America's Dissappearing Restaurant Chains

America is known for its vast variety of fast food restaurants, but recently many people have noticed that a lot of these places have been closing down, and in significant numbers. Ever since restaurants, like Chipotle, have emerged, people have been shifting towards newer and different tastes of food. Chipotle offers fresh, organic ingredients and allows you to customize your own burritos, unlike McDonalds, whose foods are fatty and variety is smaller. Fast food chains, like Burger King or McDonalds, don't allow you to see how your food is being made, while in places, like Chipotle, your food is made right infront of you. The reason Chipotle has become such a hit is because they differentiate themselves, using fresh and organic ingredients. With today's economy, people cannot afford luxuries such as organic food but chains like Chipotle allow people to enjoy better quality food at a reasonable price.
My View:
Being a huge Chipotle fan myself, I can see why it is one of the most successful chains in the nation. People love that they can see what is being put into their food and how it is being handled. It allows people to customize what they want to eat and how they want to eat it. People are ditching the old fashioned fast food chains and they are turning their attention to the future of fast food. I think Chipotle's strategy is one of the smartest I have seen in my lifetime. Chains like Big Boy's, Bakers Square, and Ground Round Grill all have shut down because people aren't dining in their restaurants as much, thus causing the chains to go bankrupt. If these chains differentiated themselves from the competition, perhaps they would have been able to stand out amongst competition and attract more customers.


http://247wallst.com/2011/10/12/america%E2%80%99s-disappearing-restaurant-chains/

Gap Set To Close Stores In The U.S.

Gap has always been known for being a popular retailer of casual, comfortable clothing in the United States. Recently Gap announced that it is closing down many of its stores, bringing the number of stores in the U.S. to 700. Instead of expanding in the United States, Gap decided to tackle one of the most profitable and fastest emerging countries, China. The company decided to open more stores internationally, seeing that it could make more money in newer, emerging markets. One of Gap's brands, Old Navy, is also opening an outlet in Japan. Since the economy took a downturn, retailers have to find markets that will many their brands profitable and in demand. It also makes the company, as a whole, stronger since it will have international customers who will eventually develop brand loyalty. Besides moving their brands overseas, cotton prices have significantly dropped as well, thus increasing profit for retailers.

My view:
Since people in the U.S. are being laid off and can't afford shopping at places like GAP and Banana Republic, they are just shipping their stores along with their jobs to other countries for a profit. People are saving money instead of spending money and that is why retailers, like Liz Clairborne, are suffering because their products aren't in demand as much. Retailers are left with the decision of closing down their stores completely or taking their stores to other markets.

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/13/8308229-gap-to-shutter-a-third-of-us-stores-expand-globally?gt1=43001

Liz Clairborne Set To Sell Its Name

Liz Clairborne is very known, high-end fashion brand that appeals to women worldwide. Its also owns brands like Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, and Kate Spade. Ever since Liz Clairborne hasn't been so profitable, the company feels it is in their best interest to focus on their other brands, which also target upper middle class and upper class citizens. Besides changing its main focus, Liz Clairborne might also have to carry out job cuts in order to prevent any further losses. The company has been in debt for a while due to people decreasing their shopping and spending routines. Since Liz Clairborne consists of several brands (Liz Claiborne, Claiborne, Liz, Liz & Co., Concepts by Claiborne, LC, Elizabeth, LizGolf, LizSport, Liz Claiborne New York (LCNY) and Lizwear brands), they are planning on selling these brands in order to generate money to cover their debt. 
My View:
There's no doubt in my mind that high-end companies, like Liz Clairborne, are really suffering during this recession. People aren't so willing to spend hundreds of dollars on clothes these days and companies, whose clothes go for $200 to $600, aren't making much profit these days. It takes a lot of money and time to uphold a company in general, but it takes even more to uphold a company that's slowly falling apart and not as profitable. Since Liz Clairborne is in such debt, it is a wise move on their part to take some of their lowest-earning brands and sell them in order to cover the debt. This money will help the company get back on its feet and since it has less brands under its name, it will be able to shift most of its attention to the brands they want to work on and make more profitable.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/story/2011-10-12/liz-claiborne-sells-brands/50741798/1

Potential For Increase In Jobs In 2012

These days, everyone knows that it's tough to get a well-paying job due to the downfall of the economy. People are competing harder than ever because they want to make sure that once they get out of college, they will have a greater chance of getting a decent job. Due to the long-term recession, there aren't many jobs available and people are struggling to get what they can. Recently, the National Association of Colleges and Employers has shown that the percentage of jobs available went up 9.5% since 2011. Students graduating in 2012 will also have higher salaries. The NACE has said the paid interns had the most success when it came to getting job offers. Also, companies are looking for more fresh, new faces to replace the older employees who are leaving their positions.
My view:
With the economy at such a weak point right now, it is very encouraging to see companies offering more jobs to graduating college students. Many students are fearful of the fact that they might be unemployed when they graduate, seeing how many graduates have failed to acquire jobs in the past. With companies being more open-minded to the situation the economy is in, it brings a little more hope to the future generation. Companies, like Enterprise, can become popular by hiring younger personnel to their team. These people are more up to date on certain technologies and trends and they could be a useful tool for the company to reach a different, younger type of audience.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Job-Outlook-Improving-for-usnews-1629657662.html?x=0

Men Demand That Certain Drinks Stay Manly

When men think of drinks they enjoy on a daily basis, they think of beer, sodas, and energy drinks. Those are the types of beverages that men want the most because they usually represent strength and masculinity. Diet drinks aren't the most appealing to men because they associate dieting with women and they feel that if they're seen drinking these drinks, then they will "stripped of their manhood". So when Dr. Pepper modified its drink to a diet version, men were were disappointed because they felt that their drink was being feminized.  This outlook could result in a loss of customers for Dr. Pepper since their main target audience was men. Once the male fans of Dr. Pepper see that this drink is being modified against their tastes, this could damage the companies reputation and sales. Bur Dr. Pepper says that it'll still try to relate its new drink to the "macho men" of the world, in hopes that their product will be accepted by both sexes.
My View:
I think that Dr. Pepper made a smart move by trying to advertise their products on ESPN or during football games because men will start to see their new diet product in a new light. Perhaps they won't see it as something that just women could drink and perhaps they will have some faith in the product too. Dr. Pepper has been known for years and many people, especially men, have become very fond of this drink. Now that they see that it's being modified to satisfy women, they are backing down because they don't want to be seen drinking something "womanly". I think Dr. Pepper made a smart move by trying to reach a broader audience, not just the men of the world. This drink could now appeal to people who are on health diets, and that doesn't mean woman only. This move could either lose customers for the company or gain a whole lot more than they had.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Dr-Pepper-Ten-No-women-apf-3465249566.html?x=0

Generating Buzz About Acai Juice

Even since POM Juice, people have been crazy about the super-food, acai. People have realized that this food provides many health benefits, the most popular being a strong anti-oxidant. Health foods have been becoming steadily more popular over the years ever since the issue of obesity in America has been more publicized and people are starting to see how it can be potentially fatal if not taken care of. Health foods allow people to have a variety of delicious, nutritious foods to choose from instead of reaching for the old fashioned junk food. Marketers also wanted to introduce something new and trendy that people will catch on to and ever since POM became a hit, people wanted to know more and get more of this food. There are so many products out there that offer health benefits that promise to help you lose weight, cleanse your system, and revitalize your body. All these things sound tempting and they might actually work but researchers have shown that although these drinks can offer certain benefits, it's not the smartest idea to rely solely on these drinks to lead a healthier lifestyle. The only way to really improve you mental and physical state is to change eating habits and to include a bit of exercise in your daily routine. It won't do you much if you rely on just drinking a health beverage to improve your overall state of health.


My View:
I have to say that I agree with these researchers when it comes to analyzing what certain things can improve overall health. Simply drinking a health drink won't do much for your health. It could give you some energy and flush out toxins but it really isn't doing anything to improve your overall health. Obviously this type of information could potentially harm a health food company's product. When people begin to search online and read articles, word can spread very quickly and people might not have any more incentive to buy these products, thus decreasing the number of potential customers for health food companies. This could be a potentially harmful situation that could occur for a company but the best thing they can do to salvage their reputation is directly talk to people through commercials, websites, blogs, and communities and work to communicate all the superior benefits of their products. Otherwise people might start to believe what researchers are saying and turn away from health food companies if they see no point in buying their products.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/debunking-trendy-health-drink-claims-2574301#photoViewer=1

The World Loses a Great Leader, Innovator, Person.

On September 5, 2011, the world faced a tragedy that hit the hearts of all people around the world. Apple's creator, Steve Jobs, lost the battle to cancer after suffering for many months. Being the not only brilliant but amazing person he is, Steven Jobs made the effort, in his already fragile state, to say his farewells to all the people he felt he needed to say goodbye to. Even in his final weeks when he could hardly walk up the stairs, he still managed to say a few final words to  his friends, mentors, and colleagues. During his last few weeks, Mr. Jobs got off work early in order to have dinner  and some quality time with his family. Now the buzz has shifted to what will happen to the company to what will happen to Steve Job's fortune?  Obviously all of it will go to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, but there's speculation that some of it will be donated to education since a couple years ago she started a company that paired disabled students with mentors to help them achieve a college degree.
My view:
A company without it's creator is never the same. Steve Job's had a vision and ideas that not one could ever live up to nor acquire. So it's inevitable that Apple won't be the same without him. Ever since Mr. Jobs fell ill, the company's price per share went down and Apple wasn't functioning as successfully as it was when Steve Jobs was in charge. This could foreshadow trouble for the company's future. The products won't be the same because they won't be made under the genius of Steven Jobs. Perhaps the reason why the iPhone 4s' sales weren't so successful was because the model wasn't made the way Steven Jobs would have made it if he were in a better state of health. He has made the company extremely successful throughout the years and it's a surprise that one of the most sought after products didn't generate high sales.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/With-Time-Running-Short-Jobs-nytimes-175542823.html?x=0