Image Source: The Huffington Post

BC Hydro’s Site C hydroelectric megaproject is being strongly protested by BCs First Nation chiefs as they believe that the flooding of the valley would negatively affect fishing practices, and the environment as a whole. BC hydro however remains firm on their point that the environmental impact isn’t that large, and the project is necessary to meet growing energy needs. This article shows how First Nations land issues can prove to be a both a political and social factors that can influence a business plan. There are both cultural and lifestyle attitude limitations that are impairing the tract of the project; if these limitations are not sorted out, they will influence BC Hydro’s business plan as a whole.

This is similar to the well known Northern Gateway Pipeline where the First Nations fear the negative environmental impacts that may tamper the delicate ecosystem in the area, similar to the concerns of the First Nations in the Site C megaproject. In July, an article was released in the Globe and Mail informing that more lawsuits are being filed against the pipeline as the  B.C.’s Tsilhqot’in Nation “holds aboriginal title to a specific tract of land in the province.” Issue such as these are causing major delays in the project. This is an example of how companies like Enbridge and the government need to consider the views of the general public and the specific parties involved in their project, as clear, external influences can influence the implementation of their future endeavors. 

Works Cited

Moore, Dene. “B.C. Regulator Should Review Site C: Mayor.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 09 July 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

O’Neil, Peter. “First Nation Chiefs to Stage Site C Showdown.” The Vancouver Sun. Postwork Media Inc., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Stueck, Wendy. “B.C. First Nations Challenge Northern Gateway Pipeline in New Court Action.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 14 July 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

Shopping for good deals in the States entails one location, TARGET!! Target in the United States was a symbol of good quality at a good price. So as the news came out that Target was targeting the Canada, I greatly excited.

However, Target missed the Canadian target greatly! With an extensive loss, Target opened to some rough Northern waters. As the article  “How to fix Target Canada in six easy steps” stated, the road to fix Target Canada is a big job and the advice given in the article addressed a lot of issues the company seemed to face.

Step 1 in the article really stood out to me as it emphasizes and advises them to “Target Canadians.” There was no real stand-out factor that pulled a customer like me from Walmart to Target. We may be geographically close to our southern neighbors, however there are some big demographic and cultural differences that needed to be addressed by Target, which they failed to do. Despite having a significantly smaller population than that of US, Canada has a lot of cultural diversity packed into small areas; a failure to address this factor makes the company lose a whole section of the market. This advice seemed most helpful to me; to create a strategy that was made-in-Canada, aimed at Canadians. It appeared that the strategy used to attract the customers was adapted from US consumer base, which clearly did not play out well in the Canadian market.

Ever since Target missed the Canadian target, all eyes are focused on Target’s path to recover. What will be the future of Target Canada? Will it be as successful as it is in the US? Maybe, maybe not, but as the article suggests, there is hope for improvement. I hope Target will be able to make a significant comeback because as Target Canada is showing, they won’t go down without a fight.

Works Cited

Hansen, Darah. “How to Fix Target Canada’s Problems in Six Easy Steps.”Canadian Business. Rogers Media, 28 July 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

This is a response to Julia Tran‘s post on a new Netflix rival and Amanda Bamford’s response to Julia’s post.

  versus 

With businesses who have attempted to take on the giant Netflix and having failed, the possibility to beat Netflix seems difficult. But Canadian users know, the content available to us is quite a bit less when compared to our southern neighbors and certainly not up to date. With an estimated 4 million subscribers in Canada, having an up-to-date service with the same variety of programs as Netflix provides, at the same price, would be an ideal and appreciated service.

This move on behalf of Rogers and Shaw in my eyes is a smart move. With millions of people turning to online streaming, it comes down to who provides a better service. If Shomi in the long run ends up providing a better service than Netflix at the same price, I wouldn’t mind making the switch.

However, the journey to make Shomi a success in my eyes seems difficult. Shomi, for the time being, will only be available to paid TV users of Shaw and Rogers, leaving many who don’t used paid television without the service. Netflix is just more widely available, and because anyone can subscribe to it, it gives them the advantage in the market.

Also, as discussed in class 8, Netflix is already such a well established brand. The company has already made a lasting impact on consumers’ minds, and other than the lacking content, the impression Netflix has left is a good one. I agree fully with Amanda’s view that it will be very difficult for Shomi to replace the image and impact Netflix has built up over the last 4 years.

But as the article about Shomi in the Canadian Business states, “there is room in the market for an additional service in Canada because the appetite for movie and TV content online is only increasing and Canada is undeserved.” There is definitely room for a new service come in parallel to Netflix and make its place. I wish Shomi the best in the steep climb to their success that I perceive ahead. In the end, we want good service, and I hope that the one providing the better service will be the winner of this battle! 🙂

Works Cited

Bradshaw, James, and Christine Dobby. “Shomi Gives Rogers, Shaw a Toehold on Netflix’s Turf.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

Nowak, Peter. “Don’t Underestimate Netflix Rival Shomi.” Canadian Business. Rogers Media, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

reply to June Ong’s blog post

Urban Outfitters’ recently released a product, a  bloodstained sweater with a Kent State University logo on it..

In her blog post, my fellow classmate comments on how the product itself was merely a strong marketing strategy that gave the company the publicity they appeared to desire. I agree with her completely on this fact. The product and the company as a whole are gaining wide attention in the public; even if the company chooses to discontinue this product, the brand itself will likely not fade as they have now caught the public’s attention.  However should we be going to the extent that Urban Outfitters has in order to bring their product into the public view?

The issue around what is appropriate marketing appears to be around for years. The well known retailer brand Calvin Klein’s advertisements have been seen to have explicit sexual imagery and have stirred up controversies over the years. The target customers are from the younger age groups, as most of the models are young themselves; this factored into the great dislike for the ads that lead to their removal 24 hours later.  

Both these companies have the marketing/ product approaches that are morally questionable. Because these marketing tactics/ products are against convention and defy what we consider “right” or “appropriate”, they make ensure a place in the customer’s minds. But should this occur?  In my opinion it shouldn’t. Serious issues shouldn’t be used to increase sales and awareness of the brand. Whether Urban Outfitters did this intentionally or this actually was an accident, the impact it had however was not a good one, definitely not for those connected to Kent State shooting event. Companies like Urban Outfitters needs to consider how their marketing campaigns will impact the public, because as seen with many companies, bad publicity may not always be such a good thing.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/juneong/2014/09/15/no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity/

Works Cited

Charnock, Brendon. “Bad Ads: Explicit Sexual Imagery In Marketing.” MSN Business. Microsoft, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://businessnews.howzit.msn.com/bad-ads-explicit-sexual-imagery-in-marketing-4?page=3#image=4 >

Rupp, Lindsey. “Urban Outfitters’ Bloodstained ‘Vintage Kent State’ Shirt Sparks Outrage.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/urban-outfitters-bloodstained-vintage-kent-state-shirt-sparks-outrage/article20599281/>.