyboard, is no longer a value proposition to most consumers.” I chose to outline this quote because I completely agree with it. In order for Blackberry to compete in this market, they need to evolve beyond  their product’s physical keyboard. They need to think further outside the box and take some risks to stay competitive.

Source: http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2014/06/30/448444-new-blackberry-passport-a-tablet-with-qwerty-keyboard-killer-specifica.jpg

The way I see it, a big problem they should address is their lacking app department. Android and IOS have such a varied catalogue of apps while Blackberry is behind. Apps take such a huge role in our daily lives and, without proper support, Blackberry could fall further behind.

Over the years, online shopping has become a serious competitor to the retail industry. With an immense catalogue of products right at your fingertips that are able to be ordered right to your door, it’s hard to argue with that level of convenience.

Source:http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1121203/thumbs/o-ONLINE-SHOPPING-CART-facebook.jpg

In Sofia Bautista’s Blog post, “In-Store vs. Online Shopping,” she mentions that, “there is still much value in shopping in-stores, so [she] doesn’t consider it outdated at all,” and that, “they are able to co-exist and advance the industry.” Normally, I would agree with both of these points. I do believe that there are benefits to going in stores for shopping, especially when it pertains to clothing. However, with the advancements in technology and delivery, it may be difficult for them to co-exist.

With same day shipping, drone technology, accurate data, etc., online shopping is really becoming a force to be reckoned with. It’s nice to be able to go into the store and see the products but time is valuable and delivery is really cutting down on how much time they need. Although online and in-store shopping co-exist now, I’m not certain they will in the future.

Generally speaking, when we think about Africa’s economic resources, usually natural resources come to mind. However, according to the Director of the University of Cambridge Master of Finance degree, Simon Taylor’s business blog, Africa’s economic potential may greatly lie within it’s people. Africa is in a stage of demographic transition that will soon lead to the continent having a large supply of working age individuals.
According to this diagram found within Taylor’s blog, Africa is in an upward trend of working age population and this could spell great things for Africa’s future economy. However, before the population can be properly utilized, Africa has to fix up the other challenges that the population faces, particularly education.

Source: http://www.childinfo.org/education_secondary.html

Less than 30% of Africans attend secondary school which is an alarmingly low number. If education doesn’t rise with the age trends of the future, Africa won’t be able to fully take advantage of it’s population strength.