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Food safety issues have become a significant concern for Taiwanese  recently due to the latest, and perhaps the largest, cooking oil scandal which has led to the market withdrawal of 68 well-known brands in Taiwan. Wei Chuan Foods Corp., a subsidiary of Ting Hsin International Group, is accused of mixing imported animal feed-grade oil from Vietnam sell as cooking oil. At the same time, Chang Guann Company, another cooking oil manufacturer, has produced more than 645 tons of adulterated cooking oil and has distributed it to more than 1,200 restaurants. That oil was blended with “Gutter Oil”, an illegal ingredient made from kitchen waste.

A Taiwanese who used to trust the food-safety policy and the name of the brand, I was astonished by the giant food corporations’ lack of conscience and business ethic, which caused the toxication of over thousands of people and create detrimental, even lethal effects to the brand image perpetually. To punish such unethical deed that harms citizens’ health and affect the economy of Taiwan by destroying the product image, these suggestions can effectively exterminate all the subsidiary or partner corporations of Wei Chuan Foods Corp and prevent similar events from happening:

• The Taiwanese Government, along with the local supermarkets and consumers, should boycott all related product associated with Wei Chuan Foods Corp for the safety concern to diminish the corporation’s influence in food industry

• Instead of fining such a wealthy giant corporation which has established its business, factories, and markets in Taiwan but also in China and North America, the executives and the largest shareholders should be detained. This will serve as a lesson for other corporations.

• Fines up to $500,000,000 dollars (NT $ 1.5 billion) should be imposed for the purpose of restoring the global image of food products made in Taiwan.

Work Cited:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/19/opinion/taiwans-gutter-oil-scandal.html?_r=0

Enbridge’s Inc, the Calgary-based pipeline giant seeks the approval to run its $7.9 billion Northern Gateway petroleum and condensate pipelines. Still, much more needs to be done in order to gain the support from the environmental organizations, the government, and the First Nations.

Aware of the rising oil demand of the Asian market, Enbridge is determined to seize this opportunity, for the demand will increase over years and they will gain huge profit as the Alberta-Kitimat, B.C pipeline is built. However, it currently is facing the fierce opposition from the Nak’azdli, for the pipeline lies on the heart of Nak’azdli’s territory. The Yinka Dene Alliance( a group of six First Nations including the Nak’azdli) has made its firm stance to not let the oil pipeline be built, and they claim that their traditional territory encompasses 25% of the proposed route. This implies Enbridge  is facing a threat which would affect their key resources, petroleum, condensate, and land 

The opposition from the Aboriginal communities serves as the threat which challenges Enbridge’s operation and potential benefits. However, the giant figure in pipeline industry is set to turn this external threat into an opportunity which would generate the maximum benefit and reduce the conflict to the least. Enbridge has held more than 2000 public hearings for First Nation communities. In addition, it offers these communities equity partnership, making them one of the prominent key partners of the project and  granting them 10% stake in the pipeline project. The pipeline will generate more than $300 million contracts and job opportunities.  The First Nation group, at the same time, will also receive fundings from Enbridge to support the local education and environmental protection. Enbridge has worked hard to resolve the disputes and safety concern of the First Nations, especially the Nak’azdli, in hopes of turning the most prominent external threat they encounter into an opportunity to change the public’s impression of pipeline and demonstrate Enbridge’s willingness to maximize the environmental safety by improving the safety enhancement and respect the Aboriginal communities’ tradition and living style.

Works Citied:

Hoekstra, Gordon ““‘There Will Be No Pipeline’ In the Heart of Nak’azdli Territory, There Is a Steely Resolve — the People Are Firmly against Northern Gateway.” 16 Aug. 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/There+will+pipeline/10122968/story.html

First Nations and Métis partnership is at the very heart of the Northern Gateway Project

http://www.gatewayfacts.ca/Benefits/First-Nations.aspx

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/northern-gateway-pipeline-project-6-things-to-know-1.2469561

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Blackberry, in hopes of reviving the company, has released their newest flagship smartphone-the Passport, which it claims as the revolutionary smartphone with innovative technological specifications, including prolonged battery life, 4.5 inch square screen with high resolution, stereo speakers, and a navigable keyboard with touch screen.
However, the marketing strategy that the company has set up is bewildering and  detrimental to the sales of the Passport, even putting the brand’s survival in jeopardy. Firstly, the phone is released at the end of the year, the time when the giant leading corporation in the electronic product industry- Apple, will be announcing its new product- iPhone 6. This means Blackberry will have to compete with Apple, which has established worldwide recognition and a large client base. Therefore, it is certain that the Passport would have an uphill battle competing against large numbers of iPhone users.

Blackberry CEO, John Chen, stated that the Passport only targets 30% of smartphone owners out there, which implies the company operates in the focus strategy(differentiation) in a narrow market segment. Yet, the smartphone markets are extremely competitive. While Blackberry is only focusing on 30% of the consumers (the actual buyers may be vastly less than the percentage), other brands are seeking to impress the broad market segment and increase the users worldwide. Thus, Blackberry’s focus on a narrow segment limits Blackberry’s potential sales as well as the possibility to gain influences and recognition internationally. The company has established numerous creative devices on the Passport, but some functions received mixed reviews from the user. For instance, the Blackberry has received complaints from Passport’s bizarre shape. In addition,the difficulty of holding the phone is another flaw that discourages smartphone consumers.

Instead of focusing on designing new features that seem unusual to the general customer segments, Blackberry should resolve the missteps its previous phones have had  such as the limited access to numerous widely used Apps.

Works Cited:

 Ian Austen “A New BlackBerry Phone, but Maybe Too Late”  September  18, 2013

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/a-new-blackberry-phone-but-maybe-too-late/

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McDonald’s is cashing on the idea of creating a brand-new yet surprising limited-edition black burger, or more precisely, a squid-ink flavor burger, in Japan.
In response to one of its prominent competitors- Burger King’s action of releasing the “Kuro” burger on early September, which features not only black buns but also black cheese and ketchup sauce made with bamboo charcoal . However, since this speciality is only offered at limited locations and time, this indicates McDonald’s experimental approach with this entertaining product can be interpreted as an ambitious strategy to snatch the attention Burger King has received from inventing the first squid-ink flavored black burger.

This will prove its irreplaceable and leading position the enterprise is at by generating its point of parities (PoPs) that will impress and generate positive results for the company. Fast-food chains is a competitive market with relatively elastic demands ; therefore the marketing strategy along with value proposition, which analyzes the target customers’ pain and gain and “what can the product do for them”, is crucial to the company’s future. As these companies encounter slow domestic sale growth, McDonald’s, along with its big rivals such as Wendy’s, Burger King, and KFC, all begin to seek the opportunities in the international business market. To accommodate to the local cultures, traditions, and even religions, these enterprises need to create diverse menu items to appeal to the local consumers’ appetite. McDonald’s “Ikasumi” burger provides gains for consumers by the additional satisfaction of curiosity, serving a product that goes beyond the public’s imagination with the product’s entertaining appearance.

With the added value to local Japanese customers, these burgers, bizarre in North Americans’ eyes, can benefit McDonald’s outstanding sales and growth.

Works Cited;

Cameron Koch ” Now McDonald’s has a black cheeseburger in Japan” September 26, 2014

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/16569/20140926/mcdonalds-in-japan-now-have-a-black-burger-of-their-own.htm