(Reply to an external blog)

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/marci-warhaftnadler/lululemon-controversy_b_4240422.html

Lululemon CEO recently explained that the flaws with his pants is not really a flaw at all, but a flaw with the person wearing it.  According to Wilson, the pants will wear out quickly if the person’s thighs rub together. Lululemon only includes up to size 12, completely limiting their market as most women are bigger than size 12 in the US. They believe that it is a marketing strategy by making their brand more prestigious. They even goes as far as placing the size 12s in a separate section.

I find this horrible because Lululemon has branding power and girls want to be able to wear their clothes. Companies like this are the reason that so many girls are body cautious. As a customer of Lululemon I feel their image would lose out by not including bigger sizes but only be more reputable. Lululemon’s main idea is promoting health, and by not catering to all sizes they are saying that not every size deserves to be healthy. I think it seems contrary to the values they broadcast to their customers. I agree with the author of the article that Chip Wilson owes women an apology.

Live scribe recently came out with a pen that has a USB drive embedded in the pen, making it record everything it hears and writes. The pen has a microphone and speaker as well as a camera in order to record everything. Once your done recording all your notes you simply upload them by using the USB which is in the pen! At $150 it combines the tradition of writing down your notes with high end technology. Additionally, the notes are 100% accurate due to the voice recording.

Personally, I would want this pen because I prefer writing my notes but I like to look at them on a computer after, so I end up having to type them up. This innovation would saved me a lot of time! However paying $150 for a pen is not realistic for many consumers. As live scribe pens gain popularity their technology will only improve eventually leading to more affordable products for the basic consumer. If marketed right I could see pens, or other work/school supplies similar to this becoming an essential. The Wonder Pen also solves the issue that many teachers have with laptops being distracting in the classroom.

Potentially this pen could work wonders!

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-most-brilliant-new-ideas-weve-seen-this-fall-2010-11#11-a-150-wonder-pen-with-a-usb-drive-that-records-every-written-and-audible-word-5

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-12/yahoos-latest-hr-disaster-ranking-workers-on-a-curve#r=rss

Business.

After reading Sid Mookerjee’s post about Football and Business: They’re more similar than you think, I thought it was interesting how sport teams are similar to any business team. (https://blogs.ubc.ca/sidmookerjee/2013/11/16/football-and-business-theyre-more-similar-than-you-think/)

CEOs and coaches have a strong parallel as they are in charge of setting the team/ organization’s goals and direction. They have the power to set the tone in the workplace. In teams you don’t get to choke who you work with but often the coach/ human resources are able to select individuals that they feel fit into their team. The managers are the team captains because they have the responsibility of relaying information from the team to the CEO/coach. They ensure that the team is working together well and implementing the coach/ CEO’s vision.

A coach has all the characteristics necessary to make a CEO, the primary one being leadership. It is often argued what is more important, a good coach or a good team. [Or vice versa a good CEO, or a good workforce]. I think that is is the coach/CEO’s responsibility to create a prospering environment and that they are able to inspire their workforce. Even with mass talent, it is difficult to reach maximum potential without someone with a vision who is able to create cohesiveness within a group. Conclusively, if a organization is struggling it should look to sport coach’s philosophies because the two can go hand in hand.

The NFL has announced that they have partnered with McDonald’s in order to promote themselves in Happy Meals. Toys that are from the NFL’s Nickelodeon TV show will be handed out with every happy meal. To the vice president of the NFL’s marketing strategy it was a “natural fit”. I feel that this is as natural as what’s in McDonald’s food. However, the NFL is being honest with their intentions with the partnership: to get the 6-13 year-old range hooked on football. McDonald’s is known for their successful marketing of Hot Wheels and Hello Kitty in the past. As Mcdonald’s is a constant image in children’s lives, the NFL is likely to become a trend.

What is slightly concerning is that the NFL does have a slight negative connotation that would be worrisome for parents. Concussions and bullying are common topics that go hand in hand with the sport. In particular the Miami Dolphins have been under scrutiny for workplace bullying. Any negative publicity could potentially hurt McDonald’s as well as the NFL’s reputation. At this point I don’t think it was optimal timing for McDonald’s to venture into making the McFootball.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-15/as-concussions-worry-parents-nfl-blitzes-into-happy-meals

That is, for the the blackberry app for android and apple users. The first day that Blackberry launched the Blackberry messenger app it had over 10 million people signed up. Blackberry which has been kicked, and kicked again against competitors in the smartphone battle is ecstatic about this recent success which brings hope to the company. The instant messaging app market is reletively open so Blackberry believes that it can catchup to its rivals. Since these apps are free it makes them extremely popular. For instance, Skype, it has been calculated, has 32.6 billion dollars of lost revenue as it is a free product. However, how popular would these apps really be if they weren’t free?

I think that the winner in the market for instant messaging apps it yet to be found because people haven’t found the one app that everybody likes and finds useful. A lot of these apps are very similar and do not have one defining characteristic that customers long for and that they can not find elsewhere. I think that if Blackberry milks their BBM app they have a chance to be the choice instant messaging app of smartphone users in the short term.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/incredible-demand-for-blackberrys-bbm-service/article15033416/

In reply to Katie’s post (https://blogs.ubc.ca/katiec/2013/11/17/snapchat-rejects-3-billion-buyout-offer-2/) about snap chat rejecting a $3 billion dollar buyout offer by Facebook.

Facebook, instead of dogging it out, favours the alternative of trying to buy the competition out. However much like twitter, Snap Chat has rejected the big offer. Unlike Twitter I do find this puzzling, as Snap Chat, to me, is one dimensional. I agree with Katie’s perspective that Snap Chat is a trend and is not sustainable in the long term. I’m waiting for the next big way to share photos, which will just add more competition to an already crowded arena.

To me, I think snap chat is reaching it’s climax. Snap Chat has to make a big decision within the next year about it’s future or else it will wash away and the CEO will lose out big. If he has an idea however that will innovate Snap Chat’s current model he has a huge customer base to broadcast to. Snap Chat in comparison to Twitter and Facebook is minuscule as it only really appeals to a younger generation… I mean it’s original purpose was for nudes.

Once a criminal completes the requirements agreed upon in order to clear their name they will have a clean record in regards to the law. However google begs to differ. Mr Birnbaum a College student at the University of Alabama was charged with possession but after completing the necessary rehabilitation program he was cleared of all charges. When he sought a job the employer did a standard check my googling his name. What he found was his mugshot brought to you by Mugshots.com and JustMugshots.com. The purpose of these websites is to inform the public of the history of potentially dangerous people. What makes these websites illegitimate is that they charge up to $400.00 in order to remove the picture on their website.

Although these websites are taking advantage of individuals that may have never even been found guilty there is an overlying purpose to these websites. People have the right to know of the serious crimes committed by people they are in regular contact with. These people can be neighbours, employees or someone your dating. The website has a case by case policy where they will determine whether the mugshot can be taken down depending upon the seriousness of the crime. I don’t think that the photos should be taken down just to make it fair across the board. The public are entitled to these photos. It is unfortunate that a person may have to suffer the consequences for a minor wrong doing but this does not outweigh the benefits of having access to the photos.

International campaign spreads to Portugal, Spain and China

David Stern commissioner of the NBA plans to retiree in February but his longtime goal of expanding the NBA globally still burns bright. No longer just a dream, Stern argues that it is now mandatory to grow globally. The NBA is now focusing their pursuits by launching an international campaign. Successful brands like McDonalds, Apple and Samsung have generated most of their profits from outside the United States. To Stern it’s quite simple, there are 300 million people inside the US, and 700 billion outside.

This year there will be 12 teams playing internationally. Many players are born outside the North America and the NBA puts a heavy focus on this. The New York Knicks launched advertisements in Chinese when Jeremy Lin had erupted in popularity. By Lin embodying his nation he rocketed in popularity not only in the US but in China.

It’s important for leagues to expand from the U.S.A. because it broadens the fan base and this will result in higher earnings. Right now 10% of profits are global, thus the NBA can grow heavily. Now only this but it builds a mass appreciation for the game where people from different cultures can feel connected through a sport. Right now there is one team outside the U.S., the Toronto Raptors, but in 50 years I doubtful that this will be the case.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9bfe3354-2c09-11e3-acf4-00144feab7de.html#axzz2ggsE5NEm
“NBA plans to Slam-Dunk the World”

Orbitz, a travelling agency, has admitted to using price customization software and are not the only ones using it. Companies are able to determine an estimate of a customer’s wealth or willingness to buy their product by gaining access to past searches, whether they use a MAC or PC and reading how rapidly they click through a payment page. When detected they will offer higher prices to those indicated as more willing to buy and/or wealthier. This brings into question fairness. If a consumer knew that these softwares were being used against them online retailing would be questionable and a turnoff for many costumers. If more publicity sparks that more online companies do this it will jeopardize online market. This type of softwares that companies use to find out information about customers is bordering along the lines of infringement. The basic privacy rights of people are being tossed away and this can lead to companies being able to look into private social media pages and altering prices accordingly.

Not only does this breach privacy rights but foremost it is unfair trade which brings back the ethics of business. Conducting a business unethically will result in investigations and heavy scrutiny from customers.

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1022920631 “How Deep are your Pockets”