Monthly Archives: November 2013

In my Sauder classmate Bianca Pinasco’s blog post she discusses how corporate culture can influence the success of a corporation. She discusses the success of Google and attrubutes it to the fact that Google recognizes how job satisfaction leads to creativity and because of this the company puts effort into assuring satisfaction by providing free services such as catering, laundry, gyms, etc.

I agree with Bianca’s opinion as I also believe that satisfied employees will be more productive and better retained. Not only will more motivated employee’s benefit the output of Google but it will also benefit the consumer satisfaction of the company. There is no doubt that satisfied and motivated employees reflect on customer satisfaction. That is why I agree with Bianca opinion that employee satisfaction is crucial for success because companies that invest in their employee’s have better engagement, loyalty, and productivity.

Bianca’s Blog Post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/biancapinasco/2013/11/09/the-best-workplace-in-the-world/

COMM101 Topic: Corporate Culture, Human Resources

Maybe beer is not that bad after all with recent statistics stating that the beer economy supports 1 out of 100 Canadian jobs. Tax generated by beer creates 6 billion dollars in tax revenue representing 1% of Canada’s GDP. However the beer industry has been experiencing decline, as its substitutes tend to get more interest from the new youth population.

Currently alcoholic beverages such as vodka and wine have become a more popular alternative to beer due to health concerns. Health conscious people try to avoid beer as it is high in calories however, John W. Sleeman, the owner of Sleeman Breweries Ltd. has stated that there are available products such as light and low calorie beers in the market to address this issue and beer companies should do a better job in marketing these products to these specific customer segments. John W. Sleeman stated that with increasing number of small breweries the industry has started to become more competitive and innovative.

It is mentioned in the video that ultimately to be successful in the beer industry companies need to innovate and further improve marketing to capture back the interest of the youth consumers.

COMM101 Topic: Marketing and Customer Segments

I will be commenting on a blog that mentions the long-term benefits of the Responsible Resource Development project, The Canadian government is investing millions of dollars in the pipeline and marine industries.

It is evident that the government is aiming to increase job satisfaction and conditions while also decreasing unemployment as the government is “strengthening pipeline and marine safety, supporting consultations with aboriginal peoples” in addition the government is planning to “create jobs, growth and long-term prosperity”

The investments of the Canadian government will grow the economy as spending on capital and labour conditions increase in these industries.

The project is very costly and the government is spending billions of dollars, this may cause a deficit in the budget furthermore the non-existing short-term benefits of this project makes it even more unattractive. Building the infrastructure for this project may take months and it won’t be until a couple years the project will bring returns on the investments.

Although the project will bring great benefits to the economy the project will be highly costly. I agree with the blog that the project is a great investment for the future, but the lack of short-term returns on investment makes this project unattractive. As mentioned in class the return on investment is something to consider before spending large sums of money in projects.

blog can be viewed at: http://www.naturalresource.ca/blog/?p=839

COMM101 Topic: Strategy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9oHlk-LZc0

The wealthy young men in the gulf have been buying ‘pet cheetahs’ illegally.  It has come to a state that big cats are seen as hottest status symbol. Several young men have been posting videos and pictures on Instagram showcasing their new exotic pets. Although there are clear regulations stating that the import and export of exotic animals are illegal the government seems to be ignoring these transactions.

Usually the ill-informed buyers of these big cats lead to various problems as the owner not knowing how to care or handle the growth of these cats ultimately resulting in negligence or abandonment.

The most popular of the big cats, the cheetah has experienced an unfortunate 90% drop in population over the last century. There are extremely wrong ethical decisions being made in the gulf. The sole purpose of the purchases of these endangered animals are solely to show-off. The trade of these animals are harming wild life populations.

It is the consumers and the government’s responsibility to ensure these unethical decisions do not cause harm to already endangered cats. As discussed in class ethics are a set of morals that distinguish what is right from wrong and I believe the Arab States need to re-evaluate their ethics on wildlife trade.

COMM101 Topic: Ethics

In my Sauder classmate Brandon Kothe’s blog he discusses the launch of Amazon.com’s online grocery store in Canada. Offering up to 15,000 different products with competitive pricing Amazon.com may just gain an edge over its major competitors Walmart and Loblaw’s.

Brandon predicts that Amazon’s transition to the online grocery system will prove to be a success and mentions that it is going to be interesting to observe what kind of impact this transition brings to the market. Although Amazon offers great prices with the convenience of bringing the grocery store to your bedroom, I am concerned whether that will that be enough make people do their groceries online. In my opinion, Amazon has taken an interesting step into a billion dollar market. Although competition is high with the right steps I believe Amazon can change the industry forever. Agreeing with Brandon we believe that Amazon with extensive experience and resources in online retailing the company will have no issue competing against other online platforms however, the concern is how the company will compete with the ridiculously low prices of Walmart.

We both believe that this transition’s effect on the Canadian grocery store market is something worthy of observing in the following months.

Brandon’s Blog Post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/brandonkothe/2013/10/31/first-walmart-now-amazon-looking-at-buying-groceries-online-in-canada/

COMM101 Topic: Competition, Strategy, Customer segments

Myanmar is an undeveloped country and the characteristics of its economy are Low GDP per capita, low Income, poverty, and low investment. After centuries of military rule and oppression the autocratic and isolated country has finally elected a democratic leader. Myanmar is opening up its door and is expecting to trade with the European countries. New projects for growth and development are already in progress.  “In February 2012, Commissioner Piebalgs visited Myanmar and announced a package of €150 million for the country’s democratic reform and inclusive development initiatives” The EU has initiated foreign investment to grow this poor country’s economy. As trade with foreign counties rise there will be increased amounts of exports and imports.

As Myanmar opens its doors to other global markets and starts exporting and importing with the EU this will benefit all trade partners. The opened doors will allow these countries to trade more and more resulting in a chain reaction that will eventually allow Burma and the European nations to broaden their trade with other countries as well by the means of increased trade agreements.

Ultimately, I believe Myanmar is taking the right step by abolishing military rule and opening its doors to the foreign market. This decision will benefit the country; days of prosperity and opportunity are to come.

COMM101 Topic: Business Development and Economics