Innovation. Innovation is a trending concept that many businesses try to avail to give their firm a first mover advantage that potentially increases their profit margins. The Top 5 Innovative companies are Apple, Samsung, Google, Microsoft, and Toyota. 4 out of 5 are in the technology industry and I thought about how innovation and marketing go hand and hand. Apple has been a successful innovator, but the unique distinction of the “i” has successfully differentiated apple from its competitors. The marketing team cleverly consistently used “i” in their product’s name, for example, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Thus, positioning the product effectively in the consumer’s mind. Similarly, Samsung transformed the phone industry with its numerous selections such as the Note and the Galaxy S series. However, the marketing team creatively presented the phone as customizable and a “Life Companion.” This illustrates that innovation cannot be capitalized effectively without a creative marketing team. A great example is Lenovo. Lenovo is known for manufacturing powerful laptops, but is only 22nd in the top 50 most innovative companies. As a consumer, I still would purchase a Mac over a Lenovo (I’m using a mac). Ultimately, marketing is a powerful tool that triggers innovation to be the difference between firms.

Transportation and Logistics focus on productivity and efficiency. Within logistics, there is a common goal of reducing the use of resources without jeopardizing quality in the production, packaging, and transportation processes. However, security is a concern for the operations team as it has been a growing concern in the U.S. and around the world. In a three month period from June to August, there were a total of 202 thefts in the U.S. which incurred an average loss of around $166,000. As a result, we can see that the security of goods is equally important as production logistics. Businesses have to lower costs by implementing stricter policies in the transportation of goods. One of the culprits of the increased theft is the use of unsecured lots. In turn, businesses can invest in secured lots for drivers to park the trailers in which prevents future theft. On the other hand, businesses can avail of successful middlemen to complete the transportation process like Fedex. Like what Mahesh Nagarajan said, middlemen can give businesses the cheapest price as they can avail of economies of scale reducing the average price. Overall, the article illustrates how theft is a risk in the logistics process which businesses need to solve.

In the 1990’s there was a global boycott campaign against Nike for using sweat shops; however, after 20 years they have gone on the initiative of transparency which has mended   Nike’s world brand. Rob Harrison, editor of Ethical Consumer states that, “the cooperation operates with openness and transparency that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago.” Nike quickly adapted and learned from their grave mistake. From this example, we can see that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a key aspect in managing a global firm  like Nike. Global brands, such as Nike, are under great scrutiny which leads to greater risk in trade secrets being revealed. Whether Nike’s beliefs are different from society, Nike has to ensure that the firm does not offend the society as a whole. Pressure Groups, customers, employees, and all other stakeholders can potentially be the demise of a firm. We can learn that ethics within a business is a growing trend in managing a business; Adidas, Puma, Reebok, and Timberland are all involving ethics with their business. Although global firms are implementing CSR, many businesses are focused on profit maximization. It brings the question if its ethical to use CSR as a tool to increase profits within a business?

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