Monaco is a tiny city state located in Europe. A famous name in Monaco is Pastor — the Pastor family has been residing in Monaco for over a century, and has helped develop a significant amount of the country.

Gildo Pastor has always had an interest in cars therefore buying the car company Venturi in 2001. Pastor decided to focus on creating electric-powered sports vehicles, which came as a surprise to many people. Back in the early 2000’s no one would have thought that this combination could work.

The company Venturi sells a very limited amount of cars. I don’t understand why Pastor bought the company, as in the time when he purchased the company, it was not in a good state. He bought it so that he could improve its state, however I do not think that it was worth his time and money because to this day, Venturi still only produces their cars in the hundreds or less range. It is important to note that Monaco is almost so small that you would not need a car. The brand is also very exclusive to Monaco, and has not branched out globally despite interest from other countries such as America.

Article Source: http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/16/electrifying-ideas-to-give-monaco-a-new-spark/

Article Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/28/venturi-america-video-paris-2012/

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venturi_Automobiles

How important is the act of consuming alcohol and engaging in social activities with current or potential coworkers/bosses for career purposes? For ad sales representative of Forbes magazine, Terry Lavin, it was very important.

At one point in his career, he depended on partaking in social gatherings that involved drinking with coworkers to further his career. This helped his relationship with coworkers, making him likable at work and securing his job.

Many men in business feel the need to be avid drinkers to succeed and maintain their positions at work. Studies by social scientists support “the idea that nondrinkers have a harder time climbing the corporate ladder”.

I think there needs to be a level of professionalism kept at workplace gatherings outside of work. However, I see no harm in having some fun with coworkers and bosses, after all, they are people that we constantly spend time with. Might as well lighten the atmosphere, be comfortable, and have fun together.

Cheers!

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/01/feeling-the-pressure-to-drink-for-work/

In many car manufacturing companies, the employees are required to work overnight shifts to satisfy the demand of their consumers. This was the case in Asian countries, as they work hard to compete with American and European car manufacturers. However, South Korean companies, such as Kia and Hyundai, are now looking to end overnight shifts, something that their employees have wanted for a while now.

Kia

Although some people may think it’s unwise for companies like Kia and Hyundai to cut overnight shifts, as this may put a delay on production, but this is something that their employees have been requesting for some time. In class, I have learned that it important to satisfy not only your customers, but also your employees. Employee satisfaction leads to better and healthier work environments, therefore the happy employees will do their job better.

Response to Alex Chua’s post on Apple and their new iPhone 5

Alex stated that in the iPhone 5’s release, there have been many issues and controversies going on, such as claims that the iPhone 5 has brand new phones found with damages out of the box. Also, employees claim that they do not have the proper training and working conditions to produce good quality products, which in this case is the iPhone 5.

In response to this, from another article, Foxconn has denied rumours of any strikes that may have taken place at the factories, and also denied the rumours of the employees having rights such as vacation taken away from them. As for the reported damages, the demand for the iPhone 5 is continuing to grow.

Because Foxconn is known to be secretive about their company’s actions, it is up to consumers to decide whether they would like to support the company by purchasing the iPhone 5. However, the authenticity of their company’s business practise does not affect their profits due to the popularity of the iPhone 5, therefore it may not be an issue to Foxconn at all.

Source: http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/06/foxconn-denies-strike-at-iphone-5-factory-says-handset-production-on-schedule

Check it outtttt, you know time it is? MIDTERMS BROTHAS

Its yo girl C-KAY here to help you out in your time of need. I know y’all be thinkin’ “Oh shiet, we so screwed for midterms”