Blackberry Trying to Beat Around the Bush?

Blackberry’s stocks have plummeted in the last decade, and so it is no surprise that the company has arguably made its best decision in an effort to revive the once prosperous company.

Blackberry has announced that they will begin outsourcing their phones, saving them tens of millionsof dollars every year. The mobile phone company’s shares are significantly lower than what they were eight to nine years ago; shares were once over $140.00, while current prices are roughly $10.50 in comparison. It is clear that it will take a lot of work for the company to return to a fraction of its previous share prices. This new decision gives Blackberry the opportunity o advance its company as a higher threat amongst other massive phone companies such as Apple, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, by focusing more on how to better evolve their software, while also integrating new smartphone technology within its’ phones. The plan to outsource also affects very few jobs, as the majority of Blackberry’s employees aren’t involved in the hardware aspect of the phone.blackberry-bold-9900-1

Due to the fact that Blackberry is outsourcing its phones, the consumers’ view shifts to the numerous smaller companies that will begin producing their phones. The phones will be cheaper, as there will be cheaper production costs, causing a higher demand for the product. This will result in a higher profit for the mobile phone company, even with royalty charges that will be set in place.

Is Blackberry wanting to transfer their production of devices to other companies, and instead focus on something else? The reason behind this decision is so that there will be hope for the company to prosper like it once did. They’ve dragged their own company down to the bottom, and this is the only way to regain traction. It is the best possible move for the company and its’ future, while also providing jobs to many people who will begin producing these phones. In part of this decision, Blackberry now has the ability to focus more on the marketing aspects of their devices, while also helping numerous other phone brands reach their highest potential.

It’s about time that this decision was made. It even resulted in a five cent increase in its’ sharing price. This decision should be considered an early success. Only time will tell, however, if it was the right one.


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References:

“BlackBerry Bold 9900 Photos.” Phone Arena. Phone Arena, n.d. Web.

“BlackBerry Limited [BB] | BlackBerry Limited Stock Quotes | TMXmoney.” BlackBerry Limited [BB] | BlackBerry Limited Stock Quotes | TMXmoney. TMX Money, 2 Oct. 2016. Web.

Evans, Pete. “BlackBerry to Outsource Smartphone Manufacturing from Now on.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 28 Sept. 2016. Web.

Wingman, Shane. “BlackBerry Shifts Away from Its Smartphone Foundation.” Weblog post. The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, 28 Sept. 2016. Web.

Money Gained Over Lives Lost?

In a time where technology is at its’ greatest yet, we humans are still lacking the knowledge of how important medical devices are, and how supply should always meet demand at an affordable cost. The thought of not having the resources needed to keep yourself healthy and alive is an idea no person would want to imagine. Unfortunately, this nightmare has now become a reality.

Many individuals in the United States are unable to afford EpiPen’s, as a result of severe price increases. What were once roughly $100.00, are now upwards of $600.00, with no change in the product itself. Families across the country are now unable to have access to this product (what was once given at a reasonable price), and are now facing danger if any of them encounter health-symptoms that require an EpiPen to aid them. It is at a time like this, that we need to ask ourselves: ‘When does it end?’.

It’s understandable that a businesses’ goal is to create profit. Whether these profits aim to be consistent or ever-so increasing depends on the company and the people involved, however, companies involved in the selling of products that have the purpose of keeping people alive need to put their resources first, and in front of their profit goals. By increasing the price of EpiPen’s by 400%, Mylan Pharmaceutical overlooked its ethical standards, making it difficult to finance these products by the average household, and thus putting peoples lives’ at risk. No company or person should have the ability to control the fate of someone elses’ life, yet this company is doing just that with this price increase. Profits are important, but not when it is deemed as more important than millions of lives. It’s as if Mylan is telling their customers that they need to save up over $600 for a life-saving device, but if they can’t afford this horrendous price, then they are on their own.

The worst is that no one can complain, as the EpiPen is only issued by Mylan’s. This leaves many people in the dark, with nowhere to go. I am hoping that the business officials of Mylan Pharmaceuticals ask themselves whether they’re truly helping people with this product. Obtaining this product is now becoming more of a dream than it is in real life. As White House spokesman Josh Earnest regarded, this situation is proof that “pharmaceutical companies that often try to portray themselves as the inventors of life-saving medication often do real damage to their reputation by being greedy and jacking up prices.” I hope that declining sales and public outcry will give this company no other choice than to decrease the prices again.


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Bibliography:

Zaleski, Mark. “EpiPen Price Furor Heats up in U.S.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 2016. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

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