Month: October 2014

Not all First Nation People are against the idea of exploiting land and resources. According to this article, the mining industry gave the people of Skii km Lax Ha economic opportunity. Ever since the demise of forest industry, many of them have been out of jobs and were not able to feed the family. By working with the mining industry, there has been tremendous growth for the First Nation People. However, even though the First Nation people believe that protecting the environment is still a priority over providing economic opportunity. This is why they refused Enbridge’s $7-billion Northern Gateway oil pipeline. Even though it would provide alot of income for the people, once the damage for the land is done, it cannot be undone.

This is problem that businesses have to face everyday, how to maximize profit while trying to be sustainable.

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http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-says-it-will-replace-fast-food-2014-8

Think of a fast food restaurant. Many would instantly think of global chains such as McDonalds, Burger King or KFC. Chipotle would be nowhere to be on the top ten. However, Chipotle is determined to change the public’s perception and is hoping to replace the so-called “traditional fast food”.

Chipotle outrightly critiques other major fast-food chains that they focus on “the cheapening of the raw ingredients, the automation of the work such that anyone could do it … so that they turn over their employees without any care for them, where it’s a game of value meals and cheapening the food experience,”. They also stated that they will be opening more stores and develop more variety of food choice.

In this case, Chipotle is repositioning their competitors by changing the view of the consumer, as mentioned by Al Ries and Trout”Positioning: The Battle for your Mind”. By labelling major fast-food chains as “traditional fast food”, that only cares about profit, Chipotle established itself a clean and uptight image in the minds of the consumers, which would allure more customers to come to them in the long run.

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MUJI may sounds unfamiliar for many people who lived in North America. MUJI, which means “no-brand quality goods” in Japanese has already established itself some loyal fan base through out the world. MUJI offers products which include furniture, kitchen, bathroom, stationary ,travel storage, footwear and apparel. What stood out the most for this brand is the mix of modern, minimalist design with good quality and environmental friendly products.

MUJI just recently announced that it will open stores across Canada, the first store being in Toronto. many expressed their excitements over the news. MUJI admits that “in order to keep prices low despite the high cost in Canada, the firm may has to squeeze profit margins,”. MUJI has to face what Target initially encountered, to compete with the local brands. It is a wise strategy for MUJI to keep the price low, because as a foreign brand, its main goal is to be able to compete with others, and not to maximize profit.

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