Month: November 2012

One thing I can say I am proud of in Vancouver is the city’s outstanding transit system, TransLink. When compared with other cities that I have been to across North America, Vancouver’s is definitely one of the best. However, many people in the lower mainland, including many businesses believe that the government should provide more funding for the system.

Although the government just recently developed the Canada Line, which directly connects downtown Vancouver with Richmond, people still want more. The business who support this, especially businesses in housing development, have come to appreciate transit as many consumers buy property nowadays based on how easily accessible it is by transit. The expansion in the last couple of years has caused an enormous increase in property sales in the suburban areas of the lower mainland.

The problem is not that the government does not want to increase funding for the system, its that they do not have enough money to do so. From the Olympics, the recent development of the Canada Line, and several other factors, provincial taxes are already inflated. The only proposed solutions people have thought up are to increase property taxes or increase fare charges, solutions the government is against.

My take on this issue is that an increase in funding for TransLink would be beneficial to many people, businesses and the environment. However, due to the governments current financial position, I do not think it is wise to begin putting money into transit at this time. In the future, I do expect that they will consider a large improvement to compensate for BC’s growing population.

Sources:

Translink Skytrain Picture

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/business-groups-push-for-improved-transit-funding/article4552888/#

Recently, an old ski coach of mine, Ryan Prentice, bought into the slowly expanding market of custom built skis.  As part owner of Folsom Custom Skis, based in Denver, Colorado, Ryan works alongside three other members who create fully custom skis based on consumer preferences.  Being a small business, Folsom cannot compete with the number of products other companies like K2 and Rossignol produce.  In fact, compared to the thousands of skis these companies produce, Folsom is only forecasting on producing between 180 and 250 skis this year.  However, as Mike McCabe, another of the part owners, says “For us, it’s about brand recognition and quality.” I personally own a pair of these skis and completely agree with this statement.  The amount of time that is put into each and every ski is unlike any other company and allows Folsom to build a ski that will perform better and last a lot longer.  Adding to this that the skis are custom built for each specific customer puts Folsom in a category of its own.

In Response to Wency Leung’s blog, in the Globe and Mail’s Hot Button Blog, I agree that informal relationships between employers and employees are becoming more and more prominent nowadays. This comes partially from the development of social media sites like Facebook which allow people to be more open about their personal lives. Because of this, a younger generation of workers see nothing inappropriate about adding their employers on Facebook and creating a more personal relationship between the two parties. Where older employees, who never had these sites growing up, believe that these relationships are inappropriate, the new generation of workers is not afraid to casually hang-out with their employers.

Relationships like these are beneficial for both the employer and employee. On the side of the employee, this relationship creates a more enjoyable atmosphere at work which makes intrinsically motivated and satisfied employees. When employees are intrinsically motivated and enjoy their work, they are also more productive. Therefore, it is also beneficial from the point of view of the employer as well.  Despite their benefits, these affiliations can cause misunderstandings in the hierarchal stance of employers over employees in an organization. These misunderstandings can lead to disrespectful behaviour and a decrease in productivity. Due to the close relationship, discipline may also be harder to deliver as neither party wants to hurt the other.

It is my belief, that nowadays it is important for employers to have more than just an office based relationship with their employees. However, these relationships cannot be too extensive as hierarchal levels have to stay in tact and employers have to discipline employees when wrongdoings have occurred.

Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/should-your-boss-be-your-facebook-friend/article5086742/