I found myself agreeing with the entirety of Victoria George‘s blog post regarding the need for change when companies include slavery in their supply chain. Evidently, I feel strongly about the need for unforgiving enforcement of moral and ethical conduct in a company, as I have blogged about the topic in the past. I understand that a company’s priority is to maximize profit, and that an efficient way of achieving this is to cut costs, however, I cannot imagine a company justifying the use of such horrific means, such as slavery, as part of their production chain.

Being Chinese, it extremely offends me when companies take advantage of predominantly underdeveloped countries and their cheap labour structures as a way to cut costs. Companies also unwilling to admit their wrongful actions, or avoid providing proper explanations for their actions, only further exacerbates unjust behaviour by using this means of production. This can also potentially damage a company’s image, as it could bring guilt when consumers are considering purchasing their products.

Companies of American culture have no excuse to resort to these means of production. In our history, we have fought decade-long battles to abolish slavery. For a company to ignore ethical standards of such high value to better their net profit puts a huge question regarding their moral code. Using slavery is completely unacceptable and ethically unjust.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/partners/thomsonreuterscapitalize/human-slavery-and-business/article21143153/ 

UBC Commerce graduate, Tom Dobrzanski, is currently putting the finishing touches on his recent project, Monarch Studios. Mr. Dobrzanski, at the young age of 31, is on the path towards a successful career as he now enters the cut-throat music industry. He is at the envy of all business students, as he was able to combine his extensive education in business with his true passion of working with music – and he’s good at it. Working with indie bands such as Said The Whale and Hey Ocean! caught my attention personally, as they are some of my favourite bands. Working with well-known artists immensely boosts his credibility and his network, as he is now in a position to grow and expand his clientele. This article also included an interview with Tom himself, which only further convinced me that he is truly passionate about his career.

This article influenced me greatly because it reminded me of the versatility that a Bachelor in Commerce degree has to offer. The fundamentals that we learn in class provide us with a strong tool-kit to further explore endless career possibilities that we are truly passionate about.

http://www.macleans.ca/work/jobs/tom-dobrzanski-30-owns-recording-studios/

Abi Smithson founded Love Sandal, a philanthropic footwear company, at the age of 10. This Toronto native funded her company through Indigogo, and recently celebrated Small Business Month over October. Abi seems to be primarily motivated by curiosity, as she explained her experience with  learning HTML coding as “fun” and an opportunity to “learn a new language”. Abi’s personality, at such a young age, embodies many of the traits listed by Ron Conway to be possessed by a natural born entrepreneur. She had the curiosity, intelligence, and ambition to act upon to create a product that she felt that the shoe market needed. This is particular case contributes to the debate of whether entrepreneurs develop and grow to become who they are, or are simply genetically born with certain traits common among entrepreneurs.

Because Abi is merely 10 years old, it is easy to say that she was simply born to be an entrepreneur. However, I believe that the most successful innovators are those who grow to posses these certain personality characteristics. It is not enough to have an idea if one is not prepared for the adversity of presenting their idea to the wrath of the business world.

http://www.techvibes.com/blog/abi-smithson-2014-10-23  

Nowadays, the success of a product or service is heavily dependent on more than just quality. The way that a product/service reaches their consumers makes a huge impact regarding how it is perceived as a whole. This is why most companies focus on the implementation of superior customer service to better create a positive image, which helps push marketing in general.

This article praises Starbucks for the company’s ability to provide fast service while taking the time to “linger” to ensure a genuine face-to-face interaction. It also explains what the typical consumer looks for when walking into an Apple Store, which includes an efficient purchase with time spent for “meaningful customer service”. I believe that the memory a merely friendly experience with a retailer, food chain, etc, leaves a longer lasting impression than the majority of corporate marketing strategies currently present in society. Developing a strong sense of care for customer service within a company is a simple way to generate a positive image that will greatly prove beneficial in the long run; consumer turnover rates are less likely to occur, as will the wrath of negative word of mouth being spread. Having the importance of strong customer service embedded into the minds of associates will foster a friendly environment for consumers which will indefinitely benefit a corporation.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/11/01/speed-up-your-customer-service-like-starbucks-and-apple-but-never-ever-rush-it/