blogs.ubc.ca/bengeorge

Vivek Wadhwa is a columnist for the Washington Post ‘Innovations’ as a writer and critique of modern technology. He wrote a column on the disproportionate amount of women who graduate from college and university with science and engineering degrees, and the number of women found in high level managerial positions in the technology industry – specifically in Silicon Valley.

It is estimated that well over 50 percent of university graduates are women, in all degree levels. Yet it is strange to find that women overall do not appear in the most prominent roles of the technology industry. I also never took notice to the fact that most prominent figures in technology (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) are men.

It is understandable that managers must hire and promote employees with the company in mind, but things like maternal leave, and family obligations should not be an issue, as long as the woman in question has agreed to do what is best for the company.

Numerous road blocks continue to prevent women from standing on equal footing with men, but through support groups like Women 2.0, hopefully the situation will change.

The Washington Post – Silicon Valley women are on the rise, but have far to go

After reading Jeff Li‘s article on the relation between undergarments and the economic standing of a state, I was very compelled to dig deeper into the matter.

It seems that as the economy shrinks, the first thing mens top replenishing is their underwear. Because no one typically sees your underwear, men feel comfortable putting off replacing old and worn pairs until they have a bit more cash to spend.

This comes as quite the surprise. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that underwear could serve such a purpose! I found this gave me a lot of insight into the whole idea of economic value, and how changes in the strength of an economy can affect consumer purchasing habits in such subtle ways.

Economists also look at the sales of other products, to determine a change in the strength of an economy, and to determine the necessity of certain goods as well. Hopefully, the purchase of underwear does not stop anytime soon!

MSN News – How your undies track the recession

I believe Jaskaran Chauhan has made a fairly well reasoned point. Charging customers a fee as a countermeasure for the pollution they plan to produce is not a viable alternative for Air Canada. What may end up ridding consumers of a ‘guilty conscience’ will not rid the world of pollution.

Pollution is not something  one can offset simply by producing an equal amount of the reinforcement; as more pollution gets released into the air, the combined emissions accumulate into the environment. These emissions act as an insulator, allowing more of the suns rays to remain in the atmosphere.

In the long run, this will warm up the Earth, melt the polar ice caps, and cause a noticable rise in ocean levels.

Planting trees is a good way to care for the environment, but to restore it to its original condition, we must actively take a look at what we can do to REDUCE our impact, PREVENT further damage, and INNOVATE for more eco-friendly products and production methods. 

CBC News – Air Canada’s carbon-offset program takes flight

The Occupy movement has recently become a global phenomenon, which has spread to over 2000 cities world wide.

Just recently, a renowned film maker named David Sauvage made a short film in support of Occupy Wall Street. To his surprise, the video did not fly, and the initial support for it quickly turned David into the enemy of Occupy.

Although the video characterized the emotions of the movement quite well, most protestors agreed that they did not want to define the movements goals in a single sentence. Nor did they want to market their cause using the tools which have made these corporations so wealthy.

The Occupy movement has become something close to the heart of many Americans, and people in general as citizens of the world. When money is used to pay for big Christmas bonuses, finance decisions which benefit the wealthy, and are used to expropriate the expansion of large transnational corporations, instead of dealing with the problems everyday Americans face, someone needs to be held accountable.

This campaign has developed a unique brand – one synonymous to freedom of speech and human rights. The Occupy movement will now need to transform their ideas and their brand, into a reality.

The Globe and Mail – Occupy Wall Street, the brand

In October, the corporate giant Samsung filed a preliminary injunction motion against Apple’s iPhone in several countries around the world including Australia, Japan, France and Italy.

Samsung has stated that the new iPhone 4S has infringed on 3 existing patents and over 25 claims. Currently, the Australian court ruling has allowed the sales to go on for another four months before the hearing date.

Apple and Samsung are the world’s leading smartphone and tablet producers, and have been competing on a level unmatched by any of their remaining competitors. They are now engaged in a “life or death” legal battle in over 10 countries involving smartphones and tablet computers, in an effort to capture the throne.

This has been a real ‘eye opener’ for me. Many of the technologies used to create the iPhone was originally purchased from Samsung. Despite their ties, Apple has filed several preliminary injunctions on Samsung products in the United States as well as many other countries around the world. This really emphasises the concept of ‘self-interest’, and shows that partners today can become rivals tomorrow in the business world.

The Globe and Mail – Aussie court to hear Samsung plea for iPhone 4S ban

The world has taken front row seats to observe a game changing movement – the Arab Spring. After seeing what can be accomplished through comradery and cooperation, a group of American’s staged a protest movement which placed them in the heart of the world’s financial district. It was thusly named the Occupy.

The Washington Post tells the story of Andrew McAfee and Eric Brynjolfsson, Co-authors and MIT professors and their book, “Race Against the Machine”, describing technology’s role in the rising unemployment rate and income disparity.

Simply put, despite the many advancements in technology over the last century, these improvements have served to take away jobs from those without any unique skills in the labour force. The average American is a labourer with no college education. As technology improves, these men and women will lose their jobs, and unemployment rates will continue to rise.

If we are indeed going to challenge the government and demand financial reform along with stricter corporate guidelines, perhaps we should stop endorsing the technology which supports these corporate giants.

The Washington Post – Occupy Wall Street and the high cost of the technology revolution

Recently, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced plans to make the Yuan (Chinese currency) more flexible. Wen also stated that maintaining bilateral trade between the United States and China is a necessity for the world. Due to a large majority of American debt currently owned by China, it is impossible for America to simply restrict trade between the two countries. 

This move does not come as a suprise to the world, seeing as the United States have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of artificially reducing the value of their currency, so as to reduce the cost of manufacturing goods in China. This results in cheaper goods, and lost American jobs – or so they say.

China has experienced a 12% increase in the value of their currency due to appreciation and inflation this past year. No longer the cheapest place on the block, China does not need to put up with accusations from other countries.

Perhaps, it is time for American’s to look at rewriting their own policies to handle financial internal problem instead of placing the blame on others.

The Washington Post – China says U.S. policy, not undervalued currency, to blame for economic woes

Another article I have come upon in The Economist (October 1st 2011 page 72) titled “Keep on walking”, details the push for Africans to consume more scotch and less cheap beers, made by Diageo, the owners of Johnnie Walker, a fairly renowned english scotch.

In Nairobi, Africa, a majority of the middle class population can be found spending time in local pubs after work hours, drinking cheap beer produced by local brewers. However, that is no longer the case. Diageo, the London-based drinks giant have now shifted the gaze of their monstrous marketing department to these very pubs located in the small towns and residential areas of east Africa.

It is estimated that over 790 000 litres of beer was consumed by the working populus of east Africa in 2010. In order to cash in on this goldmine, Diageo has begun a very intensive marketing campaign, to shift the cultural consumption from beer to scotch.

From criminals to the wealthy, all africans purchase expensive scotch, because it can be related to power, and now represents the degree of success they enjoy. It is evident that the cultural paradigm behind liquor consumption is now changing, due to the efforts of Diageo.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agent

counting confiscated shark fins.

I recently read an article in The Economist about shark fin soup, a delicacy enjoyed my a majority of wealthy men and women in China. 

Animal conservationists around the world have banded together to put pressure on the Chinese government and force a shift in the cultural paradigm of shark fin soup consumption.

Celebrity support for this movement was provided by Yao Ming, a Chinese basketball player, and Sir Richard Branson, a British business star. With this practice gone, it is estimated that 70% of the cause for the depletion of our current various shark populations will be eliminated.

This ties into business ethics, a concept which is somewhat contradictory to the idea of business altogether. Although there is a huge market for Shark Fin Soup, if the demand for the delicacy were to drop, businesses will no longer have an incentive to provide it. It has been identified that older generations hold more value in this tradition, as opposed to younger generations, who believe it is outdated. This divide is one which needs to be addressed.

The Globe and Mail – Proposed ban on sale of shark fin soup reveals generational divide

The Globe and Mail recently wrote about the Air Canada Union strike on their latest edition. The company’s concerns and their frustrations over the position the union has put them in by going on strike is understandable, however, it is somewhat unfair of them to say that the working conditions of flight attendants are simply a reality and hazard of their job.

This is something that can be rectified through diplomacy and discussion between the union and Air Canada. Although the conditions under question, (shifts made with little warning, overnight trips, lack of delay deductions, etc), are not ones that occur with any set frequency or regularity, it is still a cause of concern for the union because flight attendants are having to work very hard with little reward during those times.

From a business point of view, Air Canada should show a little more willingness to cooperate. It conveys a different image to the public (their customers), and certainly sets them apart from other airlines in similar situation. Hopefully, they will be able to retain a positive image amongst their regular flyers.

Air Canada points out `facts of life’ to flight attendants