One of the primary critiques of Apple products from my tech-savvy friends, is the limitations of replacing hardware pieces compared to their more diversified competitors. In Jinna’s blog, she points out Apple’s tendency to exploit the exclusivity of their products continuously and subtlety, which in consumer sustainability activist Annie Leonard’s view (see embed video), are prime examples of perceived and planned obsolescence. However, this theory is certainly nothing new and has frequently been highlighted by anti-consumerists and popularized in documentaries such as The Light Bulb Conspiracy and The Story of Stuff in order to criticize corporations for intentionally selling products that are designed to be disposable in order to encourage mass consumption.

     Apple’s business model and their marketing strategies have proven to be more than successful in capturing the market, but their ethical values upon further examination may appear flawed, especially when basked in the glow of The Light Bulb Conspiracy, which leads to more question: can a business be sustained if its own goods discourage future purchases? Can a corporation be socially responsible if it is a proponent of the culture of fast fashion?

While staunchly anti-consumerist, Leonard brings up valid points regarding our consumer culture today.

Re: JiaYi Liu’s “Best Company to Work For”

    This year, Sauder has been ranked No. 3 in Canada according to the Financial Times MBA ranking. Possible reasons why? Besides the innovative administrators, bright students and dedicated professors, Sauder boasts an organizational culture that contributes not only to foster education and encourage personal development, but also to growth within the community.

1. Despite teaching and promoting professionalism when appropriate situations, Sauder also encourages laid back community bonding through common areas and integration efforts.

2. The organization emphasizes mentorship and networking between students, alumni, professors and others with connections with Sauder.

3. Activities, workshops and clubs are offered and run exclusively for and by Sauder students.

4. Sauder offers its students benefits such as their own building, dedicated study spaces, free coffee, academic counselling, career counselling and more!

5. Sauder students are given the freedom to make decisions on Sauder’s behalf.

By doing so, students are not only motivated to maintain the high standards that are expected of them but also to act in a way that reflects well on the school. It is no surprise that Sauder tends to have a high retention rate. Do you want to attend Sauder?

     In Randy Shore’s blog The Green Man, some of the difficulties that schools have been facing in implementing healthier regulations regarding the foods served at public schools in Canada are addressed, notably the lack of food preparation areas, lack of education, and difficulty in seeking alternatives. Shore also praises BC schools for their success in encouraging healthy eating and habits.

     One of the key reasons behind the province’s success in encouraging healthier habits is the education board’s willingness to partner with local farms for fresh produce, and the implementation of experimental curriculum programs such as Project Chef in which kids are taught life skills and educated about healthy eating.

     As Shore  observed, the pursuit of improving health in schools doesn’t end at banning junk foods. For  results, especially in the long run, healthy living must be taught through initiatives like Project Chef and facilitated through partnerships with healthy food sources such as local farms. As the dangers of malnutrition continues to grow, there is more and more room  for entrepreneurs and social enterprises to step in to provide services which cater to these needs.

Sources:

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/11/11/how-b-c-schools-are-winning-the-war-on-junk-food/

http://www.projectchef.ca/aboutus.html

     Online shopping giant Amazon has unveiled a partnership with U.S. Postal Services that would extend their shipping schedule to include Sundays. This plan has been already been put into effect in Los Angeles and New York and Amazon has plans to expand to other cities soon. The Sunday shipping is offered to all Amazon and Amazon Prime users free of charge, which gives Amazon yet another competitive advantage in online shipping, and brings them one step closer to same day shipping. For the US Postal service, this partnership will be a great boon as package delivery accounts for their largest profits.

     In a recent holiday survey by Deloitte, results show that after steadily climbing the ranks for years, online shopping has finally emerged as shoppers’ number one destination for holiday shopping.  This only further shows that catering to customers more important than ever. In the rush to provide the best online shopping experience, Amazon’s existing network, extensive products, and innovative decisions such as the 7 day shipping puts them ahead of their competitors.

Results to Deloitte’s 2013 Holiday survey. Click to enlarge.

Sources:

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Industries/Retail-Distribution/consumer-spending-2013/index.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/11/11/amazon-sunday-delivery-usps/3479055/

OS X 10.9 Mavericks is currently run by more than 15% of mac users.

     Released on October 22, 2013, Apple’s OS X Mavericks is already running on an estimated 15% of macs, a number that had taken its last operating system more than 3 times as much time to attain. The principle reason the quick acceptance? Mavericks is offered to Mac users completely free of charge.

     While it may seem bizarre for a company to be giving away software for free, there are several short and long term benefits that can come with this decision. As already demonstrated, it has attracted the attention of many of their consumers, causing them to feel a sense of loyalty for receiving the update without paying. For Macs that had been running older operating systems, running Mavericks may open up their availability to  the newer software that Apple offers through their App store which could generate future sales. The update could also lead to hardware updates for Apple as the update could require more powerful hardware than some older macs are equipped with.

     Having a united and uniform product to cater to facilities Apple the software design process and ultimately leads to better service and products for its customers.

Sources:

https://www.gosquared.com/mavericks/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/01/os-x-mavericks-is-now-installed-on-more-than-10-of-macs-smashing-mountain-lions-adoption-rate/

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-makes-os-x-mavericks-free-the-implications-7000022288/

Cisco, an American networking giant shows losses in its most recent quarter due to NSA monitoring.

 Previously unforeseen repercussions of U.S. National Security Agency’s monitoring of information  are being unveiled as Cisco, a multi billion dollar company which has been making efforts in connecting all aspects of life with the internet, suffers losses from a disastrous quarter. Because of the government monitoring, sales in Brazil and Russia have dropped by over 25% each, sending Cisco’s shares down 10%, a far cry from the 6% growth that analysts had anticipated. This dramatic drop in international support for the growing corporation extends beyond the individual company’s pains, however. As faith in American products from the large growing markets of Brazil and Russia fall, consumers will search for alternatives, giving competitors in other areas such as China a clear advantage.

    While Cisco is scrambling to recover and regain the support of its international market, it is a good idea for NSA and the US Government to further examine what other effects government spying can have on its economy and its relationship with fellow countries.