Ramona's Blog

RIM is about to launch their new product, Playbook, which will go head to head in a much heated battle with Apple’s iPad. RIM was very strategic in waiting for the iPad to be first released before they marketed their Playbook. RIM waited and observed the drawbacks of the iPad, for example the inability to install JAVA, and made it one of their key features. Blackberry has a legacy of slow processors in their phones. They are using the Playbook to redefine their brand.

Despite the overwhelming threat of substitutes (computers, netbooks and the iPad), the Playbook has stormed up much publicity and anxiousness. The rivalry  in the market may be hard to overcome, however by differentiating their product, and waiting for a whole year after the iPad to sell their product, they will be able to capture some consumer’s interests and improve the features engraved in the iPad.

TerraCycle, a company that innovates new products from old products.

They have adopted the phenomenon of making products from trash, pushing sustainability to the next level. The employees are advocates of change and always open to new idea. Their CEO founded the company at the young age of 19. His first stroke of idea was to use worms to eat organic waste. They sell a wide array of products, including schoolbags,  office supplies, gardening tools and  great gifts such as the M&M Picture frame.

TerraCycle does not follow the norms of the companies that populate our culture today. They are not only introducing new products, but also new forms of organization. Their CEO works right alongside the average employees! Also, many graduates from university can gain great hands on experience if they work for this company. A great amount of empowerment is invested into their employees.

Canada’s Most Reliable Network.

Rogers Wireless.

The marketers for this company have done a great job fostering into the consumers minds that Rogers is the most reliable network across Canada. Is marketing alone enough to dictate the success of the company?

According to TheSpec, Rogers profit has dropped a whopping 24 percent. Small companies such as Wind Mobile and Public Mobile are now their rivalry, and Rogers blames competition for the decrease in profit.  What is wrong with the company really? Could it be customer service?

Rogers has a wide array or ways in which you can contact them. Listed here. Yet the wait times during after school hours and weekends for a real live customer service representative to tend to you over the phone is about 15 minuets. The wait times for specialized customer service representatives, such as mandarin speaking and iPhone help, can stretch even longer!

The marketers of Rogers are busy with maintaining customer loyalty,
but not customer service.

3D TV is a new invention that allows ordinary citizens to enjoy a 3 Dimensional experience in the comfort of their own homes. This process requires an expensive TV and special eye glasses.

After watching this commercial, does it make you want a 3D tv? Many television makers are hoping that the 3D TV will be widely sold in the coming Christmas season. According to CBC news, they have only sold 2% of their TVs. This is leading to a very low inventory turnover, which may impair any future innovations companies have to better their product.

As you can imagine, the fixed costs for producing these luxurious items are very high. Resulting in a low quantity demanded.  “Samsung, for one, recently began selling a bundle in Canada that includes a 50-inch 3D plasma screen with Blu-ray player and two pairs of glasses for $1,299 to address the price issue.” The price jump is overwhelming for consumers. As it is a luxury, the demand is inelastic. A small price change will not affect the quantity demanded too much.

3D is a luxury that is mostly exercised in movie theatres. However it is failing to attract consumers.

‘Anyone with a kid will tell you all else being equal they will choose the 3D version of a movie.’—Solutions Research Group president Kaan Yigit

This morning I picked up a copy of the 24 hours and I was overwhelmed with information. I was bombarded with three cell phone advertisements that stood out like a sore thumbs. Solo Mobile, Wind, and Comwave.

Now the points of parody for these three companies were that they all advertised cheap, and UMLIMITED features. These advertisements seem to be catered towards teenagers and young adults.These advertisements also had distinguishing colours.

The points of differences were harder to find. I kept thinking to myself.. aren’t these advertisements basically saying the same thing? But I searched long and hard and concluded that SOLO mobile emphasized that their company was reliable. WIND mobile showed the original price, than the discounted price, letting consumers think they are getting a GREAT deal. And Comwave has a 30 day free trial.

Looking deeper within the advertisements is how you will be able to distinguish one ad for another. But only highly specialized professionals will be able to determine the more concrete and underlying points of differences in these three companies.

At one point in one’s life, one has probably owned a blockbuster card. Renting movies on a Saturday night, sitting in front of the TV with a big bowl of popcorn used to be the tradition of many families. It seems as if the Internet, a much cheaper and faster way of acquiring movies, is the substitute for Blockbuster nowadays. This leaves Blockbuster in the dark, with declining revenue and with no choice but to close some of their stores. The essential downfall for this company is that they did not change along with time. Time has developed easier ways of watching movies, free of charge! Although Blockbuster has recently allowed a small Canadian wireless provider, named WIND, to inhabit their stores, it does not seem like it is contributing much to their revenue. In order for businesses to survive, they must always keep up with what consumers demand, which changes with time.

Blockbuster relies on traditional practices to generate revenue. Unfortunately people are becoming less traditional, and more practical.

The HST was first implemented better the economy. However it is ending up worsening it. Many people who are not actually in the labor force (retired, seniors) are the people that are receiving the benefits.

”

Many of the direct jobs in British Columbia – more than 500,000 – are today supported by our major industries: mining, oil and gas, forestry, transportation, construction and manufacturing. Those industries compare tax rates from around the world before deciding when to invest in a business, new machinery or new jobs.

The HST saves employers $2 billion, which can be reinvested into higher wages and jobs.”

http://hst.blog.gov.bc.ca/families-individuals/more-jobs-higher-wages/

The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. There is not a good allocation of wages. People who need the money most, are the people that are working. That is why they are working! Employers make much more than money, who is to say that they will spend all the money the make from HST to create jobs? Employers might actually be saving the money for themselves. Everyday consumers end up having to pay an extra tax on food. And since food is a necessity, the demand for food is relatively inelastic. However they will cut back on the luxury goods, such as furniture, to make up for the extra money spent.

The HST should work in a way so that it is beneficial to everyone. Employees should be able to receive some of the money back, so they can start their own investments.

HP, feels threatened that their ex-CEO is working for their greatest rival, Oracle.

Mark Hurst resigned in August 6, 2010 due to a claim of sexual harassment.

However HP feels that Hurst knows too many secrets to be working for Oracle, and sues him, suggesting that he knows too much information to be able to work at Oracle and not bring down HP at the same time.

25 years ago, HP forced out Steve Jobs, who saved Apple from going bankrupt and is now very successful. It makes me wonder what HP is so worried about. What concerns me is how much effect one man can have on the company.

Oracle and HP finally worked out a “settlement”..

“He already got a $12.2 million payout as part of his severance, and filed papers last month to sell about $30 million worth of stock that he got by exercising options that came with the package.”

Hurst will not be missing that money.But what he will be missing will be the stocks, worth 14 million, that he will also need to give up.

So I guess it is not impossible for two rivalries to work together. This article amplifies that each and every single individual is important and unique, even in the business world, where everything still seems abstract and out of reach. Mark Hurst, just one man, had the potential of bringing down his former company.

Hockey is presumed, by Canadians, a game

In which fans can show their support with

Cheering and Enthusiasm.

However these factors are slowly dwindling as hockey game prices are

soaring, after the HST.

The majority of the tickets are now displaced from spontaneous fans to

business people.

I enjoyed hockey the way it was when  there were rowdy crowds.

My concern is the amount of empty seats that are never filled…

Even though the game is “sold out”.

Because of all the corporate seats that are left unoccupied.

Money does seem to be the driving force of the world doesn’t it?

Leisure should be separate from business issues. Hockey is part of the Canadian culture.

People should do whatever they can to keep ideas that preserve the Canadian culture affordable.

Canadians are losing their culture aspect by aspect because of monetary means.

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