Christian Noel commented on ‘Superpedestrian’, which is a company that aims to change the way we think of cycling. The aim is to introduce an a very small engine which will sense when the cyclist is struggling and kick in to help the cyclist. Christian believes this is a good idea but i think otherwise.

One of the main reasons cycling is highly looked upon is because of the health benefits it provides for the cyclist. By automating the bicycle, the concept of getting a workout on your way to work or school is completely eliminated. With the current rise in obesity and the health problems that follow, eliminating one of the few and most convenient forms of exercise is not a very good idea for the good of general human health. The introduction of an engine will also lead to an increase in the price of bicycles and also lead to more noise. As a result, I think by introducing an engine to a bicycle, the whole concept of owning a bicycle wouldn’t make sense any more. If people want a motor, they can get a motor cycle!

Christian’s Blog Post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/christiannoel/2013/10/24/superpedestrian-may-change-metropolitan-cycling/

Bernard Marr adresses a topic recently discussed in com 101 class concerning the importance of the different departments ( Operations, Finance, Human resources etc) to a company. Bernard Marr agues in his article, Why We No Longer Need HR Departments, that there is no loner a place for Human resources. His main reasons are that humans shouldn’t be referred to or treated as resources and that the job contradicts itself because they are there to support employees and at the same time help the employers and authorities manage and discipline the employees.

I disagree with both of Bernard Marr’s reasons. Humans are resources to a company because they are only as valuable as what they contribute to the company and if someone else is able to do a better job, the current person is replaced. Human resources are very critical in areas such as the training and development of the workforce and ensuring employee satisfaction.

The absence of a Human resource team will mean that there there swill be no designated group to manage the performance and allocation of workers to different areas of the company and as a result, the company will be very inefficient.

Source: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131118060732-64875646-why-we-no-longer-need-hr-departments?trk=tod-posts-post1-psum

My Comm 101 classmate Lu Lucien recently discussed Best Buy and Furture shop’s trading deal which encourages people to trade in any current-gen game in exchange of 3 new current-gen games. Lucien’s interpretation was that the shops are looking to get rid of their inventory in preparation for the imminent arrival of the next-gen console.

This doesn’t make sense because most of the games being purchased right now such as GTA IV, Call of Duty Ghosts and Fifa 14 are doing extremely well and selling out. As a result, there isn’t any incentive for the shops to give them away for free when the demand for these products are still high.

I believe the reason for this deal is because there is a demand from collectors for current-gen games since the launch next-gen consoles will make the current-gen games very hard to acquire in the future. As a result, i believe that the shops are hoping to get back as many of the ‘classic’ current-gen games due to its high demand from collectors.

Source: http://wpmedia.o.canada.com/2013/11/free.jpg?w=612&h=330&crop=1

Though, I have only been in Canada for less than 3 months, it has become evident that the wireless market is controlled by the big three: Bell, Rogers and Telus. However, there appears to be a new challenger around that aims to be on par if not better than the big three.

Eastlink launched its wireless services in Prince Edward and Nova Scotia earlier this year. It has already distinguished it self from the rest by being the first cable Tv provider to allow its costumer to pick and choose channels rather than buy channel bundle.

It looks like it won’t be long till Rogers, Bell and Telus will need to be looking over their shoulder especially since the CRTC expressed their intention to tackle the inflated roaming rates the big three charge the smaller players to use their networks.

The big three currently have control of most of the market share and have an established costumer base, however Eastlink’s recent strides suggest that it is willing and able to rectify many of the issues Canadians have been calling out for as well as innovate new areas.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/15/eastlink-roaming-fees-_n_4283213.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-business

Snapchat’s growth from an unknown product run by a group of Stanford undergrads who had originally presented the idea during an engineering class to being subject to multi-billion dollar offers is unbelievable.

The secret sauce to snapchat’s viral growth is that it was able to capture a lightweighter form of interacting than texting, twitting or Facebook messaging.

As with every app-based product in the tech world, high school student and college students are the main catalyst in promoting the product. However, MySpace is testimony that this very group of costumers could be attracted to another product and completely forget about the one before.  Snapchat currently isn’t showing any signs of slowing down but the main concern is that the product is so simplified that any attempt of the founders to innovate the product could come across as being forced and consequently eliminate the comparative advantage of functionality that has served them very well so far.

When the next ‘big thing’ emerges from another genius’ dorm room, I fear snapchat may regret not taking the multi-billion dollar offer currently on the table from Facebook.

Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/from-university-class-project-to-billion-dollar-valuation/?ref=technology&_r=0

As highlighted through the articles cited below, lululemon’s recent ‘missteps’ are being reflected by the costumer reactions to recent lululemon products as well as the company’s stocks and shares. Chip Wilson, one of lululemon’s co-founders, addressed the issues associated with the recent lululemon pants by saying that ‘some women’s bodies just don’t actually work for the pants ‘.

Over the years, lululemon has very successfully marketed its products by sympathizing with those who may not practice the healthy lifestyle but aspire to. As a result, women around the globe believe that Chips Wilson comments have defied the company’s manifesto.

Former lululemon employees have come out and said that discouraging plus size costumer’s has actually been part of the brand’s strategy. The short-term effects on the yoga-apparel company are already being reflected by a four percent fall in shares. The Long term effect could be more severe because the plus size market generates about $19.4 billion in women clothing sales alone, which is about 18% of women sales. Loosing this market will lead to a significant drop in sales and ruin its hard-earned company image.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/14/lululemon-alienating-customers_n_4275842.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-business&ir=Canada%20Business

http://ideas.time.com/2013/11/13/forget-feminist-outrage-by-shunning-plus-size-customers-lululemon-is-making-a-terrible-business-decision/

John Lewis, one of the leading chains of department stores in the UK, is set to become the first UK department store to adopt a minimum two-year guarantee on all it electrical products. Other major department stores such as Currys have stayed with their standard one-year guarantee on their products.

John lewis’s decision to adopt a two-year warranty policy reflects its intentions in establishing a strong value proposition within the UK market. Whenever people think of the terms security , long term use and reliably in terms of any electrical appliance, ‘John Lewis’ will be department store that first pops into their minds. Through this strategy, John Lewis is also able to close the gap between costumer and seller. This is because the cosutmer is not only impressed with John Lewis innovations in costumer service but they are also confident that for a long time period, his/her damaged or malfunctioning product will be fixed or replace.

In light of the current financial crisis, John Lewis has been able to do enough research and forecast by looking at other major European department stores. This Unique strategy to UK department stores has emerged as a point of difference for John Lewis.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/oct/05/john-lewis-two-year-electricals-guarantee

Twitter, arguably the biggest social media network behind Facebook, is set to make its entrance on wall street. It has however found itself having to fend off up and coming social outlets such Instagram, Snap Chat, Pinterest, Kakao, line, Tumblr and Reddit. This is highlighted by twitter’s recent loss in money and its competitors attracting followers at a greater rate.

Though these social outlets all have a point of parity in terms of the fact that they all are developed to enable, speed up and facilitate connectivity between people around the globe, they also have very distinct points of difference. Snap chat, for example, allows it users to create and send videos/pictures that disappear after they are viewed. Pinterest allows people to collect and share pictures of any interests with friends. Instagram, which started off only allowing people to share pictures, has now integrated the ability for its users to share videos.

Though twitter is still significantly dominant in terms of revenue, it will need to adapt to the newer forms of communication which involves the exchange of pictures and videos in a cool and innovative way that is more appealing than its predecessors if it wants to retain that spot.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/technology/awaiting-ipo-twitter-must-deal-with-horde-of-younger-rivals.html?ref=technology

In the near future, Euro MPs will vote on new measures which have been designed to reduce smoking among the youth. The draft legislation from the European Commission consists of making e-cigarettes a medicinal product, potentially banning menthol and other flavoured cigarettes, banning the sale of packs of ten as well as slim cigarettes, as well as a ban on chewing tobacco.

Europe is known throughout the world for its lenient attitude towards smoking and such laws could cause unrest amongst the civilians of the countries. The high demand for the product will also eventually cause a black market which will lead to low quality cigarettes being sold illegally at high prices. In addition, these countries will also loose a lot of taxation being collected from tobacco. The UK for example generated about 9bn in taxes from tobacco in 2009-2010.

Despite the potential negative effects of implementing this law, there is a major potential positive which is a reduction of healthcare cost. The less people that have to be treated for smoking related illness, the less money has to be spent on healthcare.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24439474

The Article, (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/business/global/after-taking-a-beating-overseas-tesco-seeks-comfort-at-home.html?ref=global&_r=0) explores Tesco’s (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) attempt to fulfill it social responsibilities within the Watford community. Tesco is known for its ability to cater to on the go customers with smaller shops but has now decided to navigate towards hypermarkets. These hypermarkets will aim to provide its costumers with not just groceries but other services such as manicures, back to school aisles and coffee shops. Tesco’s commitment to this venture is echoed by Andrew Stevens, an analyst at verdict research, who reported that “they (Tesco) are putting a lot of money and effort into sorting out their largest stores.” Earlier this year, they “scrapped 100 major store developments and took a write-down of £804 million on the value of some properties.” The costumers in Watford are very happy with the new Tesco supermarket with a prime example being Ms. Goodwin, 84, Watford. She reported that her favourite spot is the new Harris and Hoole coffee shop, stating that “It’s incredible what they’ve done. They must have spent an awful lot of money.” As a result, Tesco has forgone potential earnings to meet the needs of costumers such as Ms. Goodwin.