Month: September 2012

I recently read an article on Bloomberg called “RIM Releasing Blackberry on Six Continents to Reach Faithful”. In this article, Hugo Miller focuses on the fact that RIM is looking towards overseas customers so as to offset the shrinking Blackberry popularity in North America. My analysis shows that this is a smart idea for RIM especially seeing as the new iPhone5 has just been released and will create a tough market competition for RIM and their release of the new Blackberry 10. In the article, its states that a  big concern for RIM is the fact that they do not have the support of the software developers providing the music, games, and news applications that Apple and Android thrive off of. This will make it especially difficult for the Blackberry 10 to be successful in North America therefore RIM expanding geographically is a risk and endeavor that is worth taking in order for Blackberry to stay in the game alongside companies like Samsung, Google, and Apple. It seems as though Blackberry is having to work harder and harder to stay afloat in the dangerous waters of mobile technology and advancements.

Sources here

The New York Times recently wrote an article called “In Meetings on the Web, Owners Turn to Owners for Advice and Support”. In this article it is explained that the owner of the small company, Moody Eyes, turned to a group of other small business owners in the community for advice and support on his company’s issues. While this may seem to most people somewhat of a confidential matter; sharing company failures and weaknesses, my analysis shows that it is in consulting with other experts that companies are able to get back on their feet.

In class we learned that it is encouraged that business owners reevaluate and change the actions of the company if something is not working. It is unhealthy for campanies to remain narrow-minded as this closes a lot of doors to various opportunities and potential gains for the company.

As the owner of Moody Eyes listened to the advice given by his many affiliates, he decided to reevaluate his company’s value proposition. Although it is too soon to judge whether the adjustment has improved sales, my analysis shows that this was both a bold and beneficial move for Moody Eyes owner and it is something that many other campanies should look into as well.

Find sources here.

Everyone loves to indulge in that Aero bar from the corner store or a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day. However, most people are ignorant to what goes on in the making of their favorite chocolate products. Nestle, the worlds largest food company,  is a major culprit in the usage of children as laborers in the production of their cocoa. Along the Ivory Coast, where some of Nestle’s cocoa is produced, over 600,000 children are working on cocoa farms for little or no pay in excruciating working conditions. Nestle has failed to conduct checks on child labor and other abuses in parts of it`s cocoa supply chain and has been accused of serious violations of their own supplier code which clearly states clauses on child labor, safety and working conditions. While Nestle has taken responsibility for these accusations and has allowed the Fair Labor Association to map their cocoa supply chain in the Ivory Coast, it still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of all Nestle consumers. Imagining the conditions these children had to endure and the number of children`s lives that were taken in the process , it is troubling to think that Nestle only received a slap on the wrist. It seems as though Nestle needs to pay a little more attention to what`s going on outside the office.

Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18644870