This is a response to Wan-Tien Tsai’s blog. In her blog, she presents that Facebook is currently losing customers due to the amount of unacceptable pop-up those are described as “inundation of violent images and hardcore pornography into some newsfeeds”. Facebook is working on the cleaning of spam on their website to protect the Facebook users but the spam attack still happens. Besides, customers are worry about their privacy, because the privacy is hard to protect on Internet, an opening social site. That’s the reason why Facebook is losing users.

I harbor the opposite opinion toward this issue. Internet becomes one of the most important and efficient ways for communication and most people are using the Internet. Facebook, as the most popular social network website, connects the social networks between people online in the daily life, which guarantees that it cannot be disappear easily. Although it contains spam and individual privacy issues, it still exits as a significant way to communicate for people in 21^st century. Thus the Facebook is not dying.

Facebook is dying

It can be referred from Julian Ertelt’s blog that there is a “battlefield” between Amazon and Apple that can be concluded as the competition of tablet. Apple introduced the iPad to consumers and Amazon innovated Kindle that is much affordable comparing to iPad from consumers’ perspective. Amazon launched this device that priced at only $199 could pose a considerable threst towards iPad 2 which charges $500.

In Ertelt’s point of view, the Amazon’s Kindle contains less competitive strength comparing to Apple’s iPad. I can hardly agree to that. Kindle poses more affordable price for consumers; besides, the function of Kindle is very clear: using as electronic books, and which is almost the only function. Kindle is also convenient for users to carry to anywhere. Kindle represents a fairly new innovation: the electronic ink, which promotes the direction of technology development. Hence, from my perspective, Amazon, as the largest bookseller online, will not be conquered by iPad but lead the direction of technology development.

Amazon opens Fire on Apple

Refers to Ivan Chan’s Blog, the two largest technology companies, Apple and Samsung, are competing to acquire the largest market share for mobile-IT products like Smartphone and tablet computer. And the market is reportedly valued at $100 billion. The innovation of iPad benefits consumers and which makes profits for Apple.

Ivan analyzes the competition between the two companies, but he didn’t mention the strategy of Apple. Apple creates ideas faster than other companies and that’s why people can easily find the similarities on products of other IT companies. And the company that generates the similar idea about the same product, such as smartphone, will think about other ways to innovate their products to avoid producing identical products as the Apple’s. This guarantees Apple’s products to become a prior choice for consumers.

Apple takes Global Legal Action against Industry Rivals

Facebook’s advertising strategy is becoming clear; besides, it’s not only brilliant, it’s unexpexted. Facebook is just like Google: improving its network and experience, meanwhile improving advertising as well. One of the most interesting things is that Facebook plans to improve its brand pages better.

It is clever to do so because improving advertising on the popular social network is not a new or particularly innovative idea. Facebook becomes one of the most popular platforms for message transition and which makes Facebook to be an advertising solution that turns advertising partners into better social media communicators. The combination of the two promotes a convenient environment for consumers who search the products they want.

http://mashable.com/2011/10/03/facebook-ad-strategy/

Apple is always good at innovation and which brings considerable profits to the company. Today the iTunes Music Store offers more than 8 million songs. It is the largest music retailer in the US with sales exceeding 5 billion songs. It is an innovation of Apple and it is successful. With the technology out there for anyone to digitally download music free instead of paying average $19 for a CD, the trend toward digital music was clear. This trend was underscored by the fast growing demand for MP3 players that played mobile digital music, such as Apple’s hit iPod.

I think it is wise for Apple to do so. Nowadays people can only download an individual song from iTunes for 99 cents or the entire album for $9.99, and, most importantly, that is legal. This innovation convenient consumers and makes profits.

http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/abo/itunes.html

Under the stream of increasing number of people doing yoga, founder Chip Wilson showed the first Lululemon commercial in Vancouver, which transformed the company “Chip” in 1998 to the company “lululemon athletica” in 2007. The specialized products in lululemon atheletica present women’s and men’s clothing designed for yoga, dance and running.

This is the era for globalization, hence there exits increasing opportunities for lululemon athletica. The stores of Lululemon athletica locate mainly in North America, while have franchised company-owned stores in Australia. The oversea markets are always full of business opportunities with different feature among different countries. When a new brand appeals in a country, it can easily attract foreign investment and new customers.  According to the 2010 annual video, stores in Australia experience considerable amount of profits (2010 Video Annual Review). The success of operation in Australia can be used while opening other oversea markets such as Hong Kong, where located the manufactory factory of lululemon athletica. Thus Lululemon athletica contains considerable opportunities in globalization.

Nike Advertisement

As one of the most successful sports brand in this world, Nike experiences a strong impression of good example of marketing strategy in people’s mind.

Initially, the Nike advertisements appeal everywhere. The times of customers watching Nike’s advertisements promote people to memorize name of this brand and features of it; thus customers might buy Nike’s products which appeals on advertisements.

Subsequently, Nike invites celebrities to represent its brand and products. As the consequence, audiences may be affected by the celebrities and be easily attracted by Nike products. This strategy guarantees a wide range of audiences to buy Nike products.

Finally, Nike contains a valuable slogan —- “Just do it”. “Just do it” is one of the most famous and easily recognized slogans brand among all the sports brands, and which demonstrates the success of Nike Company in the marketing strategy. Besides, commercials related to this slogan are always full of creativity.

http://condor.depaul.edu/aalmaney/StrategicAnalysisofNike.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc.

“Think Different”. It changed the world and Steve Jobs became the icon of digital world. This motto the ideologies of the Apple Company, and one of those is predicting and directing the taste of customers, or “innovation” in another word, which also became one of the most important elements of Jobs’s success.

What features do customers need exactly?  Beautiful design? Faster speed? Or the apps? No one can really tell. Steve Jobs simply created products that customers want to use, which could direct the main stream easily. Take the screen of iPhone as an example: it was an Apple’s innovation that using glass as iPhone’s screen material instead of plastic. Almost no customers considered that before but it became the preference of buyers.

This ideology contains the advantage that conquering the market primarily, and then other companies would be too late. This innovation also applied to the unique iTunes and the appstore that combines the CD sale with the music player. This special idea made profits for Apple Company.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/steve-jobs-the-power-of-taking-the-big-chance/articleshow/10286828.cms

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/steve-jobs/Steve+Jobs+inward+vision/5524362/story.html

Six suicides were committed and 30 were attempted within a month last year. The reputation of Foxconn Technology Group, an international business group represents the world’s largest maker of electronic components, became immoral. There exit 400,000 employees enduring intolerable working conditions of producing iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Foxconn forced employees to sign agreement of wouldn’t commit suicide to ensure their workers could work all day and only stop for eating and sleeping.

The stressful working conditions promote this phenomenon and another reason behind it is the free choices of workers: workers with no education background could not find proper jobs but the stressful one with $130 month salary. Foxconn considers this nonstop work as a way to maximum the profits but ignores basic rights of employees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385024,00.asp#fbid=oO3ktuNOrJM

http://gizmodo.com/5542527/undercover-report-from-foxconns-hell-factory

Six infants died because of kidney stones and over 300,000 victims experienced different level kidney damage. Chinese mild scandal in 2008 threatened the public concerns about the safety of Chinese milk production. Sanlu Group, the brand that started the milk safety problem, added Melamine into powder hence triggered the kidney damage; besides, World Health Organization recognizes it as the largest food problem in recent years.

It is always the public responsibility to protect the health of younger generation to guarantee a safe environment to grow up. However, the case of Sanlu Group simply betrays the business ethics that to pursue more profits by damaging infants’ health. This corporation ignored the importance of business ethics and, obviously, paid for that: Sanlu Group lost both domestic and oversea market. This brand, famous in China before, represents immoral reputation in public’s sight now. It should simply not save production cost by posing negative effects on the younger generation’s health.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/26/content_7618488.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal#Sanlu