It’s not Heaven, it’s the Future

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For a tech nerd, like myself, this video may seem like heaven but according to Microsoft, it’s the future! The video illustrates how Microsoft predicts the technological future to be like, while focusing on productivity at work, home, and on the go. The reoccurring theme is touch-interfaced products. One of the most appealing feature, especially with today’s craving for energy-efficient products, is the option to see what is inside the fridge without actually opening it. With a simple touch, the door of the fridge/freezer becomes transparent and the food is labelled for simplicity and convenience. This prevents having to open the fridge to look for something and in return, saves energy by keeping the fridge at its desired temperature. This unique feature is just one of the many that are detailed in the video.

All of this futuristic technological talk begs the question: are we becoming too reliant on technology? My gut response would be to say “of course not!” but that is my attraction to technology overriding my rational thinking. WIll our kids be able to complete a task without the assistance of technology or will they be permanently dependant on their smartphones and laptops? The only answer is the future ahead of us.

The Awareness Test

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It’s easy to miss something you’re not looking for.” This statement not only applies to the awareness test but also highlights the Enron and Arthur Andersen scandal. Enron was “one of the world’s largest energy, commodity, and service company.” Arthur Andersen was “one of the Big Five accounting firms.” Together, they are synonymously and infamously known for one of the world’s largest accounting scandals. Enron did not properly follow GAAP, inflated its assets, and re-routed liabilities, to create an attractive balance sheet. A company that is well known like Enron could not deceive investors without help from an auditing service. Arthur Andersen filled this role for Enron, declaring the proposed balance sheet as valid. Andersen did not comply with GAAS (Generally Accepted Auditing Services) and was receiving large amounts of money for being ‘friendly‘ to Enron. Together, the leaders of Enron and Andersen mislead investors and the public to gain personal wealth.

How do we know the dominating companies of today are not using similar tricks? Are scandals similar to this one the reason for the implementation of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)? These matters boil down to an ethics debate, which proves how relevant ethics is becoming in the business world today.

Technology Killed the Video Store

Do you remember when “Video Killed the Radio Star (♫) “? As classmate Angelica Cabrera touched on in “Is the Internet killing television“, more and more Canadians are watching TV shows or movies online now. This sudden transition from renting hard copies of videos to streaming them over the internet was detrimental to some companies, such as Blockbuster, and advantageous to others, such as Netflix. As Cabrera goes on to say, consumers are switching methods because of simplicity. It all boils down to an economic debate over opportunity cost. By simply streaming content over the internet, one avoids travel time going to the video store and back, the gas consumption from a vehicle and many other factors that build up over time. Although Netflix is number two in video subscription, behind Comcast, the company is synonymously known with the downfall of Blockbuster. This is due to the precise brand positioning Netflix created, which happened to fill the weak spots of Blockbuster’s brand position. The main Point of Difference is convenience to use and unlimited downloads for a flat rate. The breakdown of the companies can be seen in further detail with this info-graph: