The ever unappealing grocery market might turn out to be the gold mine for many grocery chain firms in Africa. Africa over the few years have grown and developed considerably, in fact the ten fastest-growing economies in the world today belong to six African countries. Markets of all sorts are in demand all over the fast growing continent, especially the grocery market. Food is unmistakably a necessity in our lives. In addition, people are always looking to improve their quality of life if they have the extra money. Therefore the idea of convenient and reachable supermarkets will definitely be high in demand for these fast developing countries. Consequently, these growing demands are attracting eager South African chains, Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Massmart, and Woolsworth to leave their “sluggish domestic market.” However, competitions cannot be avoided, retailing giants such as Carrefour and Walmart also have their eyes on the prize. Although, the competition will be fierce, the locals have an advantage over the newcomers; they have been in the market for a while and they know what consumers demand. Also, focusing more on strategies for marketing and operations will give them a comparative advantage over the other giants. Do these local grocery chains have a chance with these giants? Are they able to come up with a strategic plan to outsmart the giants?

Read the article: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21586551-sluggish-home-market-pushing-south-africas-big-retail-chains-northward-grocers-great

Image: http://shopatthelake.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/lots-of-groceries.jpg

The once mobile device giant, Blackberry, has fallen. After many tries to revive the company’s once fame, on September 23, Blackberry announced that it has struck a $4.7 billion deal with a group of investors who want to take it private. The transaction will close in early November.

Blackberry’s fall from fame is the result of it failing to recognize the potential of its competitors, Apple behind the race. Just when you think, Blackberry has made a comeback with the Blackberry Q10 in the start of the year; it turned out to be a great disappointment for many. Blackberry’s take-private transaction might be their best bet right now. Choosing to be private will free up management’s focus and time on running and growing a business. Being private allows the company to concentrate more on improving the business’s competitive positioning in the marketplace. Going private will allow Blackberry to tend to their wounds and strategize for a comeback.’s IPhone and Android smartphones. Although, Blackberry was always ahead of the game, underestimating its opponents had really put them

Read the article here: http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/09/blackberry

Image: http://img.gfx.no/1122/1122326/nseries_black_front-1.jpg

As individuals, we have responsibilities. Corporations and businesses have social responsibilities as well. However, often times we sidetrack from our ethical duties in the pursue of wealth and our own self-interests. British Petroleum, in this report, has completely neglected business ethics. Since the first lawsuits were filed in 2010 regarding the Texas refinery, British Petroleum has denied every claim that people were harmed by the 17,000 pounds of benzene emission. Now British Petroleum may find itself in court for the cases involving the refinery in Texas and also the suits in Louisiana for the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. British Petroleum should have taken matter into their hands immediately. This way they will not appear impervious to the issues at hand. Maybe it’s time for British Petroleum to focus on environmental sustainability rather than their own self-interest of economic growth. Including this factor in to the bigger picture and maintaining the companies ethics and reputation will definitely help the company’s growth in the long term.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/trial-begins-against-bp-over-texas-refinery-emissions/article14262256/

Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!