Over the past year, BC Hydro has frequently been in the news, and we’ve all heard about the contentious issue of smart meters and the numerous concerns raised by consumers. This heated debate has gone on for over a year now, however with the meters finally being installed, consumers seem to have accepted the new smart meter program. With the wide range and severity of the concerns, it almost seems wrong that BC Hydro would force the meters into consumer’s homes with such lack of explanation and communication. The company, being a monopoly, has high supplier power and in a sense they are able to do whatever they like as a company. But is it right for a company to take advantage of their monopolistic situation and carry out any program that benefits them no matter how dangerous the product could be? This program was bound to be implemented no matter how much customer resistance it faced, however, the company could have dealt with the concerns more professionally and realized the importance of customer satisfaction even it a situation where they own such a chunk of the market share. If BC Hydro had executed a more consumer friendly marketing strategy and openly addressed all smart meter concerns from the beginning, they would have gained the trust and satisfaction of consumers, rather than being stuck with unhappy customers who are forced to use the company’s product. 

Hurricane Sandy, who has recently hit the east coast, is leaving a great deal of destruction in her wake, leading to many problems in the area. But what does this mean for businesses? How does Sandy affect them and what sectors of business are affected? The answer to this is supply chain management, and the personnel in charge of organizing what is transported where and when it is done. When a natural disaster or any other complications arise in this process, there must be strategies in place and measures to be taken in order to reduce detriment to the company. Hurricane seasons and weather conditions must be kept in mind and shipping may have to be scheduled around natural disasters or even planned around seasons in which extreme weather conditions may affect the transport of materials. Insurance of goods can also be in place so that there is little impact on the company. Back up plans such as an alternative supplier can also be helpful in reducing risk of a natural disaster’s effects on the supply chain. With a major hurricane sweeping the east coast, supply chain management of companies worldwide are forced into overdrive, problem solving and assessing the damage to their given companies.

As a young person who is new to the world of customer service and the many service-based companies, I value quality customer service more and more. Lately poor quality customer service has been called to my attention through personal experiences with store clerks and telephone service calls.This poor service led me to think about the impact this low quality has upon me and how it affects my likeliness to return to the store or continue the service. I found that in my own experience, a lack of good customer service causes me to negatively view the company and avoid returning to the company as a consumer. High quality customer service on the other hand, creates a positive perspective of the company, leads me to recommend the company and I return to using the service whenever possible. As consumers and even as humans in general, we like to be treated well and feel important; when you are spoken to positively and your issues are resolved efficiently, you feel good and therefore have had a positive experience with that company. One company I have found to have excellent customer service is Clearly Contacts, they pride themselves in their service quality, and for good reason, as they are one of the best I have encountered. All in all, customer service cannot be overlooked when considering your company’s strategy, as high quality can lead to important benefits to the company and can even go so far as to function as marketing and reputation building for the company.

Despite the recent negative reviews Facebook has received, the company has been doing well in the eyes of consumers and coming up with innovative ideas which are setting them father and farther apart from the competition. The company has come up with a variety of new applications to their social media site and are catering to the needs of consumers by making it easier to connect with their Facebook friends. Mergers with other social media companies in the recent months have boosted Facebook’s popularity and added to the long list of points of difference which sets them apart from anyone else in the industry. Facebook has joined forces with Instagram, an application which allows networkers to share edited photos on social media sites for other users to see. The company has also joined with Skype, a video chat networking company which allows users to connect and chat face to face for no charge. These advancements to Facebook’s social networking site are a step in the right direction and part of a strong and smart marketing strategy.

In a recent class on sustainability, a local company called “Cars 2 Go” was brought up. I had seen the company’s cars both around campus and downtown and was always interested in the company as it embraces an interesting and convenient concept. Later that day I went home and researched the company to learn a bit about what they stand for and how their co-op program works. The company realized the need for convenient and affordable transportation in Vancouver for those who cannot rely on busses or don’t have their own vehicles. They then implemented a

car rental co-op program in which customers are free to pick up and drop off the car anywhere within the “home area” with free parking in most areas and no worry of refueling the vehicle prior to its return. The program addresses everything customers look for in order to provide the quickest, easiest and simplest rental system currently operating in the Vancouver area. This company is also very concerned about the environment and focuses on sustainability as one of their core company values. The issue with sustainability is commonly that the alternatives to harmful every day activities are available but not convenient enough for the consumer. Car 2 go has realized this issue and come up with a program that is convenient and being used often by Vancouver residents as a substitute to other methods of transit which are harmful for the environment. Car 2 Go is a sustainable company looking to reduce Vancouver’s carbon footprint one rental at a time.

Quite a few of our recent classes have focused on social enterprises and the benefit of social good to society. One company has stood out above the rest in my eyes however, and that is the local business, Save-On-Meats. Save-On-Meats has taken social entrepreneurship to a whole new level and is currently helping to clean up Vancouver’s downtown east side one step at a time. Another social enterprise discussed in class was TOM’S shoes company which donates one pair of shoes to people in third world countries with every pair of shoes they sell. These two clashed in my mind and I started to think about what sets the two enterprises apart. While save-on-meats is providing jobs, cheap local food and helping other local business get on their feet, leading to an immense net social benefit to society, TOM’S is merely donating shoes to those in need. While this is also beneficial to society, there is no progress created and the company, in my opinion, is more like a charity, as they are giving hand-outs to those in need. Save-on-meats encourages progress and development in the lives of local citizens and gives them a chance at a new job and ultimately a new life. In my eyes, Save-On-Meats is a great example of a social enterprise however, I don’t think TOM’S embraces the same level of social entrepreneurship.

The long awaited release of the latest iphone has proved to be a disappointment to many apple consumers and critics alike. This seems to be a recurring theme with each apple product release, the excitement of the hottest technology continually overrides the value of the product in consumer’s minds. Although this iphone has unsatisfied many customers, iphone sales are still thorough the roof and sales have yet to be impacted. The truth is that the iphone 5 could have been no different from previous models and consumers would still be lined up to get the newest iphone. Marketing at apple is so good that consumers have been brainwashed into buying the product. Apple has done a great job of marketing the very few new features it has added and is pulling off something very few companies would be able to do. Samsung has even tapped into this phenomenon and made commercials about the mindless people who line up for days to get their hands on the latest technology. The bottom line is that what apple is doing is working, even I lined up for the iphone 5 this past September.

An important and fundamental question has recently been raised concerning the potential Nexen Natural Gas company buy out and foreign investment in general. The question Canadians are asking is where do we draw the line? To what extent do we allow foreign investment to control the natural wealth of our country? With the Chinese company, CNOOC, looking into buying out Nexen, the government must bring into question these topics and make a decision about the fate of the company. Although the proposed deal is attractive today, the whole idea of selling off companies dealing with Canadian natural resources is rather short-sighted. If the proposed deal went through, current stockholders would see a 60% increase in value upfront and the company would be bought out for $15.1 billion, while that sounds great on paper, there are many aspects of the situation that need to be considered. Our natural resources are the guaranteed wealth and future of our country, the future must be weighed carefully and important decisions must be made about the policy Canada will uphold in the given circumstances. I believe that Canada’s natural resources aren’t something that can be sold off to other countries; if they need natural gas they can get in line and buy it from us like everyone else.

In the news recently we have seen a great deal about the proposal and protesting of the Keystone pipeline which would transport crude oil from Alberta all the way down to the gulf coast. On one hand it is argued that the pipeline will be beneficial to both the US and Canadian economies and create much needed jobs on both sides of the border, meanwhile many others refute that the pipeline is dangerous for the environment and will not create enough permanent jobs for the project to be worthwhile. I think that this is a major opportunity for Canada which will not only create jobs and benefit the economy immensely, but also fortify US-Canada relations and allow them to rely on us rather than the middle-east for their energy needs. At a time when so much focus is placed on the environment and protesters are able to blindly jump in the way of every government initiative, I hope we don’t lose sight of the importance of all the benefits Canada receives from such a major project and the opportunities it presents at such a key time for international affairs.

ARTICLE:http://www.globalnews.ca/pros+and+cons+of+the+keystone+xl+pipeline+project/6442489765/story.html

When many of us think about the NHL we think about the entertainment and sports side of it, rather than thinking of the NHL as a business. The recent contract negotiations are all happening because the NHL is in fact a business with their central priority being profit. Players and owners have been facing off the past couple months and are currently in the midst of some major disagreements. Right now, the main issue is the division of hockey related revenues (HRR) fairly between owners and players. These revenues consist of ticket sales, alcohol sales, and all other food and snack sales at the rink. Some argue that the players are the ones supplying the entertainment and therefore are entitled to a significant share of the HRR. Meanwhile, others argue that the owners are the ones putting out massive allotments of money each year to keep teams running smoothly and therefore they also deserve a large share. The current talks revolve around the players taking a cut in their share of HRR to allow for a larger share in the owners favour. There is also talk of certain items being taken off the list of HRR and 100% of those items’ revenue would then go directly to the team owners. These negotiations have been carrying on for some time now and will continue through the next few days, however the central question is how do we decide who is entitled to a higher percentage of the pie that is HRR? This question raises interest about the ethics of the NHL as a major corporation and how ethics fit into these negotiations. Is the NHL as a whole being conducted ethically or are the alterior motives and concern for self-betterment getting in the way?

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/09/11/sp-nhl-labour-lockout-video.html