News from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/apple-responds-to-complaints-of-bent-iphones/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D&_r=0

Last Wednesday , Blackberry released its latest smartphone, Passport, and I wrote a blog about it. In the article (please check my last post about Blackberry if you have not read it, thanks), I mentioned that Blackberry’s biggest rivals now are Apple and Samsung. These two brands are currently the most popular ones in the smartphone market, and people believe that Apple and Samsung can easily gain a lot of customers with their great brand reputation.

The problem —

However, recently, when Apple released its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there were some negative comments on the phone, and the quality of the latest generation of iPhone has been doubted.

A few days ago, I saw a video online and it shows that a man is trying to bend the iPhone 6 plus using his hands, and within 5 seconds, the iPhone 6 plus really becomes bent. I was kind of shocked by it, and obviously I am not the only person to be shocked after watching the video. People complain about the bent iPhone 6, and start to worry about the quality of this generation’s iPhone products.

Apple’s reaction toward negative comments —

An Apple spokeswoman stood out and responded to this problem. She stated that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or even exceed the demand of customers. This official response somehow appeases customers, but there are still people who keep giving negative comments on the new iPhone models.

The result —

What is surprising is that these negative comments did not affect the sale of iPhone, because people trust this brand and they believe that Apple is related to innovative technology and fancy smartphones with high quality.

Positioning — Apple already has a high and stable position in consumers’ minds, and people believe that Apple is always the best in the industry.

The power of the company comes from the power of its brand.

Thus, will the negative comments and complaints about iPhone make Apple lose its customers?  For me, I don’t think so.

Reference: pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=zh-CN&tab=wi

News from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/technology/under-new-leadership-blackberry-unveils-its-newest-smartphone.html?ref=business

After long time of waiting, Blackberry presents its latest smartphone, Passport, today in London, Dubai and Toronto.

This is a very important step for Blackberry because the market performance of Passport will either lead Blackberry to a revival or to the end of the handset business. Fortunately, the chief executive of Blackberry, John Chen, is pretty optimistic about Passport and Blackberry’s future.

For the past few years, Blackberry had been enduring a hard time in smartphone market. It is not only because of its own unstable financial status,  but also because of the innovative and fancy models released by its rivals, Apple and Samsung. To be honest, as a customer, I would prefer to buy an iPhone rather than a Blackberry because iPhone has prettier appearance and more apps. However, Blackberry did not give up and with the release of Passport, people are guessing if the revival of Blackberry is coming.

Positioning of Blackberry — finding an unoccupied area in order to be the first in the industry

Passport is much different with the old Blackberry models. It has a novel square display and a physical keyboard that doubles as a touchsensitive track pad, and also, Blackberry adds some maturity to Passport.

Direct business model —

What is more remarkable is that Blackberry will sell the phone directly to its target audience rather than relying on wireless carriers’ sales forces. In that way, customers may enjoy a more genial service. Just like what we learnt in the last class, this direct business model could help company better meet the demand of customers.

The competition in the industry is fierce —

Since Apple just released its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus, there are still many concerns about Blackberry’s future because the rivalry against Apple will be drastic. It is just a beginning for Passport; everything is still uncertain. Will Passport lead Blackberry to a revival or to an end? We will just wait and see.

Reference: pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=zh-CN&tab=wi

News from

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/nyregion/the-food-may-be-fast-but-these-customers-wont-be-rushed.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A15%22%7D&_r=0

The situation —

A few years ago, I spent my summer time taking French classes. To save my time, I always went to the McDonald’s next to the language alliance to grab some food and drink for breakfast. Until now, I still remember the scene in McDonald’s during morning time. There were always some people sleeping on the coach or reading newspapers without any food. Some homeless people even spent the whole night there. Every morning when I went there, things were always the same.

Even today, these “customers” without food are still a big problem waiting to be solved. This issue not only affects McDonald’s, but also other fast food restaurants. People can simply pay for a coffee and stay there for a whole day. Managers do not have the right to kick these people out, because they do buy something, and they are customers with their own right.

Value Proposition of the business —

Fast food restaurants are supposed to provide service and convenience for people in rush, but not for people who have no place to stay. Those real customers become really frustrated. They have no choice but to take out their food to somewhere else to eat, simply because their seats are occupied by people with newspapers or only a cup of coffee.

My point of view —

Since there isn’t any specific regulation about this issue, restaurants cannot do anything to those customers with no food, and some people believe that kicking out homeless people is immoral. However,  it is also unfair for those customers who pay a lot for their food. At least, they deserve a place to sit.

Are fast food restaurants places to eat, or places to stay in? It is such a hard and embarrassing situation. Maybe it is time for governments to take some actions and protect the right of both customers and companies.

Reference: Pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=zh-CN&tab=wi

News from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/the-cosmetics-wars/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D&_r=0

Banning animal testing can be a great move. However, if it is based on the sacrifice of consumers, things are actually getting worse.

Social responsibility in business —

This news reminds me of how Friedman[1] defines the social responsibility in business. “There is one and only one social responsibility of business—to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.” [2]

My point of view —

I personally agree with this point, because the basic goal of a business is to make profit. Nevertheless, what I focus more on is the premise, which states that there shouldn’t be any deception or fraud. Back to the news, if cosmetics companies don’t use other ways to test their products, the consumers will become victims. In that way, companies are breaking rules and deceiving their consumers.

Summary —

It is true that the social responsibility of business is to increase profit, but what is more important is that companies should follow basic social rules at first. This is my understanding of business ethics.

Reference: [1] Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist, statistician, and writer. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman

[2] Milton Friedman. The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. Retrieved from The New York Times Magazine

pictures from https://www.google.ca/imghp?hl=zh-CN&tab=wi

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