Japanese companies rarely have strategies. “ This is what Michael Porter wrote in his article for the Harvard Business Review. He says that most Japanese companies “imitate and emulate each other.” This made me think of Japanese car brands. Subaru, Honda, and Toyota are just a few examples of companies that have been brought to North America. The cars made by each of these Japanese brand share similarities. Subaru, Honda, and Toyota for example all have comparable compact crossover vehicles: Subaru with the forester, Honda with their CRV, and Toyota with their Rav4. If a potential car buyer is researching vehicles they will find a lot of websites comparing car models because many of them are virtually the same such as on Manchester Subaru. They are priced at around $25,000 for the base model and all include the same features. However, because all these cars are equivalent, customers have to look at other aspects of the brand before making a purchase. This is why offering analogous is a risky approach. My colleague Dina also recognizes the importance of not just having a good product, as she mentioned in her post about Apple (The Secret to Apple’s Success). They need to offer deals, customer service, a wide range of options and more if they want to overcome competitors.

Sources:

http://www.kansaigroup.jp/blog/japanese-cars-vs-american-cars-the-battle-continues/

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=ecf6d781-1c25-4f02-a4a0-c19091c23607%40sessionmgr111&hid=113 

http://www.manchestersubaru.com/subaru-forester-vs-honda-crv.htm 

https://blogs.ubc.ca/dinakasiri/2014/09/22/the-secret-to-apples-success/

Photo source:

http://www.markmillersubaru.com/forester-vs–crv—rav4.htm

Apple recently unveiled their new products, the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 +, and the iWatch. These items have been under research and development ever since the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c came out. Apple is constantly looking to better their company and improve their products. In order to complete their projects in the short amount of time that they do, time management must be a perfected skill. Along with the ever so popular cell phone, Apple also sells computers, laptops, tablets, and accessories. Managing all these products and constantly working on improving them, requires organization to make sure they don’t fall behind on an important project. Steve Covey’s time management method would be an efficient way for Apple to oversee all urgent, non-urgent, important, and unimportant matters. Larger companies especially need to stay on track because they have more to lose if they miss a deadline, or need to postpone an important event. Time management is an important skill that both individuals and businesses should possess. It’s difficult to prosper without having this ability. Clearly, Apple’s success shows that they have mastered sticking to deadlines and managing their time.

Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/apples-iphone-6-tops-4-million-in-pre-orders/article20599203/

http://www.taskcracker.com/stephen-covey-time-management-method-outlook-productivity/

Photo:

http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/ 

Lululemon has been an incredibly successful company, being the top brand of active wear for years. However, it recently came under attack when founder Chip Wilson commented that Lululemon yoga pants aren’t meant for everybody, implying that women needed a certain figure to wear their clothes. While it was Chip Wilson who stated this opinion, it became associated with Lululemon’s brand rather than him as a person. It put into question Lululemon’s morals as a company. The health-oriented brand became one that put women’s bodies at fault as the answer to their quality issue. People began to think the business was discriminating against women who were larger or required plus sized apparel. The integrity of Lululemon was put at stake; similar to the way Abercrombie and Fitch’s was earlier this year, as explained by Erica who wrote Pretty and Plus Sized. It’s hard for a company to rebound from a sore topic like body image, which many people feel strongly about. The brand that previously had a good reputation for its quality and service was quickly hurt by one man’s actions. Lululemon will have to advertise their ethics as an open and friendly corporation to earn back customers that were lost in this controversy.

Source:

http://www.theprovince.com/Lululemon+founder+Chip+Wilson+paying+price+saying+yoga+pants+work+some+women+bodies/9951155/story.html?__federated=1

Photo:

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/12/10/lululemon-athletica-chip-wilson-controversy/