The New Prosperity Gold-Copper Project has encountered yet another setback in its struggle to obtain the political and societal approval to continue with the proposed mining project. After seeing proposals rejected by federal panels on two separate occasions, said panels “cit[ing] damages to fish and fish habitats” (Pynn), Taseko has collided with the Tsilhqot’in First Nations tribe, a people group desperately struggling to maintain the sanctity of their land, and by extension, the sanctity of their culture. As Ian Gill outlines throughout “To the Tsilhqot’in with Gloves,” the First Nations in Canada have routinely been subjected to various forms of injustice, noting that “by [his] reckoning, not a single deal that governments and industries have done with Aboriginal people in the entire history of this province has been lawful.” It is from this context, from a perspective shaped by a history that suffers from deceit, discrimination, and injustice, that the First Nations are fighting the Gold-Copper Mine, and it is from said perspective that they will continue to contest any perceived threat to their land and culture.

For a brief moment, both of the invested stakeholders, Taseko and the Tsilhqot’in, seemed to be satisfied. The Tsilhqot’in tribe had witnessed a historic, “landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling, [which] found that the Tsilhqot’in people have title to 1,750 square kilometres of land west of Williams Lake” (Pynn). At the same time, the proposed site for the New Prosperity Gold-Copper Project rested outside the boundaries of the recently affirmed title area. However, Tsilhqot’in plan to declare the site to be within a newly formed tribal park, a park which would prohibit large-scale industrial mining within its boundaries. Without question, this a massive setback to Taseko, incorporating aspects of both political and socio-cultural external threats. At this point it should be considered a given that the mining site should not be within the 1,750 square kilometres recently granted to the Tsilhqot’in – as it would infringe on both their social and legal rights – but it is within reason for Taseko to contest this designation of a tribal park, which would effectually prevent the construction and implementation of their proposed mine. There doesn’t seem to be legal affirmation of the “designation of full protection status” (Pynn) as of yet, so it is reasonable for Taesko to continue to expect to implement their proposed mine, once they ensure the environmental impact will be within legal boundaries. It will be interesting to see how the government reacts to this latest development in the struggle between Taseko and the Tsilhqot’in, a struggle representative of the ongoing clash of cultures that has provide the backdrop to the history of British Columbia.

N.d. West Coast Environmental Law. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

N.d. Taesko Mines. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

Pynn, Larry. “Tsilhqot’in Set to Declare Site of New Prosperity Mine a Tribal Park.” Www.vancouversun.com. Vancouver Sun, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/Unilateral%2Bpark%2Bdeclared%2BTsilhqot%2Bincludes%2BProsperity%2Bmine/10192766/story.html>.

Constantinides, Dimitris. “Understanding Pest Analysis with Definitions and Examples.” PESTLE Analysis. N.p., 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://pestleanalysis.com/pest-analysis/>.

“News | New Prosperity Gold-Copper Project.” New Prosperity GoldCopper Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://newprosperityproject.ca/>.

Gill, Ian. To the Tsilhqot’in, with Gloves. The Tyee. N.p., 26 July 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/07/26/Tsilhqotin-With-Gloves/>.

Preceding the newly released Passport was Blackberry’s Z10, which represented RIM’s final, desperate attempt to compete directly with major smartphone producers Apple and Samsung. Featuring a similar design and operating system to Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy series, the Z10 failed to distinguish itself within a highly competitive marketplace, and was ultimately destine a failure. Juxtaposed against the Z10 is the Passport, Blackberry’s latest attempt to re-install itself as a major player within the smartphone market. As fellow blogger Sincere Cheong notes, “everything about the Passport is different or even strange compared to the other competitive smartphones on the market,” evidence of Blackberry’s renewed strategic focus on differentiation. Rather than catering to the typical smartphone user, the Passport represents a return to Blackberry’s roots, boasting features “customized solely for the working professional” (Cheong).

It was only a few short years ago that the Blackberry was without question the phone of choice for the business professional. In Collegehumor’s video series Start-up Guys the characters, themselves comically hyperbolized representations of businessmen, are inextricably linked to their Blackberry phones. In “Start-up Guys Go Back to School,” BBM (Blackberry Messenger) is referred to as the most important marketing term. Note the date: December, 2011. In less than three years, the Blackberry has gone from the face of the business world to relative insignificance. With the release of the Passport, Blackberry hopes to restore the company to its former glory. By focusing on implementing features designed to facilitate business-related tasks, as well as highlighting traditional strengths “security, cybersecurity, and personal identity production” (Babad), Blackberry hopes that a return to its core value proposition will turn around an otherwise floundering company.

http://blogs.ubc.ca/sincerecheong/2014/09/29/blackberry-passport-entry-into-the-competitive-market/

Start-Up Guys Go Back to School. CollegeHumor. CollegeHumor, Dec. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2014.

Without a doubt, the last couple of decades have seen the music industry revolutionized; innovation, accompanied by entrepreneurship, has shaped a fluid, dynamic, industry, as opposed to the static one that preceded it. Technological changes stemmi ng from the rise of the internet have transformed the distribution process of music, and further, the entire consumption experience has evolved. As outlined in Owsinski’s article, the “big three” record labels, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, have collectively failed to adapt to the shifting landscape of the industry, and consequently, said firms are at present seeing their profits and market share diminish.

“For too long the business world has been obsessed with the notion of building a sustainable competitive advantage.” Rita Gunther McGrath contends that in today’s business world, the notion of a sustainable competitive advantage needs to be discarded, replaced by the idea of a transient advantage. Owsinski notes that the major labels felt they held a sustainable competitive advantage, seemingly evidenced by the fact that “they were collecting the most revenue in their history.” However, rather than “reconfiguring” (McGrath), and preparing to exploit the rising popularity of mp3 files, and digitized music as whole, the big three continued to focus on the operational effectiveness of the production and distribution of CDs. The major labels were eventually forced to appear hat in hand before Steve Jobs and buy into iTunes, losing out on revenue shares and giving up control of distribution.

Have the three majors learned their lesson? It would appear so, but only gradually. As the industry shifts towards streaming services, which is supported by the popularity of the smartphone and cellular data, Warner, Sony, and Universal have made their presence known. While late to the party, the big three have expanded their presence on YouTube through “Vevo,” showcasing their artists’ music videos. As well, the labels possess a large ownership stake in Spotify, which is likely headed towards an enormous IPO. At present, the industry seems to be heading towards a “pay-what-you-want”, currently championed by BitTorrent. It remains to be seen how quickly the major labels will identify the trend and reconfigure accordingly.

Mcgrath, Rita Gunther. “Continuous Reconfiguration in the Transient Advantage Economy.” Strategy & Leadership 41.5 (2013): 17-22. Web.

Owsinski, Bobby. “How The Music Industry Created Its Own Worst Nightmares.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 7 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2014/08/07/how-the-music-industry-created-its-own-worst-nightmares/

“The State of the Music Industry – The Oatmeal.” The State of the Music Industry – The Oatmeal. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/music_industry