This past week RIM released the newest competitor in the world of smartphones–the Blackberry Passport. In the first weekend that it was for sale, 200,000 units of this “competitor” were sold, however it is questionable whether it is worth it. Although the number may seem promising for the indebted company, it is one fifth the amount that Apple’s iPhone 6 sold in its first weekend on the market. To give blackberry a break, the Passport is not available in the US yet, however the Canadian-based company should have hit bigger in its home market if the company wanted to make a real comeback. RIM must sell 10 million devices per year to break even. These expectations would be easy for Apple or Samsung to meet, but it may be a lost cause for Blackberry. In such a competitive smartphone market, Blackberry is yet to establish a customer segment with their new expensive yet unique device. Blackberry used to be aimed towards business people for security reasons and for the convenient keyboard, but as RIM’s sales declined, so did their reputation. Even if the new Blackberry Passport is a brilliant device, Blackberry has been “out of the game” for years now with their declining stocks, lack of updates, and inefficient marketing. It may be true that Blackberry cannot compare to Apple, but that does not mean that capital should be invested in a company that is not able to differentiate or lower costs for their product.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/passport-sales-bode-well-for-blackberry-analyst-says/article20838923/

See article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/keystone-opponents-reject-rumoured-canadian-offer-to-cut-emissions/article14492519/

Alberta’s famous oil sands are a key industry that have brought many business people with different objectives to collaborate. Businesses of drilling, protecting wildlife, advertising, and so much more find the oil sands to be the centre of their attention. The Keystone XL Pipeline was proposed to bring the Alberta Oil Sands into the US to compete more directly with oil from around the world and to increase development of the tar sands at home. This outstanding opportunity for the oil sand business has continuously been questioned due to the environmental effects that the oil sands have already demonstrated. It is not in the ethics of companies who have been exploiting the oil sands to save the environment, however Canada—using taxpayer dollars—has offered to make steps to minimize environmental damage. Already there are some requirements for the businesses that exploit the land for oil to replant trees and keep water clean. These ethics are imposed and cost these companies billions of dollars and limit their expansion abilities. Alberta’s dirty oil generates huge revenue for stakeholders and is a huge local employer. Obama is not likely to approve the pipeline until the businesses change their ways to permanent solutions to the dirty oil.

Koring, Paul. “Keystone opponents reject rumoured Canadian offer to cut emissions.” The Globe and Mail. N.p., 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/keystone-opponents-reject-rumoured-canadian-offer-to-cut-emissions/article14492519/>.

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