Sarah’s blog brings up a good point using the Coke example that a company’s corporate responsibility can be a very powerful tool. However, by using marketing along with the initiative can raise questions about whether the company is doing it for the image or for the good of the cause.

Although I believe that the desire to use good deeds as a marketing scheme is slightly unethical, I think that there are positive effects that result from it. According to Yahoo, rival PepsiCo responded to the campaign by espousing the cause of domestic hunger and will be donating five cents from every product purchased at 7-Eleven in the USA.

Coca-Cola's newly launched white cans featuring polar bears.

What Coke did was cause a domino effect, and increase pressure of other companies, such as PepsiCo, to participate in helping those in need. In end, with organization’s fighting to compete, all will participate in helping the world in one way or another and what will arise is a synergized group of organizations that are donating funds to those in need.

Positive in the long run? I think so!

In her post, Harriet Ho mentions a good point that the main problem behind the Occupy Wall Street movement is the “lack of substantial evidence”.

Protester fighting for the rights of the 99% of the world in terms of economic freedom.

Furthermore, she states that protesters are thriving on any information, whehter misleanding or falsified, that my aid their cause. What does this mean? With a lack of solid support and evidence, Protesters are found insecure and and hungry for any source of power they can find.

According to a CNC analysis, Neil Macdonald brings up a good point. Protesters are vague in their demands that soound idotic to the casual observer. For example, as stated in the artcle, anti-globalization protesters seldom demand a re-imposition of the barriers to trade and labour while the Occupy Wall Street protesters rabbit about bring “an end to globalization”.

On top of what Harriot believes is the main problem of the article, I believe that the vagueness of demands is the root cause of not having substantial evidence to back it up. With demands that are as vague as “end globalization”, it is no wonder that they can not find evidence to help their case.

According to quickmba.com, the definition of entrepreneriship has a strong emphasis on innovation. Zynga is not a company that lacks this aspect. Through providing games online through large social mediums such as Facebook, Zynga offers people a new way to interact. Largely known titles include; Farmville, Mafia Wars, and CityVille.

Not only is the idea of social interactions through casual games an idea of innovation, but the new market they approached was ingenious. Not only did Zynga see the new market for social interactions, it tied that unmet need with easy-to-learn casual games and created numerous addicting titles.

Zynga, using Facebook as their source of distribution

According to Techonologyreview.com the strategy of the company is also organizied in a different way. Instead of charging people to play, limiting the traffic on its games, Zynga makes money by charging users for virtual goods.

By building their business inside already established platforms like Facebook, Zynga ensures large amounts of traffic and distributes their product in a way not seen before. Sure, they took a risk for the venture, but though innovative products and customer satisfaction, Zynga took the market by a storm and even attracted large investors like Google and Digital Sky Technologies.

Rick Goossen’s Blog on www.makegood.com  brings up an interesting outlook on corporate social responsibility. Through an interview with Costco’s CFO Richard Galanti, Gosseen touches upon how corporate social responsibility can lead to a sustainable competitive advantage.

What I found extremely intersting was how corporate social responsibility was defined. According to Galanti, CSR is a fancy name for treating the society, employees, and environment right. In the blog, Gosseen uses an interview conducted with Galanti to paint a picture of how Costco uses CSR not as a marketing scheme, but as an internally subtle act of kindness.

This blog is useful because it shows an example of an organization that does not publicize their good deeds, but instead conducts them purely for the benefit of others. Rarely does one see Costco’s name appear on a local, regional, or even national newspaper as a socially responsible organization. However, through this blog, I learned that not all socially responsible organizations use CSR as a marketing scheme.

Costco rarely shows up as a socially responsible organization. However, it is indeed one.

Despite Costco’s lack of spotlight, they provide an abundance of support to education for children and their employees. Not only do they give away 1% of the year’s pre-tax earnings a year, they also adopt elementary schools to encourage education.

It is through this blog that I learned that you can’t judge an organization by it’s cover. Just because CSR is not publicized does not mean it does not exist.

The direct business model has always been a key feature in companies like Avon and Dell where the main source of distribution is – whether it be through sales representatives or online – directly to the consumer.

According to Boomberg Business Week, J. Hilburn has borrowed the concept from Dell and combines direct sales with custom tailoring in order to reach out to an untapped male market.

Sales rep with customer in San Francisco

They company dispatches salespeople directly to the customers where the take measurements, suggest fabrics and styles. The market identified here are males who are see shopping as a chore, and would rather have the clothing come to them.

The article brings out an interesting outlook into the direct business model. Could mirroring the techniques from successful companies such as Dell and Avon strengthen their business? Or is the success of the technique limited to the companies who already established it.

In my opinion, I believe that the technique may not work as well for J. Hilburn despite the success linked to it. The direct business model may have worked for Dell and Avon, but when applied to clothing, consumers may prefer to hit the closest mall.

Sketchers’s Shape-Up shoes are said to aid in weight-loss and exercise, but the focus on the shoes have changed. According to ABC News and Kansas InjuryBoard,  an Ohio lawsuit blames the shoes for serious hip fractures.

Holly Ward, age 38, currently has pins in her hips as a result of wearing Sketcher’s Shape-Ups. The outcome is outrageous. The product deemed to assist in weight-loss has turned to one that assist in injury “gain”.

Sketcher’s Shape-Ups lead the way to Reebok Easy Tone, New Balance Rock and Tone, and many other “weight-loss” footwear. But if the result is injury, the development of more of it’s kind may prove to be deleterious to the health of it’s consumers.

Faulty advertising of Sketcher Shape-Ups

Sketcher’s Shape-Ups was the first of it’s kind, and has held the market position of being the “original”. However, it’s faulty design and harmful effects have paved a way to negative reputation and lawsuits.

Ashley Moline’s blog about toning shoes brings up a good point, that companies need to “distinguish between realistic and unrealistic advertisements”. Sketchers promised their consumers benefit, but all that they provided was injury and disappointment.

I believe that if it’s reputation is put at risk, all the revenue generated through the sales of it’s shoes will not be enough to negate the negative effects caused.

According to Businessweek and Tech Inc, Netflix’s recent decision to raise prices have resulted in customer backlash. Instead of having a $9.99 bundle for unlimited streaming and DVD-by mail service, Netflix executives decided to split the service and force customers to pay individually for each product.

As a result, many subscribers turned away and dropped their subscription all together. If only Netflix had a lesson on elasticity and examined the market for their product, the one million decrease in subscribers may have been avoided.

Happy consumers satisfied at the price of $9.99

Based on the idea of elasticity, a good with the elasticity higher than 1 is considered “elastic”. In other words, a jump in price will cause a large decrease in quantity demanded.

Netflix’s failure to recognize the elastic demand for their product has resulted in the failure to keep subscribers happy. This shows that the throne of video-rentals are vulnerable to changes in price and that the crown is up for grabs.

Sure, Netflix may have stolen the spotlight from Blockbusters and Rogers Video, but who’s to say that the light will shine forever. At least for now, the spotlight on Netflix is dimming by the moment.

If only they took a class on elasticity.

Article : The Globe and Mail

New iPhone fails to wow investors, fans

On October 4, 2011 Apple revealed the long awaited  new iPhone. However, instead of living up hype, Apple disappointed fans who were waiting to be blown away by new features. According to the Globe and Mail, Apple shares dropped as much as 4 per cent. This was interesting in that it showed the high expectation fans held for the upcoming iPhone.

Besides the features of a better processor and graphic performance, the 4S is identical to it’s predecessor. Henry Chee brings up a good point, Apple’s new model may not come with many new features but it is an improvement from the iPhone 3G. He brings to light the fact that it is the name that has disappointed consumers. They wanted an “iPhone 5”, but all they are getting is a newer “iPhone 4”.

iPhone 4S will be identical in appearance to the iPhone4

However, despite the news of share-dropping and disappointment. I have no doubt that the iPhone 4S will cause ridiculously long lineups. A quick look into any university class room will reveal the enormity of Apple’s influence on technology purchases. What does this mean with the release of a disappointing product? Probablly nothing.

As with the release of the iPhone 3GS, fans fought to get the new and improved model despite the lackluster upgrades. The demand for the iPhone 4S will probably be no different.

Generation Y, or Millennials, are an overpowering number of 76 million members who will be entering the workforce.

Generation Y is characterized by their strong reliance on technology.

According to Financial Post, Gen-Y is a group raised “by parents who often acted more like friends and mentors”. As a result , current Generation X workers are finding it hard to relate and communicate to the new workforce of Generation Ys.

Old assumptions about values in the workplace differ among generations, and it is no surprise that Gen-Y individuals look at work in an alternative perspective. Gen-Y particularly value technology, personal interest, and work-life balance.

However, its not to say that Gen-Y workers are lacking in capability. In fact, they are quite knowledgeable and one of the biggest challenges is to get them in the door. According to Time Magazine, these workers are extremely high in demand.

Harriet Ho’s Blog notably shows how businesses are changing their strategies. She explains that Queen’s has used a social media marketing strategy in order to play into the changing preferences influenced by Gen-Y.

The times are different, and organizations need to adapt to the new change in order to fully utilize the upcoming workforce of 76 million.