Katherine Kuo’s blog post discussed about the poor marketing and management decisions made by Amazon that eventually lead to a decrease in Amazon’s customers and its shares. Due to the increase in competitors that also used Amazon’s initial concept of “order online, they will be delivered to the doorsteps of your house,” Amazon was put into a situation where they had to find a way to bring out a new product or an idea to boost their attractiveness. Although they introduced their very own Kindles and smartphones, consumers always chose the less expensive alternatives, such as Target or Walmart.

As competition increases in industries, many companies are also losing a lot of money and in worst cases, going out of business. Motorola, for example, was one of the world’s biggest mobile phone sellers. However, Motorola missed their chance in catching up to the smartphone world. While all the other companies, such as Apple and Samsung, were introducing their 3G touch screen phones that could already handle emails, social media, and mobile apps, Motorola was still promoting 2G phones which weren’t as appealing.

As technology develops exponentially these days, it’s essential for companies to keep up with the demands of the customers. It is definitely detrimental for companies to stop innovating or to be “late” in the technology world. Companies should always be on top of things and  think of ways to be original and unique to survive the competitive market.

Reference:
Anderson, Howard. “10 Reasons Why Motorola Failed.” Network World. N.p., 9 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.networkworld.com/article/2277903/network-security/10-reasons-why-motorola-failed.html>.

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The article highlights the differences in cost among different types of energy used to generate power for electricity. Sustainability definitely has been one of the biggest topics around the world, and one of the ways is to save is through renewable energy. According to The Economist, among the four sorts of zero-carbon energy (solar, wind, hydroelectric and nuclear), the nuclear power plants are the most expensive, though it is the most cost-effective technology.

We can also see people within our community putting importance on sustainability. Ranked as one of the greenest cities in the world, Vancouver values the beauty of a healthy environment. Unlike most cities, Vancouver’s public transportation runs with electric trolleybuses. Green Power Buses, which has no engine or transmission, have also been introduced in Vancouver. While not using any diesel fuel, fuel savings alone is up to $60,000 a year (Burritt).

Growing up in Malaysia, I was not exposed to the idea of sustainability until I came to Vancouver. The topic of sustainability itself is very new to me and this week’s topic helped me understand more about sustainability. After reading articles about sustainability, in the long run, sustainability is definitely a way to improve the quality of life. The idea of sustainability should also be greatly marketed in Asian countries, in hopes that they will also develop healthier environments.

Works Cited
Burritt, Dan. “GreenPowerBus Touts Zero-emission Coach – British Columbia – CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 08 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/greenpowerbus-touts-zero-emission-coach-1.2791795>.

“Sun, Wind and Drain.” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 26 July 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014. <http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21608646-wind-and-solar-power-are-even-more-expensive-commonly-thought-sun-wind-and>.

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