Twitter have released their IPO at $26 dollars, $12 lower than Facebook’s IPO. the New York Stock Exchange has been given the task to aid the IPO and make sure it’s successful. The stock price is predicted to rise to $37 by June, and thus a smooth working IPO is essential to enable Twitter to reach that stock price.

Nasdaq failed to successfully introduce Facebook’s IPO, and the stock price fell significantly due to a design flaw in Nasdaq’s opening auction. NYSE will have to successfully auction the stock price for Twitter. If investors and shareholders are to buy shares then they need to trust that Twitter will continue to be successful. Despite not having included the advertiser numbers and quality in some of their IPO documentation, those interested in the stocks of the company will not fail to recognize that Twitter is a successful organization, and provided the IPO runs smoothly, I think they can feel relatively confident about the benefits that will come from buying Twitter stocks.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-07/twitter-trading-begins-as-nyse-avoids-facebook-like-error.html

The PS4 has made it’s debut in the North American market and after a 7-year spell from it’s predecessor and though the Xbox One is yet to make it’s debut,  people struggle to determine which is the better to buy.

PS4 is said to undeniably have the better graphics on the console, but despite this leap in the way gaming is played on consoles, it doesn’t make it the better, nor more desirable console to buy.

Sony and Microsoft have found themselves fighting for the top console position for years, introducing new innovative idea’s for gaming and transforming gaming into what was considered unimaginable a mere decade ago. But to become ‘number one’, both companies will need to market their product correctly. Already having introduced themselves at conferences, such as E3, the PS4 and Xbox One will need to integrate various tools and concepts in order to find themselves in a controlling position. Of course, Sony and Microsoft produce a vast number of products. The PS4 is looking to aid Sony and boost their profit after a disappointing introduction to their newest TVs. In the early stages, marketing and differentiating the products could determine which company wins.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24899400

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/sony-ps4-1131803/review

Is privacy an issue in our world today? Technology has progressed so much in the past decade that it’s able to match a simple anonymous photo of an individual with a picture located on the web in order to determine the identity of a person. Organizations use things like these to learn about the lives of individuals who apply for jobs. Of course, these businesses believe they have the right to determine who they could potentially hire, but individuals think otherwise – people believe that an organization or business shouldn’t have the right to search personal information in order to determine whether or not they should hire someone.

Information kept online doesn’t necessarily determine how capable an individual is at doing a job, so why should organizations feel the need to do a background check into peoples personal Facebook profiles? Are the businesses being ethical? or is it an invasion of privacy? IT has improved to a point where businesses have been able to use it to their advantage, but has it really helped those who are looking for employment?

Facebooks IPO didn’t go as planned, needless to say. From $38 to $18. $50bn drop in market value within 90 days. Facebook’s shocking struggle after their IPO was blamed on both Mark Zuckerberg and David Ebersman – Facebook’s 42-year-old CFO. Provided, Facebook has come back from that and is now back on track, but if Facebook’s IPO caused such trouble for them, will the same happen for Twitter?

Twitter makes the majority of its money from advertising. When it came to filing for their IPO, however, it appears they forgot to put out the information most important to their investors and possible future shareholders – advertiser numbers, quality or renewals. If a possible investor or future shareholder were to look into twitter and find none of this information, how reluctant would they be to buy shares from the company? If this lack of information is only the beginning of a rough IPO, twitter will have a lot of work to do. However, Twitter’s success is undeniable, and despite a possible struggle they may have to overcome, if a repeat in Facebook’s trauma occurs, I think Twitter will find themselves back on their feet before too long.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/david-ebersman-the-man-behind-facebook%E2%80%99s-i-p-o-debacle/?_r=3

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304500404579126950604701622

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-06/facebook-misadventure-means-scrutiny-on-nyse-with-twitter.html

The use of IT systems in business has increased drastically in the past decade. Technology as a whole has integrated successfully into both businesses and the every-day life of a large majority of the worlds population. Security has become an increasingly problematic aspect of technology, with people finding new ways to use fraud as a means of theft. Voice biometrics could be the best way to prevent fraud, and businesses want people voices in order to get a range of voices for the biometric system which will enable the system to differentiate the right and wrong voices with the best possible precision. Fraudsters are said to be obtaining £52bn annually from the UK economy. With an introduction of significantly improved biometric systems, this number can decrease, and the security of businesses and people alike will be increased drastically.

Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE), believes that in order to be successful you need to be tough on yourself. The American business executive believes that he is where he is today because he has been critical towards himself through his career.

So, if a business man such as Jeff Immelt has found himself at the top with hard work, and an excess of being self-critical, is this the way in which entrepreneurs and/or aspiring workers should aim for success? Should they be as tough on themselves as possible in order to make themselves ‘perfect’ for the role that they have wanted for years prior?

Though being aware of the good and bad aspects, I think there’s a lot more to becoming successful than being tough on yourself. Though it could prove vital to notice where you’re lacking skill, and what your strongest aspects are, in order to be successful, being tough on yourself isn’t always the best way. Sometimes it could just end up bringing you down. Moreover, aspiring business men and women are all different, thus they should find what best suits them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24550655

Amazon’s German workers have threatened to go on strike prior to Christmas this year. There have been previous strikes this year over the pay that workers receive from Amazon in Germany, despite Amazon arguing that they get an above-average pay for workers in their industry. Despite this argument from Amazon, workers are still threatening to go on strike, and they have no problem going on strike when it’s capable of crippling Amazon the most – christmas.

This is another ethical issue being raised, one where you have to consider both sides of the argument. So which do you side with?

Amazon is currently the largest online retailer. Amazon has raised multiple controversies over the almost-20 years that they’ve been running. The Daily Mail described workers as ‘human robots’, and have been subject to harsh working conditions. In Allentown, Pennsylvania warehouse workers carried out work in temperatures of 38 degrees celcius, causing dehydration and collapsing in the work place. The information that has been gathered such as this information results in people questioning just how much the ‘average’ payment for workers in this industry should be. It’s unethical to put people through such turmoil merely to make the most out of the business that they’re so effortlessly trying to maintain. Amazon should be able to provide their workers with the conditions that satisfy them best. Better conditions usually lead to better results, better results lead to better business, better business leads to more success. If problems with workers happen in one area of the world and it’s reported, who’s to say that it’s not happening all over the world?

It’s also possible that workers are merely looking to force the company to provide them with greater wages and salaries merely because as world prices go up, they want more money too.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/06/net-us-amazon-germany-strike-idUSBRE99506520131006

Apple Inc. (AAPL) introduced the newest phones that they’ve manufactured: the 5S and the 5c. Both phones have new and improved technology built into the product and provide a newer and more advanced experience for new users and Apple-enthusiasts alike. Despite this, Apple is in trouble. The 5c was built to be Apple’s cheapest new model, yet despite this, they still want to sell it at $549 to start. The product is still yet to be released in India, and the price at which Apple is looking to introduce their product at will be “more than five times the $99 buyers opting for a plan in the U.S. pay”, according to Kartikay Mehrotra, who wrote a report on 5c sales in India on Bloomberg (link to article at the bottom of the page).

Apple’s 5c was an attempt to provide a cheaper iPhone for those who liked their products but found their higher-end products out of their price range. The 5S – Apple’s newest high-end smartphone – is priced at $399 in the US, whereas in the UK, the cheapest (16GB), is £549 ($880) – more than double the price of the most expensive version in the US. Almost 80% of Samsung’s sales come from products priced below $380 (significantly cheaper than Apple’s newest models).

However, the iPhone continues to be very expensive and less desired than the Samsung products. Additionally, there have been complaints about the iPhone 5c. Despite being provided as a cheaper alternative to the iPhone 5S, the look of a 5c appear to be less visually appealing to customers. The material used makes it look cheaper than Apple products are ‘supposed’ to look, putting people off the phone in addition to the price of the phone itself.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-30/iphone-5c-sales-seen-tepid-as-contracts-shunned-corporate-india.html

BlackBerry Ltd (BB) is currently in a serious financial situation which has forced them to look to sell their company to those who are interested. As of today, their stock has fallen 35% this year and they’re currently trading 95% off their 2008 peak stock prices. Fairfax Financial Holding’s (FFH) have produced a bid for BB at $9-a-share. BlackBerry’s market value has dropped to $4 Billion after they fell 0.4% to $7.70.

Currently, BlackBerry Ltd’s smartphone has grown less and less popular. The lack of popularity of the BB smartphone has been partly due to a significant rise in popularity of Samsung, who now control 32% of the smartphone market, and a continuing popularity of Apple, who control 14% of the market (which is actually a drop). BlackBerry has had serious competition on the Market, and despite being popular to begin with, have found themselves struggling against the likes of Apple and Samsung, who continue to be two of the most popular smartphone brands on the market. BlackBerry has altered their marketing strategy various times to try and compete but unfortunately have not managed to breakthrough the ‘invisible barrier’ that’s kept them in the position that their in.

With a successful change in strategy, BlackBerry could find themselves competing with the most successful of smartphones again, but as their stocks continue to decline, and the company itself continues to lose money at a rapid rate, decisions will have to be made quickly before they find themselves in a much worse position than their in already.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-04/blackberry-drop-reveals-biggest-discount-of-north-american-deals.html

Abercrombie and Fitch was, and still is to some, a respected clothing brand. But for one to simply dismiss a selection of people based on their appearance and size is an issue that we feel obligated not to have to deal with, yet here we are doing just that. Abercrombie and Fitch refuses to make jeans larger than size 10 for women, and refuses to manufacture larger clothes simply because they don’t want large people in their stores. Poor ethics on behalf of the clothing brand brought outrage to many around the world when this news was brought to light, and despite the increasing size of the average woman in America, the company refused to increase their clothing sizes, while other brands such as H&M and American Eagle, now offer up to size 16 and 18, respectively. Abercrombie and Fitch also refuse to hire people who they don’t think ’belong’ – simply conveying that they have a certain ’look’ that they want to stick with. This problem is not only a display of bad morals, but also subconsciously ill-encouragement to the workers of A&F, who, after being placed under certain guidelines, are forced to work, and thus believe, that their look is ’the right look’ – The poor morals are merely being passed along.

http://truthiscool.com/the-shoddy-ethics-of-abercrombie-and-fitch