Comm101 Paul

In response to the question “If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc Initiative or Social Enterprise?”, the world would not be able to function without the small organizations that provide aid to poverty stricken areas even if the United Nations had all the available money they need. If the United Nations was fully funded, they would be able to help in a bigger perspective, such as building hospitals or shelters for those in need or delivering food and water to large areas. The problem is that projects like this that the United Nations provides takes very long, as they must follow guidelines and policies that must be agreed upon by those involved in decision making in order for the proposal to begin. During this time period, the area that needs help may be stricken with more hardship, causing other organizations who can act fast to step in.

Groups like the Arc at Sauder don’t have to go through all the legal process as they are an independent group, allowing their ideas to be put into action much quicker and efficiently. These small groups provide the aid that is not able to be given by the United Nations, so without groups like the Arc, people who need help must wait and hope that the United Nations is able to take initiative and provide aid fast. Also, smaller groups tend to focus on concentrated areas, making sure that all they need is provided, rather than sending a larger area food and leaving out other problems like shelter and health. The focused initiatives that groups like Arc provide are always needed, so even if the United Nations had all the money in the world, the smaller groups wold still play a large role in providing aid to those in need.

http://www.un.org/en/

http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative

Photo: http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Global_Reach/ARC_Initiative/Locations/Ethiopia

Lebron James is a sports icon that has influenced the world of basketball in a way that has boosted its popularity and enjoyment. Watching him is a hobby and interest for many people in the world, especially with the return to his hometown Cleveland, where his career started. There has been a lot of controversy suggesting that his return will provide a 500 million dollar increase for the Cleveland economy, which seems farfetched. In the blog post “LeBron James’ return is bigger for Cleveland than it is for the Cleveland Cavaliers”, it talks about how Cleveland businesses will have an increase in sales due to his return. People will go to the local bars and watch the games, or buy his memorabilia, which will provide increased sales, but these sales will take away from other sales in other businesses. I disagree with the idea that the economy will increase from his return, as the people in Cleveland will spend more money on things surrounding Lebron and less on other things.

The people of Cleveland did not stop spending money after he left four years ago; instead they found alternatives such as Cleveland Indians or Browns games, which balanced out in ticket sales. In the blog post “An Economy Based on LeBron James?” the idea that people will spend more on things regarding Lebron and less on the activities they did when he was gone. People would have continued to go out for dinner or enjoy other things while he was in Miami, which kept the economy stable, just like when he was in Cleveland. Now, people will spend that time watching him play, equalizing the increase for events with him and a decrease in other things, affecting some businesses positively and some negatively. His impact on Cleveland’s economy will not be noticeable, and will not lead to any large 500 million dollar increase that is predicted by some people.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-14/lebron-james-s-return-to-bring-500-million-a-year-to-cleveland.html

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/pat-garofalo/2014/07/15/lebron-james-return-to-cleveland-will-not-boost-economy-by-500-million

Photo: https://theoverunderblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/lebron-james-is-officially-going-back-to-cleveland-the-king-returns-home/

In relation to Xinqiao Dong’s post on underwater wedding photography, I disagree with her agreement on the demand and success of this type of photography. Even though there is an increase in weddings in China, many people usually aim toward normal and professional ideas, which include the generic wedding photos. If people want creativity, there are wide arrays of options that they can choose from, ranging anywhere from normal photos in grassy fields to music videos. With these options being available, it allows for many other alternatives that don’t include getting soaking wet and ruining a wedding dress to get pictures.   Also, getting ready for these photos and spending all that time underwater is very time consuming, which draws people away. In terms of value proposition, photos such as the examples below allow for timeless memories that look professional and joyful, which is more valuable in the long run.

For example, my cousin got married this past summer in Whistler, and we were all involved in the wedding photos. What we did was take photos on the grassy land at the top of Blackcomb, which was a blast. It was very fun as we all enjoy the outdoors, and we were able to capture some great photos which were creative and professional. The pricing for these photos was also inexpensive, making it worthwhile as the whole family was included in the photos, which adds to the value proposition. In order for underwater photos to compete with other companies, they need to add more options that will increase their value and demand. Options such as doing it in different areas like beaches, or in areas like aquariums would add to the wow factor, and draw people in as they can further customize their abilities to suit their needs.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28957305

Photos: http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/impossibly-fun-wedding-photo-ideas-youll-want-to-steal

IndiGo is a very large and successful airline company based out of India. It is known for its lower prices for tickets, which makes it the largest airline in India, and is continually growing. Because of this rapid development, they have proposed to purchase 430 jets at a hefty price of approximately 40 billion. Their reasoning behind this is because they are focused on the long term development for their company. With a growing economy in India and an expanding middle class, aviation is expected to grow over the years by 75 percent, so by purchasing these planes, IndiGo can provide flights as the demand generates. By purchasing these planes at bulk for a lesser cost, IndiGo can sell them to leasing companies and then lease them back before six years have passed which lowers depreciation costs, and keeps capital costs low.   These business strategies are the reason that IndiGo is so successful with a 32 percent expansion in market shares , allowing them to control the aviation market in India.

The visions of IndiGo relate to the expansion that Southwest Airlines wants to pursue in the future.   Their desire to expand into Canada will allow them to increase customer base as well, and control more of the aviation market as their ticket prices are also very low. By doing this they will be able to control both Canada and the U.S. in aviation, forcing other companies to either leave or compete with lower ticket costs. Both of these airlines see the need to expand business for the future, as in order to stay on the top they must grow their company to fit the demand.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/the-dollar40-billion-jet-buying-spree-indigos-big-bet/ar-BB9WKEW

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/southwest-airlines-targets-canadian-expansion/article20493147/

Photo 1: http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/File:Southwest_Airlines_Logo.png

Photo 2:http://www.topnews.in/companies/indigo-airlines

Hyun Ji Im’s blog post talks about his views regarding Uber, a transportation company that wants to come back into service in Vancouver to help solve transportation issues.  He thinks that they can come back and be very successful due to our constant transportation issues, but I disagree.  From my perspective, I do not see Uber being a huge competitor in the Vancouver area. They already left two years ago after numerous issues with their business ethics such as unfair business practices, which earned them a bad reputation. What makes Uber stand out in accordance to other companies is their convenience, and wide selection of car options that appeal to all the customer’s needs. Taxi services in Vancouver have also adapted online methods for cab bookings and limo services, which are relatively the same price and if not cheaper than what Uber offers. Taxis also come in different levels of luxury, dependent on what the customer is willing to pay. Also, the lower mainland has different regulations in each municipality for transportation services, which could be hard for Uber to be in coordinate with all of their regulations.