Canada and the European Union have been working closely in order to create a free trade deal of which eliminates the majority of tariffs, and will make it easier to work abroad. Such agreement is known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). However, Germany has proposed that the deal is flawed, and that they are reluctant to agree to its terms. CETA states that companies are allowed to compete for government work, and that they are able to sue governments. Germany believes that this will give private companies too much power, and will pressure governments to ignore labour laws or the environment. However, the purpose of the agreement is to better the work of the government and of private companies altogether. In my opinion, allowing companies the opportunity to compete for government work is promoting a free market approach, and thus benefiting the economy of Canada and the EU. By approving this free trade agreement, it will provide basis to strengthen relationships between countries, corporations, and governments. It is also said to provide 80,000 new jobs, and increase trade by $37 billion a year. As a strong supporter of free trade, I can not justify the reasoning behind Germany’s reluctance to agree with the terms of CETA.

Sources:

Curry, Bill. “Canada, EU Release Text of Trade Deal; Play Down Germany Objections.” The Globe And Mail. N.p., 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canada-eu-release-text-of-trade-deal-and-play-down-german-objections/article20807015/>.

Roberts, Hal. “Canada, Europe Sign Long Awaited Free Trade Deal.” Toronto Sun. N.p., 26 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://www.torontosun.com/2014/09/26/canada-europe-sign-free-trade-deal>.

Facebook is one of the most well recognizable social media websites in the world. With such pristine status, and with any social media website for that matter, comes the Terms of Use Agreement that all users are abide to agree with in order to have use of the site. Contrary to a previous blog post made scorning Facebook for their ethical decisions on the privacy of its users, I feel that Facebook has not overstepped their authority and violated the privacy of users. As it states in the Data Use Policy, people who use Facebook are giving it the right to any and all information displayed and actions done on that user’s Facebook page. In my opinion, if someone is wanting to take advantage of the Facebook world, then you are agreeing to the fundamental ideas of that social media site. Facebook is social, this means that information is intended to be shared. If one wishes to use the site, then they should abide by the fact that their information is now on the internet. It is up to the users’ discretion as to how they make use of the site. For instance, Facebook makes it clear that there are privacy options, and that you can protect your information and your Facebook page in numerous ways. I find it hypocritical for people to be shocked, and to bash this corporation for their data usage, when in reality those people have made the details of their lives only a click away. If you are not wanting strangers to see your personal information, then I suggest you re-evaluate your use of the internet in its entirety as Facebook is not the only website with a Terms of Use agreement that no one reads.

Sources:

http://blogs.ubc.ca/christiechau/

Facebook. “Data Use Policy.” Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/your-info>.

Loblaw has launched a new marketing scheme to target food-savvy Canadians. Since more and more competition has come into the food industry, Loblaw has decided to reinvent itself. Instead of having Galen Weston travelling to various communities in Canada talking about various products, the company has decided to focus on ads and commercials explaining where the food comes from, how it is made, and where it originated. This was out of the intention to target a food oriented society. It has been a trend now to have organic, and fresh produce. People are now starting to wonder where their food comes from, and how it is being produced. Loblaw realizes this, and is launching a new commercial that explains just so.

In my opinion, I feel this is a great marketing strategy that is innovative and one that will work. Being someone who is concerned about where my food is made, and where it comes from, I can relate to the customer segment Loblaw is targeting. It gives people a piece of mind knowing that their food providers care about the food process. For instance, how Loblaw’s extra virgin olive oil is from South Africa, instead of Italy. Loblaw is trying to target the mainstream foodie culture, and with that they are vowing to remove all artificial colours and flavours from their products. This attracts the new natural and healthy lifestyle which more and more people are leaning towards. I am therefore, optimistic about Loblaw’s new marketing scheme.

Sources:

Nguyen, Mai. “‘Crave More’ Attempts to Make PC a Lifetsyle Brand.” Marketing Magazine. N.p., 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.marketingmag.ca/ advertising/crave-more-attempts-to-make-pc-a-lifestyle-brand-124926>.

Krashinsky, Susan. “Loblaw Targets Food-savvy Canadians.” The Globe And Mail. N.p., 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/loblaw-targets-food-savvy-canadians-in-major-marketing-overhaul/article20647658/>.

Referring to the article given in the additional reading options for Class 3 on working conditions, I agree that companies can act ethically and socially responsible through enforcing codes of conduct regarding working conditions. As improper working conditions in foreign countries have proven to be a large issue with multinational corporations, it provides companies with an opportunity to become more socially responsible, and act with ethical means. The article used Nike as an example of a company that has strived in promoting ethical practises through better working conditions, and Apple as an example of a not so ethical company with regards to working conditions. I would agree that Apple faces challenges when they introduce new products and must meet the high demand, as they must then ask their workers to put in large amounts of over time to get the job done. This conflicts with what is known to be ethical practises as workers are not supposed to work an excessive amount of hours. Now referring back to Nike, which has various stakeholders working together to ensure demand is being met, and code of conducts are also being followed, I feel then in profitable business practises, the two can go together.