http://guardianlv.com/2013/09/iphone-5s-versus-samsung-galaxy-s4/

It is no surprise that Samsung and Apple are at a constant quarrel between who owns what patents; the two companies share virtually all the same value propositions, and customers. The strong competition within a market as big as the smartphone industry makes it inevitable that the two companies will overlap. As soon as an Apple customer sees technological advancements and new phone capabilities of a Samsung phone, their brand loyalty is tested. That is why Apple makes a better, and more often than not, similar technological alteration in order to compete with Samsung. This back and forth between the two businesses has lead to multiple lawsuits, most recently in South Korea, Australia and the United States. The resulting consequences of these lawsuits have lead to both iPhone and Samsung phone bans in South Korean stores. As the article states, “The Seoul Central District Court ordered Apple to remove the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2 from store shelves in South Korea, ruling that the products infringed on two of Samsung’s telecommunications patents.” What the future holds for Apple and Samsung is still unknown, but as long as consumers keep demanding upgrades in the smartphone sector , the patent war will continue.

http://www.aljazeera.com/business/2012/08/201282452423992519.html

http://creativesocialblog.com/news/hashtag-the-progression-of-online-communication

As summer turns to fall, consumer preferences begin their shift; changes in apparel and seasonal foods are giving business the opportunity to utilize social media by allowing people to showcase the up and coming trends with hashtags and pictures. Companies such as Starbucks have taken full advantage of social media this fall season by marketing the 10-year anniversary of Starbuck’s famous pumpkin spice latte, and encouraging customers to hashtag #PSL and #Celebrate10, giving them a chance of winning a Starbucks gift card and knit cup-cozy.

       The change in seasons also ideal for clothing companies to maximize the use of social media for new fall fashions. The mere mass of the social media world is a marketers dream come true, seeing as one posts can receive more views in a day than a billboard would receive in a week. Reasons such as these are why more companies need to jump on the Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest bandwagon if they want to be competitive in their designated markets. Companies that choose to ignore social media, and stick to more traditional advertising methods are more-or-less ignoring an entire customer segment that could be tapped into.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-marketing/advertising/how-savvy-brands-are-fallingforfall/article14658644/

http://emerginggrowth.com/featured_stories/u-s-economic-growth-beats-estimates/08/22/2013

As technological advancements are progressing in the US, the trend of oversea production for textiles and clothing is making a gradual move away from Asian countries and towards North America. Companies such as Merchant House International, a large scale footwear company, are looking to open new production plants in the US. Taking costs into consideration, the company sees a greater profit in North American based plants due to the lower transportation costs, consumer proximity, and an increase in quality of the goods being produced. Unfortunately due to the rising Canadian dollar, and lack of Canadian production growth, Canada is missing it’s opportunity to utilize companies like Merchant House due to the US’s technological competitive advantages. Canada has been lagging in technological innovation because of it’s heavy dependency on US businesses; Canadian companies “middle-man” positions in the supply chains of US companies have impeded their ability to innovate and expand as an independent country.Canada’s lacking production capacity, in combination with plummeting shares in the US market may prove to be quite destructive to the Canadian economy. Careful considerations need to be made my Canadian business with regards to innovation and technological advancements if the Canada wants to stay a key player in the global market.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/why-the-rebirth-of-manufacturing-is-bypassing-canada/article14717261/