Monthly Archives: September 2014

Blackberry’s Passport Scheduled For Harsh Competition With Apple’s iPhone 6

Blackberry

 

Blackberry’s chief executive officer, John Chen, announced an update for Blackberry’s most recent upcoming product: the Blackberry Passport. Although similar to the iPhone in a variety of ways, the Passport attempts to outperform their largest competitor on a technical level. The Passport carries a 4.5 inch screen, which allows the reader to “’view 60 characters on each line, which is substantially more than typical, rectangular smartphones such as iPhones. The phone also includes a battery life of 36 hours. Blackberry’s latest attempt at a competitive advantage, however, was their decision to price their product at $599. Compared to other smartphones on the market with prices ranging from $600-$750, Blackberry is taking a bold step in appealing to a wider range of consumers.

But will this be enough? It has only been four days since Apple released their most recent product, the iPhone 6, and already 10 million units have been sold worldwide. It is obvious that Blackberry is trying to obtain a cost advantage over Apple, but with only a $150 difference in pricing, Blackberry will have to step up its marketing efforts if it hopes to compete with the almighty brand power of Apple. The conflicting sales schedules with the iPhone 6 will undoubtedly take a toll on revenues for the Passport. As a cellular phone consumer, this article is the first I have heard about the Passport at all, which is a clear sign in Blackberry’s lacking focus on advertising in North America. On the other side of the spectrum, the iPhone 6 has been the hype of conversation for months. Blackberry has already suffered financial losses in the past few years, and sales need to improve to stabilize the company. It takes a lot of work to compete with the innovation of Apple, but I believe just as much (if not more) effort should be focused on marketing and allocating the phones to the appropriate audiences as it should be on innovating the phone industry. Industrial analysts will have to wait and see how Blackberry’s Passport sells when it hits markets on Wednesday, September 24.

 

 

 

 

Bibliographic Reference

 

The Globe and Mail. “Blackberry’s John Chen on new Passport: Big Screen, Lower  Cost Than

iPhone.” The Globe and Mail Magazine. The Globe and Mail, 2014. Web. 22 September 2014

<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/blackberrys-chen-on-new-passport-big-screen-lower-cost-than-iphone/article20718050/>

A Response to Isabelle Bonato’s Blog Post

NFL

Today, I’d like to make a comment on Isabelle Bonato’s blog post on the NFL and their actions towards football athlete Ray Rice. In a scandal that was made widely public in where Rice physically abused his wife, the NFL decided to take extreme action and terminated Rice’s contract.

Much like how Commerce students at UBC must maintain an appropriate and positive reflection of Sauder, the responsibilities of NFL athletes exceed the mere actions of scoring field goals. These football stars are the face of NFL and are representations of the NFL’s greatest qualities, such as sportsmanship, honesty, and human decency. When an athlete steps outside these boundaries, they are no longer representing the NFL, and therefore do not belong with the rest of the league. Rice violated one of these expectations, which “tarnished the league’s image” (Pro Football, 2014). It only seems justifiable to remove him from the league.

However, did the league lose a valuable asset? Will they suffer the consequences of both being associated with a criminal and the loss of a skilled athlete? Were the appropriate actions taken in this case? I don’t think they really had a choice. The NFL, after all, is a business, and as we learned in class, ethics in business is unavoidable. How would the public react to the tolerance of these criminal actions? A decline in public interest? Sales? Perhaps even intervention from a human rights coalition? Although the NFL brand and business are damaged from this scandal, these consequences are minimal compared to the public scrutiny that would have ensued had they retained the membership of an athlete associated with physical abuse toward women.

Business Ethics: Social Responsibility as a Contributing Factor to Progression and Decline

 

source: http://www.kpmg.com/ph/en/pages/kpmgturnsovertyphoonhaiyangranttoredcross.aspx

Despite negative connotations associated with the idea of corporations, businesses have the potential to positively influence the global community. For example, KPMG, an international accounting firm, recently granted $450,000 to the Red Cross Foundation in an effort to rehabilitate the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The world now views KPMG as a socially aware and responsible establishment. This undoubtedly puts them in a new light—resonating especially well with Filipino clients around the world. This is an application of the Stakeholder Theory: corporate executives, customers, and employees seeking similar goals resulting in a progressive expansion in which all stakeholders are satisfied. Businesses should be encouraged to be more active in their global community, as the rewards of kindness yield positive benefits—for both the business and society.

 

source: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21577078-after-dhaka-factory-collapse-foreign-clothing-firms-are-under-pressure-improve-working

The Stakeholder Theory also states that “a business that ignores local customs and law is a business in decline”. This applies to an incident involving a fire in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York in 1911, killing 146 people. The movement that followed the fire called for safer working environments in the US. Even today, this case is looked at as a precedent for improving conditions and security in factories in Bangladesh and South Asia. Just like how employees have a duty to serve their designated businesses, those businesses are responsible for the well-being and safety of their employees during the time and place in which they work. Workers are not soldiers, and should not be treated as if their lives are expendable.

Sources:

http://www.kpmg.com/ph/en/pages/kpmgturnsovertyphoonhaiyangranttoredcross.aspx

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21577078-after-dhaka-factory-collapse-foreign-clothing-firms-are-under-pressure-improve-working

About Myself

Hello there! My name is Jose Teodoro Guevara but I have been going by Theo for as long as I can remember. I am thrilled to be studying here at the prestigious Sauder School of Business alongside very intelligent and ambitious student leaders. Here’s some information about myself:

I am a huge fan of music. I don’t pretend to be an expert, and I’m still trying to figure out what a dominant minor 7th is, but I can appreciate all types of genres. My ipod contains tracks from blues to pop to heavy metal. Songs by artists like Jason Mraz, Eric Clapton, and Avenged Sevenfold can often be seen back to back. I also play the guitar, but only took minimal formal lessons before I realized that I would learn better if I taught myself. John Mayer and Eric Clapton are my main influences.

My top three favorite sports would have to be Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball. I may not necessarily succeed in any of these fields (no pun intended), but I make it a point to be a vocal teammate to make up for my lacking skills. I’m looking to join a rec team here at UBC, so if anybody needs a teammate, you know who to call!

I recently travelled to Ecuador with an organization called Me to We this past summer to volunteer there and learn about the issues plaguing the less developed areas of the country. During our time there, my group and I assisted in the construction of a school in a village called Llullin, met with various leaders that overcame adversity to improve the conditions of their communities, and learned about Ecuador’s rich culture and history.  If you ever want to learn more about my trip, ask me about it anytime! And don’t be shy to ask me about the Guinea Pigs…

That’s just a little about myself, but obviously there’s tons more. I am confident that I will get the opportunity to learn more about each of my classmates as we embark on this exciting and challenging course.