RE: Canadians drinking less beer, turning to imported wine: report : Financial Post

When one asks about which type of alcohol that Canadians drink the most, beer is no doubt the answer. However, according to the financial post, consumption of beer has dropped for the last ten years and will continue to drop. Canadians are beginning to change their preference for alcohol and has moved to purchasing wine, most specifically, imported wine.Beer sales in Canada in 2011 is at 45%. Although it is a dominant figure, it has dropped considerably since 52% in 2000. (financial post).

Reported increases in sales of “vodka (five per cent), rum (4.1%) and whisky (2.7%)” lead to an overall increase in spirits purchased in Canada. This ultimately resulting in a decrease in purchases of beer.

Overall, I cannot deny the argument presented by the Financial Post’s article. Especially from a Chinese-canadian with traditional Canadian parents, as the end of the year approaches, it results in more and more family gatherings. This means that my parents will have to make a visit to the liquor store to supply beverages for my visiting relatives. I do notice the overall increase in red and white wines in the shelves versus the beers cooling in the fridge like previous years.

When one thinks of gambling in Asia, there is no place better than Macau! Macau is already overtaken Las Vegas as the world’s largest casino market with the never ending supply of wealthy Chinese businessmen traveling to the south coast of the country to test their luck. But Macau has just announced its second lowest revenue of 23.87 billion patacas. Although the number is still an enormous sum, there is not denying that the reason behind Macau’s revenue dropping is traced back to the economy of China. If the businessmen are not making as much money, it will result in less of them arriving to Macau; hence decrease in revenue.

One major reason for this the unsteady political situation China is currently in. The conflict between choosing a new leader has created tensions and without a doubt has affected the countries economy. If the economy continues to slow down, China will inevitably affect other countries such as the United States and Canada. And if it affects our neighbors to the south, Canada, who greatly depends on the United States will also be in danger.

Work cited:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/04/uk-macau-revenues-idUSLNE89300S20121004

http://www.sinohotel.com/english/hotels/macau/index.html

Advertisements are everywhere. New York City, the cultural centre of North America, is a prime example of this. For years in movies, I’ve seen huge posters and lights on walls of towers, and blaring posters advertising everything from food to politicians. It gets difficult to break through the clutter, and companies are constantly trying to outdo one another in every ad they produce.

But this is not always successful. A marketer’s imperative is to identify the target market of their good or service, and this is often easier said than done. Companies take a good long look at their consumers, aggregate huge compilations of data, and try their best to make memorable (often strange) ads that give off the image they want.

It will be interesting to see what brand recognition, brand loyalty, and the usefulness of advertisement will mean for companies in this generation; the generation of internet, TV, and unlimited distraction. Marketers will have to innovate and adhere to even higher standards to keep the diminishing attention spans of the next generation of consumers, of which we make up a good part.

Work Cited

http://adventspot.wordpress.com/tag/starbucks/

http://alexkerr18.blogspot.ca/2010/11/awesome-bus-ads.html

When it comes to businesses and ethics, the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. on September 15, 2008, must be at the top of the list. The Lehman Brothers is a classic example, as they call it, of violations of ethics resulting in failure, bankruptcy. This lucrative firm, which was once one of the largest investment banks in the U.S, used false accounting practices to create a stronger financial position. To the public, it appeared that the Lehman Brothers were very profitable despite the recession at the time.

How did they do it? The answer is Repo 105! By creating a false business and making what really were loans into revenue, the financial statements for Lehman Brother were displaying what seemed to be a healthy business as the fiscal periods rolled and financial statements had to be issued.

As R. Edward Freeman said, “Stakeholder theory says, if you just focus on financiers, you miss what makes capitalism tick.” Clearly, former Lehman Brother CEO, Richard Fuld, did not understand.

Work cited

http://theweekinethics.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/lehman-brothers%E2%80%99-perfect-storm-where-ethical-lapses-met-bad-judgment/

http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/4-ethical-lessons-of-lehman-brothers-collapse-from-bankruptcy-examiner/#.UFF6xaPg-Xk

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