Articles
The TTC & Rider Backlash: Grappling with Public Perception and Performance
Toronto’s TTC has long been the backbone of the city’s transit system, but rider dissatisfaction is reaching new heights. Concerns over safety and excessive prices are fueling public outcry. In this article, QBR Senior Editor Mayson Sattler delves into the TTC's inability to meet global transit expectations and the factors contributing to the high levels of consumer dissatisfaction. Does the TTC truly need to enhance its services, and what is preventing it from doing so?
How Strategic Innovation is Changing Healthcare
In this article, QBR Editor Simon Ing explores how emerging technologies are primed to disrupt the healthcare sector. As demand for services grows in magnitude and complexity in response to an aging population, current healthcare infrastructure is not sufficient for effective treatment. Stakeholders throughout industry segments must strategically integrate advancements in remote patient monitoring and operational optimization to transform the status quo moving forward.
Hotdog Heaven: The $1.50 Secret to Costco’s Success
Hooking in customers and driving sales, Costco’s hotdog combo is more than a cheap deal — it’s a successful pricing strategy. With loss leaders, producing its brand, Kirkland Signature, and its membership model, Costco establishes itself as the retailer customers trust for high-quality at low prices. QBR Editor Ninglee Weng explores how Costco’s unique approach has led to billions in revenue each year, creating an exclusive shopping experience like no other: free samples in one hand and a membership card in the other.
Whose Hands are Left Bloody: Will Metalloids in Tampons Spark Industry-Wide Change?
In July 2024, leading scientific journal, Environment International, released a study that revealed numerous harmful materials, including lead and arsenic, were found in tampons. However, upwards of two billion women experience menstruation, hence, must continue buying needed products, even if there are now more factors to consider when making this once-a-month purchase. In fact, tampons are continuing to increase in popularity, on a world scale, with an average CAGR over 5%. In this editorial, Katie Libitz examines the menstrual product industry and how this news will, or will not, cause changes in consumer behaviour.
Duo, Please Let My Family Go: Tiptoeing the Extremes of Social Media Marketing
If good marketing looks like a green owl bossing people around, this may be the future. Duolingo's language-learning app showcases how mastering social media is not one-size-fits-all. QBR Editor Ninglee Weng discusses how consumer values are changing, and traditional tactics aren’t working. Companies are challenged with navigating new ways of marketing without doing too much, being branded cringe or not enough, and staying irrelevant; what’s the secret to going viral?
Sky’s The Limit: Soaring Costs in Canada's Aviation Industry
Exploring the “user-pay” cost structure used to fund Canadian air travel infrastructure, QBR Editor Simon Ing illustrates how lack of public funding passes premiums to consumers in the form of heightened airfare and ancillary fees. With high costs levied to airport authorities and airlines, which ultimately disincentivizes competition, the nationwide duopoly of Air Canada and WestJet hold dominant power within a highly consolidated industry. Though there are arguments for and against levying costs to fliers, a major shift towards public subsidization is unlikely to take place – exemplifying the role and ramifications of business strategy in our everyday lives.
The Hermès Birkin: At the Forefront of Fashion for 41 Years
French fashion house, Hermès, launched the Birkin in the 1980s and the purse has become one of fashions most sought-after items. In this editorial, Katie Libitz describes the Birkin’s hold on fashion-forward individuals around the world, including a bizarre purchase routine that requires wait times that can last years and thousands of dollars in purchase history – excluding the minimum price of $10,000 USD for the purse alone. This phenomenon can be attributed to Hermès’ use of a unique and quiet marketing strategy that upholds the Birkin’s extraordinary image, even becoming a status symbol itself.
Climate Change and Fine Wine: An Industry That May Not Age Well After All
Grappling with the potentially cataclysmic impacts of climate change on the global wine industry, Mayson Sattler delves into the unstable future of European viticulture. The article hones in on France, Italy, and Spain, nations that have traditionally dominated international wine exports but are now struggling to adapt to increasing temperatures. Will the top 3 employ innovative strategies to maintain their market shares, or will they fall behind, thereby creating an opportunity for competitors to gain prominence?
From Bean-To-Bar: An Overview of Chocolate’s Enduring Success
Despite its simple composition of four main ingredients, chocolate has evolved into a highly diverse product, offering thousands of variations in packaging, branding, and marketing strategies. This editorial by Jeremiah Lim delves into the rich history, innovation, and significance of chocolate, shedding light on its enduring appeal and the strategic intricacies behind its portrayal by different brands. Through an exploration of chocolate's market dynamics and strategies, he is able to provide a deeper understanding of one of the most important and mass-consumed pieces of confectionery in the entire world.
The Capitalist’s Approach to a Greener World: Carbon Credits
In this editorial, QBR Editor Sunghoon Kim explores carbon credits, uncovering their potential to become a commercially feasible, much-needed catalyst toward economic decarbonization, but also reveals the current system’s complementary flaws and exploits that leave serious room for amelioration.