In Queen's Business Review (QBR) Strategy portfolio, Editor-in-Chief Jacob Kranjac explores how organizations can prevent “failure to launch,” introducing a community-centered approach to onboarding and examining how connection, shared experiences, and cultural alignment can be leveraged as strategic advantages.

Look down at your pants right now. Between your legs sits a multi-billion dollar company you have never heard of. That tiny piece of metal that keeps your jeans together, your jacket closed, and your suitcase sealed belongs to YKK. Despite being attached to billions of garments around the globe, YKK remains one of the most quiet yet powerful companies in modern manufacturing. In this editorial, Yaren Yurdakul explains how a company unknown to most is found in every home.

From rippling muscles to abstract illustrations, romance covers continue to dominate commercial and domestic bookshelves alike. In this article, QBR Editor Annabella Luo explores how the genre has won over generation after generation of new readers. Following the rise of influencers and short-form media, how can literature hold the attention of the public, and at what cost?

As the future of traditional financial services hangs in the balance, QBR Senior Editor Chanelle Cai explores how digital disruption, AI, and open banking regulations are transforming the industry. Her article examines the strategic crossroads facing both traditional banks and neobanks, arguing that banks must modernize legacy systems, embrace AI, and refocus on wallet share, while neobanks must diversify products, build customer trust, and scale strategically. Drawing on recent regulatory changes and shifting consumer behavior, Cai highlights the urgency for innovation to determine who will lead in a digital-first financial era.

Borrowing the psychological hooks straight out of a casino, blind box toys aren't your average plastic figurines. From Pop Mart's rebranding of The Monsters character, Labubu, which generates thousands on resale markets, to Sonny Angels appearing in workplaces, QBR Senior Editor Ninglee Weng explores how these toys thrive on scarcity and the addictive nature of not knowing what you will get. As the newest addition to the hype economy, can blind boxes remain a cultural obsession or become irrelevant as fast as they rose to fame?

In this editorial, QBR Strategy Editor Yaren Yurdakul explores Turkiye’s medical tourism industry. Despite economic challenges, Türkiye has emerged as a global leader in affordable, high-quality healthcare, attracting millions of patients annually for medical and cosmetic procedures. This piece examines the key factors that drive the industry, such as Turkiye’s geographical location, government-backed incentives, and the role of social media, while also addressing the risks and challenges. Additionally, an exclusive QBR interview with Turkish otolaryngologist Dr. Erdal Gul offers a first-hand perspective on Turkiye’s evolving healthcare industry.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Exploiting one’s desire for excitement is the underpinning of the gambling business model. Some may call it genius; others may call it predatory. But one thing is for certain — America’s consumerist society has metastasized the country’s gambling scene to a size bigger than ever before.

Over time we have seen not only hesitancy towards PE from leagues such as the NFL, who have disallowed it altogether, but push back from fans who cannot disassociate their beloved teams, rivalries, and traditions from ownership.

QBR Editor in Chief, Joshua Cristofoli looks to provide a breakdown on how Red Bull was able to gain market share and outperform legacy brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

QBR Editor, Lauren MacDonald, looks to analyze the various factors driving the Insurance industry's reliance on environmental sustainability and how the industry will set the longevity of sustainable strategies to come.

The music industry is like a game of chess; each move can make or break an artist’s career. However, as Taylor Swift has shown, an unexpected strategic shift can sometimes impact more than just other players—it can change the rules of the game

With North America’s past decision to scale cities horizontally, it may come to bite us in the future. The incredible difficulty of providing reliable public transportation to every single suburban neighbourhood will pose to be an outstanding challenge as governments shift to greener and more sustainable forms of transportation.

It is undeniable that the dating industry has been fundamentally shaken to its core through the advent of dating apps, which have streamlined and digitized relationships to an unmatched degree across recorded human history.

We can assume the basics of the algorithm; if you like one song, you may like a similar one. But how does Spotify define like and how does Spotify define similar? The company has strengthened their understanding of users through multiple business acquisitions ⁠—just one stop in uncovering the fundamentals of the algorithm. 

From start to finish, Formula One exudes excellence and precision both on and off the track—milliseconds separate the winners and the losers. This article uncovers the fierce competition, controversies, and strategies deep within the most coveted championship at the pinnacle of motorsport.