Extra Post: Super Bowl!!!

With exam just around the corner and the first semester just about to warp up,  I just want to take this time to just relax and talk about something a little bit more casual yet still related to the course. As soon as exams are done, the weekend comes. But during that weekend, there is something that we all can enjoy and watch. For all the football fans out there, yes Super Bowl 47 is just around the corner. This is an event that is televised world wide and even attracts an average person who isn't really a fan of the sport.

The Super Bowl is a great way for companies to advertise their product as this event is hours long which means a lot of commercials. By being able to get a commercial onto the Super Bowl, this a great marketing strategy as will attract a lot of business and generate a lot of profit. Sponsor of this event will also benefit from this as well such as Coors Light (a beer company). Sponsors of the Super Bowl tend to have promotions for this event that will gain more profit such as getting a chance to win a ticket to the Super Bowl. This will mean the customer will have to by more of that product (like Coors Light) to increase their chances of winning. But in reality only a few people will win a ticket will thousands of people will be left with countless number of beer bottles and a less heavy wallet. On top of that, the Super Bowl features two of America's top recording artist in Alicia Keys and Beyonce who will both be respectively be performing the National Anthem and Halftime show. This marketing strategy is to entice the fans of these two successful singers to watch the game just to see them perform. Adding up all these marketing strategies into one events means more money for the league who is running this event.

Now that you have an understanding of the international business aspect of the Super Bowl, lets get to the actual game. Super Bowl 47 takes place at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year's game will feature the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. This matchup should be very interesting as the 49ers are lead by an emerging quarterback in Colin Kaepernick and the Ravens have a star QB in their own rights of Joe Flacco and a defensive lineman who is at the end of his career and plans to retire at the end of this season in Ray Lewis. Aside from the players involved, the most interesting thing about this game is that is it being coached by two brothers pitted against each other in Jim (49ers) and John (Ravens) Harbaugh, a first in NFL history. The lead up to this game has been very interesting and full of surprises. The final game on February 3rd should be nothing but exciting and full of incredible plays. I predict that the 49ers will walk away with the Vince Lombardi trophy when its all said and done.

What do you think about the Super Bowl? Will you watch it? Who do you think is going to win? Post your comment below and good luck to you all on your exams. :)

Mayor Rob Ford still in power

Just a over a month ago, the mayor of Toronto Rob Ford was kicked out of his office and his role as mayor. There was a lot of rejoice in hearing this and but at the same time realized that there was a lot of work to be done after the mess he had created in our city. However just recently today, the Ontario divisional court today overturned the decision in the removal of Mr. Ford as mayor. This means that Rob Ford will continue to be our mayor. Hearing this decision recieved a lot of negative comments from not only the government, but the people of Toronto. However, one person who was relieved of hearing this decision was his brother, Doug Ford. He states that its a, "great day for Toronto."

This link below states more information about Rob Ford's reinstatement as mayor and the criticism that was followed:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/01/25/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-decision.html

Rob Ford has a history of spending money on things that our city does not need. One example would be the renovation of TTC by extending more stations available. He was even having problems outside of his job has he was caught at a Toronto Maple Leafs game drunk and excessively swearing thus being forced to be ejected from the arena. On top of that all, his personal problems such as his overweight issues have also been a reflection of his personality. He stated this whole time as mayor that he was going to do something to solve his weight issues. As of today he still remains to be this overweight man who his running this city into debt.

Despite all of this, Mr. ford will continue to run as mayor for our city. What do you think this will do to our city. Will all the mess that has been made been fixed, or will he continue to create more mess in our city. Comment below to let your feeling and opinion be heard.

This is the last blog of the semester. I just want to thank you all for your comments and following me this whole time. Your voice was truly heard and much appreciated.

The Business Aspect in the World of Professional Sports

Professional Sports, such as the NBA have been a fun and entertaining for many sport lovers and basketball fanatics around the world to enjoy. However, this is the 21st century and now pro sports like the NBA have evolved more into a business.

The 2012-2013 NBA has been of to a great start. With disappointments coming from the Los Angeles Lakers to a surprising start from the Memphis Grizzles, the season itself has been great so far. However, just last week, one of the premier and elite teams in the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs, were just fined about $250,000 for sitting their starters in a game against the reigning and defending champs, the Miami Heat. Despite this move by the Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich, they managed to keep the game close and only to lose by 5 points. Although this game was a statement to the entire league that their a force to be wrecking with, it did come with a price of a quarter of a million dollars. While this fine is little to a basketball franchise, the decision behind it came with some controversy.

In business, there is definitely controversy lurking around. There is no exception to the San Antonio Spurs as they question the move made by the Commission, David Stern. According to Stern, the Spurs robbed the fans from an exciting game. Also, he stated that this move pulled by Popovich was pulled out of nowhere without informing the other team. However, according to Coach Pop, this decision to rest his starters (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobilli & Danny Green) was that they played a long and grueling road trip and that his starters deserved it.

This move made by Popovich would be understandable if it were the end of the reason to rest the for the playoffs. However, this was done within about 15 games into the season. It's not like this move has been done before. Its understandable that Duncan, Parker, and Ginobilli get rest due to their age and history of injuries. But when the name Danny Green comes up in terms of getting rest with the Spurs "Big 3," sounds like this is a way to throw a game away and Stern's decision to fine them sound legitimate. Now in terms of the fans getting robbed according to Stern, this is the Miami Heat. The game is in South Beach with LeBron, Wade and Bosh all ready to go. Does it look like the fans in Miami came to see an aged Duncan or Ginobilli play. Absolutely not. So now its sounds like David Stern is using this move by the Spurs as a scapegoat to put a little bit of cash in his pocket before he leaves the NBA in 2014, doesn't it?

David Stern's fine towards the Spurs can go on all day in terms of is this the right decision or not. the only thing that is certain is that the NBA has most definitely evolved into more of a business. Before, the game use to be teams square off and face each other to see who wins. Now all you get is strategies of starters sitting out and fines being dished out of nowhere. This not only affects the NBA, but other professional sports leagues as well as they too might be influenced to do the same if their respective league comes across the situation. Even worse, there might be thoughts of a conspiracy brewing up in the NBA according to other businesses affiliated with the league might be another possibility. This might cause other sponsors to back out of a deal in case they might feel vulnerable to this. Who knows, anything is possible in the world of business. 

Here is a clip that explains in detail of the situation as well as prove that the NBA is evolved into a business:

Let your voice be heard. Did Popovich make a terrible decision in resting his starter? Did Stern go overboard in the fine? What do you think? Comment below so that your voice is heard because every opinion counts.

A New Day, A New Era for Yorkdale Mall

After a number of months of hard work, it's finally done. Yorkdale mall has finally finished their expansion project on the mall. On Friday, November 16, 2012 (about a week ago) the expansion project of Yorkdale mall was finally revealed for the world to see. There are many new features to look out for  the next time you visit this mall. Christmas is around the corner, so this would be the perfect time to do so. For one, it has added 145,000-square feet of space and 800 million more parking spots. There are 27 new stores and a high-end food court. The new-look mall is also home to five upscale stores that are making their debut in Canada: Microsoft, Tesla Motors, Ted Baker London, Kate Spade and Ann Taylor Loft. With these stores making their debut in Canada, these businesses are looking to expand outside their border to not only make more money, but be well known internationally. Canada is the perfect place to do so. If there's anything this mall needed to upgrade, it was their food court. This $220-million expansion also unveiled their new food court, "Dine on 3." This major upgrade draws a lot of comparisons to Eatons' food court "Urban Eatery" in terms of quality, looks, and accommodations. For more details and information about Dine on 3, click on the link below to find out.:

http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/dine-on-3-yorkdale-toronto#   

With both upgraded in Eatons and Yorkdale mall respectively, competition between the two is sure to pick up. Before Eatons was the mall to attract tourist and new comers to the city. Now with the new upgrade of Yorkdale mall, either one of the two wouldn't be bad. This upgrade also means competition between the two malls as they both have luxurious, high-profile stores that attracts a lot of customers. Either way, the city of Toronto now has another legitimate destination for all shopaholics to go to. I for one is most definitely planning on visiting the "new Yorkdale mall."

This is a few visuals of what the expansion Yorkdale mall has to offer. Do you think this was a good and well-needed investment? Or do you think this was just a useless investment and costing them money? Comment below to let me know how you think this mall is or if you have personally seen the new renovations. 

Apple to Release Another iPhone?

After Apple had just recently released their new iPhone 5 model, it looks or seems to be that Apple is at it again. Yes that's right, Apple is planning on releasing another iPhone model, the "iPhone 5S" just after they have released a brand new one about a couple of months ago. These rumours are in its early stages and it seems to be that production may start in beginning of 2013. If these rumours are true, then the buyers of the current iPhone will lose out and feel that they have wasted money. There are still however no details as to what new features will be on this phone. Apple seems to be releasing products year after year that seem to be the same as the previous versions. Like the iPad just came our with a smaller version, "iPad Mini" that doesn't seem to appeal to the majority of Apple fans and users. To me, this seems like Apple is desperate to make some major moves to counter their rivals, Samsung after their recent release on the "Galaxy S3" that received more positive reviews than the iPhone 5 did. If there are no changes to the iPhone 5S and is just the same as its last version, Samsung could be on its way to being the top brand for cellphones and you can expects Apple to decline. For more information about this rumour, click on the link below for more details. What do you think about this rumour? Do you believe in this? If so what do you think Apple should do to make this phone stand out from its previous versions? Comment on this blog below so that your opinion can be heard and noticed. Tune in next time for more news in the world of business.

 http://www.webpronews.com/iphone-5-successor-to-launch-in-mid-2013-rumor-2012-11

Hurricane Sandy affects millions!!

In more recent current events in our world today, the most significant topic that has been on people's minds is the natural disaster that has affected states in the North East Coast called, Hurricane Sandy! Yes, that's right, this hurricane has been in effect for about a week now. Although this hurricane is now over, the damages that it has left still remains. Here are a couple of images that Hurricane Sandy has left her mark upon.

As you can tell, the damage that this hurricane has caused affected many citizens in America, especially those who live in the New York and New Jersey area. The city of New York is known to be the city that never sleeps. However, ironically, they were forced to shut down the city for a few days making schools and subway stations cancelled for the duration of this natural disaster. This also caused an affect on the NBA as a game between two of New York's elite ball clubs, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, were forced to postpone their season opener on Thursday, November 1. The cities of New York, Atlantic City and their Jersey Shore were submerged in water because of this hurricane. Houses are damaged and citizens are dying because of this. 

Hurricane Sandy has not only affected families and citizens, but businesses as well. With the shut down of New York City due to the hurricane, many businesses have been either destroyed by the hurricane or seriously damaged. In order to recover, companies must spend a lot of money to repair these damages and compensate for the amount of money companies are losing due to all of this. It no doubt possible, but businesses and companies are going to go through a rough time for awhile before they can return to the success they all once had.

Although this hurricane has subsided, the cities that have been affect by this still have a long way to recovery. With contributions from charities and organization across the world, there's no doubt in my mind that those who were affect by Hurricane Sandy are sure to make a blissful, speedy recovery. For more extensive information on the hurricane, how bad was it, who were exactly affected by it, watch this clip below to find out.

What do you think about this issue? Will the people affected by it ever recover? Please feel free to comment on this issue and how it has affect you and ideas for a good recovery for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Until then, stay tuned shorty for another post concerning issues from around the world incorporated with the world of business as well.

The world of Apple, new releases=new era

Check out the latest products that apple has recently released:

iPod Touch 5th Generation

iPod Nano 7th Generation

On the other note, here is a review from Apple's latest release, the iPhone 5:

What do you think Apple's latest products (the iPod Touch 5th Gen & iPod Nano 7th Gen)? What's your opinion on the new iPhone. Is it worth it? Let you minds come out on Apple's latest releases by posting your opinions. Stay tuned for more posts on the world's currents events!