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While having just a few hours of sleep before my 8am Comm class, my attention span was at an all-time low. However, when Wade Larson, Vice President of UrtheCast described UrtheCast’s platform as “…Google Earth…on steroids”, I was suddenly hit by my own version of Hurricane Sandy – my “eye” began to open, my brain was flooding with questions, and I was moving offshore to find some answers.

As Wane began to elaborate on UrtheCast’s “mashup” between YouTube and Google Earth, I began to see how HD live-video streaming could be the game-changer for a large potential audience – benefiting educators, humanitarians, and environmental organizations. Being an Earth and Ocean Sciences student myself, I can imagine the power of this tool in enriching the classroom learning experience.

In my long-run forecast, I see a huge potential for revenue generation through contracts involving news stations and the media; still, I have doubts about the initial success of this company. With that said, UrtheCast has incorporated the necessary components to prosper – they have the first-mover advantage and are allowing for their technology to be a social media outlet as well, appealing to our generation of social media addicts!

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Having recently subscribed to Groupon during the summer, I was intrigued by the concept behind these newly emerging “deal-of-the-day” businesses – specifically, the profit-maximization strategy behind consumers carrying out online payments, but redeeming their purchases in real-world stores.

According to an article by TechCruch, “Groupon has been able to grow high-margin revenues faster than almost any other company in the history of the Internet”. The question I pondered on while reading through this article was, “Why are these deal-of-the-day ecommerce business models so successful?

After thinking for some time, I have come to the following conclusion: this branch of e-commerce has no inventory, low overhead, well, relatively low overhead, and a highly attractive commodity that is appealing to a wide audience of consumers. High rewards are coming at a cheap price tag for Groupon, and so I am not surprised that other firms are quickly diving into the daily deals industry with hopes of reaping the same rewards.

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Under US federal guidelines, as long as someone can adequately perform the required duties, it is illegal to deny them employment based on their national origin, religion, sex, or race. However, while it can be agreed upon that the above protections are typically warranted, when it comes to the ethical issue of “aesthetic labour hiring” in the restaurant industry, red flags immediately go up. Is it ethical to hire restaurant staff on the basis of attractiveness?

While this matter typically raises discrepancies between both female and male perspectives, this time, my feminine perspective is aligned with a male perspective on this ethical issue from Varun Banthia.

The restaurant industry is not solely built around great tasting food. As Varun mentioned, it is about the entire experience. There is a reason why people go out to eat in the first place versus simply ordering take-out.

Therefore, from a business perspective, I agree that “aesthetic labour” hiring is “fair game”. While critics continue arguing that hiring on the basis of attractiveness is discrimination and a violation of human rights, I believe that a restaurant should be free to hire “appropriate staff” – a strategy to appeal to their target demographic and keep the business rolling.

Further Reading

In response to Rupinder’s blog post on the joint venture between Tata Global Beverages and Starbucks, I am convinced that Indian consumers will be split between associating this new venture with either one of the companies.

Starbucks, operating over 17,000 stores internationally, is famous for their unique customer experience, included with each cup. This point of difference has associated their brand name with words such as “exclusive”, “high-class”, and “elite”, making holding a Starbucks cup a privilege in itself.

In comparison, Tata Global Beverages is the world’s largest tea company – a company focused on a stable line of alimentary beverages that are made from locally sourced espresso.

As Rupinder mentioned, Starbucks plans to “try and tap into India’s emerging market”. In my mind, Starbucks is guaranteeing their success in a foreign market by introducing their brand name alongside with Tata’s name: this way, Starbucks is hopeful that their ties to Tata will gain them customer loyalty.

Tata on the other hand, will be represented alongside one of the world’s most iconic beverage brands. Perhaps this will benefit Tata in improving the profile of Indian-grown arabica coffees around the world, and fuel their expansion power to North America.

Further reading: http://news.starbucks.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=703

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Tata-Starbucks-readies-for-India-entry-by-end-of-October/articleshow/16585414.cms

Image Reference: http://eater.com/uploads/starbucks-taj-mahal.jpg

Google has always been associated with innovation and creativity– but how does the company ensure that their employees are continuing to uphold their reputation? In effort to safeguard employees’ imagination, Google has subtly hacked their cafeteria to promote good nutrition, because healthiness leads to happiness, and happiness leads to innovation.

I am skeptic, however. How can Google crush your lunchtime fantasies of mouthwatering, succulent steaks and crispy, deep-fried potatoes?

Obviously, Google can’t stand in the way of your cravings. However, instead of just offering the option of healthy meals, Google has gone the extra mile and implemented several cues that have deterred employees from reaching for the conventional, high-calorie burgers. Some of these cues include storing candy in opaque, obscuring bins, and the coincidental central location of the salad bar.

In spite of the initiative reducing employee calorie intake by 9%, critics have voiced that the company’s intentions are to craft their employees to look like “magazine models” (Barry), to advance their company’s image. Fact or fiction, I believe that this initiative is one of Google’s points of differentiation: unlike other companies struggling to cut fixed costs, Google has promoted innovation while simultaneously reducing employee health care costs. Pure genius.

Further Reading: 

http://jezebel.com/5897832/heres-how-google-treats-its-employees-like-grazing-animals

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669355/6-ways-that-google-hacks-its-cafeterias-to-make-employees-eat-healthier

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Many teenagers have been swept up in the phenomenon of wearing shoes that mimic fabric bandages being wrapped around their feet, otherwise known as TOMS shoes – shoes that are fragile and cheaply crafted. So why are teenagers so keen on paying big bucks for such hideous shoes? The answer is simple: TOMS has made “Social Responsibility” a key attribute in their company’s mission statement, which has psychologically lured consumers to buy into their brand. Today I will explore the ethical debate of the company’s “notion of giving” – whether their altruistic intentions are for the sake of relieving child sufferage, or merely a cruel marketing scheme.

TOMS slogan is “Giving is what fuels us”. For every pair purchased, a 2nd pair is donated to an under-privileged child. I commend TOMS for their generosity; however, I question the ethics behind their noble intentions. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs emphasizes the importance of self-actualization (which includes morality/ethics) as a higher level of human needs. Now the question lies, is TOMS ultimately exploiting our natural human needs of being “do-gooders” to buy into their brand? And if that’s the case, is it ethical to use charity as a means of boosting your business?

Further Reading: http://deadwildroses.wordpress.com/tag/unethical-toms-shoes

Picture Reference: http://cdn100.iofferphoto.com/img3/item/l_toms-shoes-men-s-flax-canvas-shoes-008-in-box-004b22/034/145/toms-shoes-men-s-flax-canvas-shoes-008-in-box-004b.jpg