As read in an external blog post- “Business Trend: Big Data” by Brent Holliday regarding on the Information Technology (IT), IT has enabled businesses to extract and gather data to make decisions. Brent Holliday noted that British Colombia has a long history of data-analytics software. The data collection system has been used since the 1970s. IT helps to identify new trends and gather information that lead to better decision-making in areas such as marketing and managing operation costs. As learnt in class, IT enables businesses to exercise measurement, experimentation, sharing and replication.

An excellent example of a company that uses IT to keep track of customer behaviour is Safeway. Safeway has created a Safeway Membership Card that offers discounts to customers on each product they purchase. These discounts are mostly offered by the producers to identify the particular brands to promote. Through this system, the spending pattern of the customers could be observed and Safeway could build a close relationship with customers.

Information Technology System has contributed a lot to the success of businesses. However, businesses should be aware of the quality of the data because there are criticism of existing tools that incorrect and inconsistent data may occur. Moreover, businesses should ensure the security of the data.

Photo reference: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NVIgXLsJeCs/TyZrtCnyTgI/AAAAAAAAACg/SvX1w0fVb44/s1600/1.jpg

Which is the bigger motivator for you, power or money? How do companies evaluate performance? In Comm101 Performance Management class, we talked about how managers motivated employees. Different companies implement different ways of managing performance. One interesting management is the One-Minute Management. One-Minute Managers are not someone who achieve every task in one minute. They considers productivity and quality is more than just the quantity of work done, and bases their work in three steps to influence co-workers. The three steps are: One Minute Goals., One Minute Praising, and One Minute Reprimands.

1)   The One Minute Goal Setting: the manager and the employee to agree on the employee’s goals, and write out each of his or her goals on a single sheet of paper that requires only a minute.

2) One Minute Praising: Managers taking their time to get involved with the employees, and observe their work. Managers will praises the employees instantly when good performance is given, telling them specifically what they did right. This helps to encourage the employees to do more of the same.

3) One-Minute Reprimands: The manager will correct the employees immediately based on their work and tell them specifically what they did wrong. The manager will express how he or she feels about what they did wrong, and remind them how much he or she values them. This one-minute process can ensure that the employee will improve their work skills and performance.

Under this One-Minute Management, employees are motivated by the power they owned and how valuable they are within the company. Their performance at work are evaluated instantly by the manager that enables employees to improve their work immediately.

Photo reference: http://www.wittysparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/the_one_minute_manager.gif

Julia Erickson(left) and Aaron Ingley (right)

A business major at the University of Pittsburgh, Julia Erickson, who is a business student at the University of Pittsburgh and a professional dancer, came up with an idea of creating nutrient bars that would “provide the stamina she needed to perform but with fewer processed ingredients and calories”. She realized that a lot of dance students had to run between dancing classes and school, and they could only grab snacks from vending machines. Erickson then decided to partner with Aaron Ingley, who is also a dancer and a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh. They started a company called Barre in 2010 and was proven to be a success. They received orders from dance and fitness studios nationwide and their products are currently sold in 170 retail outlets across the United States.

In the Comm101 Entrepreneur class, Amiella Lake, the CRO and Founder of Tagga Media, suggested 10 reasons to become an entrepreneur. Two of the reasons are : 1) because you see “the” better way-how you can solve a problem, 2) you thrice on challenge, chaos and the unknown. Erickson and Ingley both see the dancers’ needs and take the risk the start a business with $8,000 cash. Their business turns out to be a success. I think that if a person has the passion to start a business and the belief that he or she will success, every barrier is an opportunity to grow and improve, and there is always a solution to a problem.

Photos reference: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224456#comments

According to the article-RIM to help manage mobile payment system, “the BlackBerry maker has been chosen by EnStream, a company set up by Canada’s three largest wireless networks(BCE Inc.’s Bell, Rogers and Telus), to provide the security infrastructure that would make the substitute for debit and credit cards at checkouts work.” Blackberry’s reputation for security is one of its best-known strengths. The wireless smartphone payment is gaining popularity in North America; however, consumers often concern about the reliability of using smartphones to make payments. The partnership between Blackberry and EnStream will build consumers’ confidence towards the use of Blackberry and will also further promote Blackberry’s point of difference– the ability to provide top security, against other smartphone companies such as Apple Inc. and Samsung.

According to the Global and Mail-Research In Motion climbs back into top 5 in smartphone sales, with the release of Blackberry 10 in 2013 and its new software that increases functionality, “Research In Motion is believed to climb back into top 5 in smartphone sales.” Research In Motion is moving towards a right direction and the hard work to rebuild its brand value is demonstrated; however, the company must ensure that the Blackberry 10 is launched on time.

Photo Reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/business-technology/research-in-motion-climbs-back-into-top-5-in-smartphone-sales/article4680333/

More on Blackberry:

BlackBerry: King of smartphones in Nigeria

Unlike the non-profit companies and charities, social enterprises use a business model and make a profit through operations that create a societal and environmental impact. Social entrepreneurs believe and then they see, and they see the end result before even got started. They strive to tackle big societal problem.

The Cleaning Solution Inc. is one of the successful social enterprises that is Vancouver-based. According to its social mission stated in its official website, it “believes that better solutions exist and is committed to improve its environmental footprint and creates healthier workplaces for its valued staff. ” It sees the need to support people with mental disabilities in the society by employing them so they could make a living and participate economically and socially. The Cleaning Solution also realizes the importance of protecting the environment by using environmentally friendly cleaning products.For instance, detergent free cleaning products are used to prevent the water from being polluted.

I understand that a social entrepreneur has to take more risks, be committed and put in extra hard work in order to create a societal difference in comparison to other profit-driven entrepreneurs; however, being a part of the society, citizens have the responsibility to create social values and influence the future generation.

Photo: https://climatesmartbusiness.com/alumni/cleaning-solution/

As read in Cathy’s blog regarding on Facebook’s new gift-giving feature, I agree with Cathy that Facebook has created a good point of difference, which could separate itself from its strong competitors such as Twitter and attract people’s attention. This feature enhances convenience and also stimulates the relationship between friends. I like this new idea since most of my friends study abroad, we do not have a chance to celebrate our birthdays together. Through the gift-giving feature, I could give them a real present instead of just a “Happy Birthday”. As mentioned in the article and seen in the picture above, the “products that are already on offer are Starbucks gift cards, cupcakes, stuffed animals, gourmet ice cream and flowers”, and Facebook promised that more options would be added soon. Facebook is able to make use of eCommerce to boost its sales and see the opportunity to perform its activities differently. Facebook should advertise more about this new feature in order to make more people aware of this. In this way, it could generate more profit.

Reference: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-27/facebook-unveils-gift-giving-feature-to-add-new-revenue-source.html

Photo reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2210050/Facebook-trials-letting-users-buy-real-birthday-gifts-friends.html

As read in Tony’s blog regarding business ethics and social responsibility, Primark was able to immediately stop doing business with the three Indian suppliers when it realized that the suppliers were employing children and made them work under poor labour conditions. Unethical behaviours would ruin the reputation of Primark, which would lead to the downfall of Primark in its reputation and sales. Ethical practices within a company is vitally important because it shows that the company is fulfilling its responsibility towards the society and builds a healthy image of the business in the eyes of the society and consumers. Consumers will therefore be willing to consume more because they feel responsible toward society.

If Primark did not realize the poor practices performed by these suppliers, the customers would lose their confidence towards Primark’s products and would eventually switch to other substitutes.

This issue also made us aware that some of the retailers such as Gap Inc. and Esprit  did not acknowledge the use of child labour by the Indian suppliers. These companies should raise their awareness towards the poor business practices performed by the suppliers in order to maintain a good reputation.

Reference: https://blogs.ubc.ca/tonyshen55/2012/09/13/primark-reacts-to-potential-scandal/#respond

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/22/india.humanrights

Photo reference: http://www.ptglobal.net/cheap-clothing-brand-reports-high-profits/

It is widely known that Blackberry’s is experiencing a decline in its brand value. The constant delays in their new products have led to the diminishing of their brand’s identity within the smartphones industry. According to the Globe and Mail, Blackberry’s “qwerty keyboard, Messenger program (BBM) and its reputation for security” are identified to be its strengths; however, Research In Motion (RIM) is not able to maintain its competitive advantage. The statistics provided by Interbrand show that Blackberry’s brand value decreases by 36% and its ranking has fallen from 56 out of the 100 valuable brands to 93 out of 100. On the contrary, Apple and Samsung’s brand values have increased by 129% and 40% respectively.

According to Michael E Porter, he stated that “a company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that it can preserve.” and it is important to develop strategy that can “perform activities differently than rivals do.” (What is Strategy?) RIM should enhance both its operational efficiencies and the ability to develop unique competitive advantages of its products, for example, by further developing its Messenger service. It should create the points of difference of its products, know their target market (eg. professionals), the capital resources that the company has and then develop tactics and strategies in order to restore the brand value of Blackberry’s.

Reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/blackberrys-brand-value-takes-a-hit/article4580911/

photo reference: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/blackberrys-brand-value-takes-a-hit/article4580911/

Well.ca, a Canadian online store that focuses on daily necessities, partnered with Procter and Gamble to launch a virtual store in a subway station in Toronto, Canada. Products such as Tide detergents and Pampers are printed on the wall. To make a purchase, customers need to download the Well.ca app, scan the QR code and the item will arrive the next day to them free of charge. According to the founder of Well.ca, the company is inspired by Tesco that provided similar services in Korea.

According to Al Ries and Jack Trout, they mentioned “the easiest way to position itself in the competition market is to introduce its services into someone’s mind first” in their book “Positioning”. Well.ca opens up a new trend in Canada. It adopts technology to sell its product to customers which enhances efficiency within the company and externally. Well.ca is an excellent example that demonstrates its ability to be the first one to launch these kinds of services in Canada. It has come up with a brilliant idea to stand out of its competitors and enhanced efficiency. It shows its ability to see consumers’ needs and how it responds to them. The Well.ca virtual store is known to be a success because it has experienced monthly growth. Therefore, to be the first to position itself in the competitive market is vitally important.

Reference: http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/well-ca-opens-virtual-store-in-toronto-49725

Photo reference: http://www.marketingmag.ca/news/marketer-news/well-ca-opens-virtual-store-in-toronto-49725

Comm101 Class#3-business ethics

The Netherlands’ biggest pension fund, Algemeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds (ABP), blacklisted Walmart for its poor labour practices and its support in union free workplace. The ABP has given Walmart a time range for 4 years to improve on its corporate practices; however, Walmart did not meet the ABP’s expectations. It has been treating its workers badly, for example, there are still sexual discrimination in promotion and pay among the women at Wal-Mart, it expects employees to work overtime without extra payments, and even threaten employees who favor union activities. In, addition, the Walmart executives are not respecting its workers; they call their employees a “bunch of malcontents”. Therefore, the ABP has made its decision to pull its investment from Walmart. The main ethical issue in this case is that Walmart is not treating its employees in a way that they should be treated. It did not meet the labour standards and it violates human rights.

Business ethics is vitally important because a company that is able to demonstrate social corporate responsibility will enhance customer’s confidence towards its products and also improve the quality of life. Moreover, with good ethics, employees are motivated to put forward their efforts and time to the company. Walmart is a bad example of a bad employer that violates human rights.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/walmart-blacklist-abp-pension-fund_n_1186384.html