Cecile Ouillet's Blog

Social enterprise and programs like the Arc are essential in improving society. Social entrepreneurship, accomplishes the impossible; it creates profitable businesses while supporting global issues. This win-win situation is perhaps one of the most economic and stable techniques that help people around the world. The Arc also helps to solve issues but has an approach that differs from general donation. The Arc, educates people in impoverished countries marketing, finance, operations and other skills that allow them to create a profitable business. These skills are more valuable than donations as they give people a lasting method to support themselves and their family.

The United Nation is a huge global organization that assists numerous different issues. However, even if it was fully funded social enterprise and the Arc are still greatly needed. A fully funded United Nations would be able to expand and create more programs helping additional issues in additional areas of society, yet the UN would still be unable to reach every issue. The truth is that there are much too many problems for one sole organization to solve; there must be support form the global community. Social enterprises and programs like the Arc allow businesses to become involved in these problems in a variety of ways. These enterprises and programs often create innovative, long lasting solutions that may not occur in such a large and widespread organization like the UN. Even if the UN was fully funded programs like the Arc and social enterprise are essential to improve society.

Last week I learnt about open-plan; a system where all employee, including CEOs, work at cubicles together in an open space. Upon learning about this system I came across an article discussing open-plan offices appearing in an unlikely industry, book publishing. Publishing companies are beginning to make the switch in order to minimize costs. The companies immediately recognized that the model’s advantages still apply to the publishing industry; it creates positive energy, decreases resentment among co-workers, and increases productivity. Others, however, argue that the model does not have the privacy and quiet required for publishers and editors.

I believe that open-plan is extremely beneficial in any company as it encourages innovation and communication amongst employees. The system also allows CEO’s to create personal relationships with employees and, thus, become more approachable. With this model employees are more freely able to express concerns that can also be addressed faster. I do, however, understand that book publishing companies require quiet and privacy, as well as space to display their work in order to impress future clients. Hatchette Book Group has solved both of these concerns in an effective manner. They have created quiet spaces that can be used for private phone calls or for silent work, as well as special conference rooms where editors can display their books for meetings with agents and authors. This innovative system has created positive working environments and eliminated the isolation of management. I believe that the open-plan model has more advantages than disadvantages, therefore should be used in every office, regardless of the industry.

Upon reading both Shannon Bell and Charmaine Ho’s blog I learnt that McDonald’s was struggling to compete with arising competition. In Shannon and Charmaine’s blog they discussed the advantages of altering the company’s menu to offer healthier options. After doing some research, I came across an article that discussed other choices that McDonald’s has to improve their revenue and profits. McDonald’s could simplify their menu, which would decrease prep time and thus increase their margins. Along with cutting costs, McDonald’s could expand its customized ordering options and include geographically specific items. Customers are drawn to the ability to customize orders, especially with McDonalds’ new quick and efficient ordering tablets. The regionally based menu items would also help increase margins and may motivate customers to try different locations. Furthermore, both these changes would help the company create points of difference that would increase customer’s incentive to buy their products.

Ultimately, I believe that these suggestions will be more successful than changing the company to become healthier. With numerous campaigns and documentaries that demonstrate how unhealthy the food currently is, the company’s image “in the gutter.” It is very difficult to change the customer’s perception of a company, therefore even if McDonald’s were to adjust its menu, they would most like still not be chosen as a healthy option. McDonald’s has been successful as a fast food chain. The company should continue doing what it is good at and find innovative methods to further increase margins and customer incentive.

In Adina Alita’s blog about Netflix she addressed several issues facing Netflix. She addresses the barriers of becoming a worldwide company while also providing customers with new content. While these are legitimate difficulties, upon reading another Forbes article, I concluded that the company has even more issues that are limiting their growth. These issues are that other companies are now providing similar services at a lower price and Netflix may have already reached their entire domestic market.

CBS, HBO, and Amazon are only some of the companies that are competing with Netflix, not to mention illegal online streaming. Many of these companies are providing original content, as well as sport matches. With this new competition Netflix will have decide between cost leadership or differentiation strategy. Differentiation could include creating more original movies or series, however I believe that this could be unnecessarily risky. Furthermore there are 37 million Netflix accounts (roughly 1/3 of American households). This shows that there is not much opportunity for growth within the U.S., as they have already captured a large portion of the market. Netflix is also having less success than expected in European countries. The companies entrance into the European market was a long-term tactic and therefore very costly.

I believe that Netflix’s would be most successful if it focused on differentiating itself from other companies. Netflix has continuously shown to be innovative. The company first started with the original concept of mailing movies and then shifting to online and streaming, therefore Netflix simply must find the next step in being the leading company in its industry.

Frances’ third largest grocery store, Intermarché has created a campaign called “les fruits et légume moches” or “inglorious fruits and vegetables.” It all started when the European Union decided to make 2014 the year against food waste. The company took this goal into their own hands with the campaign to eliminate the mass amount of fruit and vegetables that are thrown away each day simply because they are oddly sized or misshapen. Intermarché creative campaign benefits both the consumer and the suppliers. Consumers are able to buy fruit and vegetables at lower prices, while suppliers gain profits off of produce that are usually never reach stores.

Intermarché’s initiative on this environmental issue has shown social responsibility and has created shared value. Their global campaign educates consumers who are unaware of the problem and encourages them purchase the fruits and vegetables regardless of their appearance. Furthermore, by positioning themselves as a sustainable and innovative company they have gained a 25% increase in sales. Other grocery stores have seen the company’s success, and have launched similar campaigns of their own, hoping to share the success. Intermarché has shown that shared value is possible and should convince other companies that being socially responsible while simultaneously having economic progress is a goal that every company should focus on achieving.

In James Heskett’s blog post he asks a very interesting question: “Can too much focus can be damaging?” Focus is essential in any business as it creates clarity and specific goals for development. For example, by having a focused target market, companies can discover the most effective way to attract specific customers segments. Furthermore, by focusing on lowering costs, companies can generate more profit. Though these are essential in contributing to a business’ success, Haskett addresses a valid point that excessive focusing can impede one’s ability to notice.

Haskett uses several common examples to prove his point; doctors become unsuccessful when focusing on a diagnosis rather than the problem, the idea of trying to find keys in the dark rather than looking for better lighting, and lastly he listed several social experiments which emphasized his point. These persuading examples show that focusing can prevent people from looking at the broader picture and to think logically. Often companies fail to consider or recognize how what is outside their industry is impacting their business. Companies, thus, try and solve problems with out analyzing important factors that are causing the issue.

Upon reading James Heskett’s blog, I have come to the conclusion that while it is essential that business focus on particular goals and ideas in order to advance in a business, companies must also be aware of outside factors that are continuously influencing and altering their business. In my opinion Cedric Roossel best explained it when he said, “To put it simply, you don’t want to be focused during a strategy definition phase but you have to be focused in its execution.”

This article discusses the Tsilhqot’in people’s efforts in eliminating Taseko’s mining project. Taseko’s site is just outside the 1750 square-kilometers that the Tsilhqot’in people are titled to, yet the Tsilhqot’in people are trying to transform the site into a tribal park boundary. This would forbid the company from any mining or logging and permit only small-scale projects that would benefit native employment.

The Tsilhqot’in have just been titled to a huge area of land and therefore they should not be entitled to this land just because they disagree. The fact that the tribe has gone forward in claiming this land before any government approval is unjust and unfair to Taseko’s $1.1 billion project. The First Nations’ method in preventing the project may be exploiting their rights, however, they may have good reason to. Taseko’s project’s first plan was so harmful to the environment that it was refuted. Their second plan still showed the project would be substantially damaging to the surrounding wildlife.

Though I believe that the Tsilhqot’in wrongly claimed the land as a tribal park, I believe that they did so for good reason. They may have acted irrationally in fear of being ignored, as it happened often in history. The government should highly consider the environmental impact and economic benefit of the project before approving it and upsetting the First Nation’s community.

This article discusses the recession and how it still effects the 8.7 million people who lost their jobs. As the market is slowly recovering, the jobs available have altered. Instead of the long-term, beneficial, financially stable, full-time jobs, only part-time positions are now available.

The recession helped reconstruct companies and lower employment costs. With the high demand for employment following the huge layoffs, businesses eliminated their full-time positions hired cheaper labour: part-time employees with short hours and a high turnover. With these new employees companies are no longer forced to provide benefits, offer raises, or even pay for lunch breaks. These changes primarily affect those who lost their jobs and are now unable to find full-time positions. They are unable to find wages high enough to support themselves or even their families. Furthermore, companies are neglecting the fact that these changes in employment will also negatively impact them. Part-time, high turnover employees are unmotivated in investing time in the company. They are uninterested in being innovative and solving problems and therefore are not as valuable.

Though hiring part-time workers may be an immediate solution to the recession, it should not be a permanent one. Companies are unaware that workers are important assets. Businesses should see value in hiring well-qualified and driven full-time employees that will contribute to the companies’ success.

This article discusses the unemployment rates among youth. Post-secondary education is now a requirement for most careers, hence more students are attending some sort of post-secondary institution. With the growing number of graduates there simply are not enough job opportunities, and students are being forced to settle for jobs that they are simply qualified for.

This article also states that universities are responsible for the unemployment among youth as they are focused on the education and not students’ future employment. They also claim that universities’ statistics on graduate employment are often misleading. I feel as though universities are actually helping students by providing them with co-ops, internships and support programs that gain them work experience. Students who take advantage of these opportunities are set apart from other graduates who are entering the work force. Though this article did raise a good point that education isn’t simply enough, it also argued that student’s expectations are too high. They stated that finding a “dream job” is simply unrealistic. I believe that this is not the case. People should continue to strive to find a career that they enjoy and are passionate about. Though this may take extra time or work it is the rest of your future and it does affect overall happiness.

Canada housing sales have risen another 1.8% in August. Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver are the cities facing the largest growth. The problem with this increase in price is that it is not matching the growth of wages, nor inflation. In Vancouver, the increase in housing costs has been problematic for years. Locals have been trying to keep up with the rising prices of their homes, leading them to fall into debt. These people are then being forced to move outside of neighborhoods that they have lived in for decades.

Contrary to popular belief, this article proves the housing market boom is not actually affecting all areas of Canada; there are many cities that are instead facing a drop in prices. This makes it challenging for policy makers to regulate both situations. Since prices are going up, mortgage companies should be making harsher regulations to impede citizens to buy homes well out of their price range. However, mortgage companies are hesitant, as it would negatively affect areas, where prices are already decreasing.

Even with the price decrease in some regions, mortgage companies should make harsher policies. Wall Street Journal explained, “The ratio of household credit market debt to personal disposable income rose to 163.60%.” Canadian’s household debt is much higher than they can afford. With harsher regulations in place, it would help Canadians make more intelligent decisions regarding the purchase of homes.