Monthly Archives: November 2013

According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, smoking contributes to more than 37,000 deaths a year in Canada.  Furthermore, second hand smoke causes at least 800 deaths annually in Canadian non-smokers, as it causes lung cancer and heart disease.  Smoking is serious health concern, and the fact that it continues to cause this many deaths shows that we as a nation need to make an even greater change. Since smoking is highly addictive, it is very challenging to try to get a person to stop smoking. It is crucial to educate as many citizens as possible about the horrors and life changing effects smoking can have on a person, but it is also important to help those who are needing support and want to make a change. E-Cigarettes are electronic cigarettes that offer nicotine addicts a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. Unfortunately, according to Christian Noel’s blog, E-Cigarettes are unsafe. Even though they help smokers quit smoking, they could potentially become more popular then regular cigarettes and cause similar health risks. Will the overall outcome of this change increase health or continue to decline it? Furthermore, E-Cigarettes could have discovered a hole in the market and, if successful, could make even more profits then cigarettes. This resurfaces a never-ending ethical dilemma when it comes to selling a product associated with cigarettes. Christian Noel stated, “Electronic cigarette manufactures need to address the responsibility they owe their consumers that electronic cigarettes are not a completely safe alternative to tobacco.” I totally agree with this statement and think that if it is established to the customer that it is not completely safe, yet will act as an alternative to tobacco.

http://www.heartandstroke.com/site/c.ikIQLcMWJtE/b.3483991/k.34A8/Statistics.htm#smoking

https://blogs.ubc.ca/christiannoel/

There is always a question of whether profits are more important then staying true to ones brand when it comes to an ethical dilemma within a business.  Coca-Cola is currently struggling with this internal conflict. Their brand is very supportive of gay rights and they are known for supporting human rights, yet since they are also supporters of the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Coca-Cola find themselves struggling to find a middle ground. Shomas Mah, a first year commerce student at the University of British Columbia asks the very prevalent question in his blog post surrounding this issue of, “Does Coca-Cola publicly take a stance against Russian anti-gay laws?” In my opinion, I believe that is it crucial that Coca-Cola takes a stand and stays true to what their company stands for. Their brand clearly includes their ongoing support for human rights and freedom, so it seems hypocritical to me that they would support an event that is being taken place in a country goes against those beliefs, even though if it is a huge global event such as the Olympics. Mah said it best, “If actions don’t coincide with company values, then what is the point of having company values?”

https://blogs.ubc.ca/shomasmah/

Remembrance Day is a day that we remember those who risked their lives for the wellbeing of our country. We remember those brave soldiers who lived or died defending our freedom in battle. Remembrance Day is a day that signifies change and peace and helps us reminisce, as well as educate, on just how horrible war is. So, is it ok for companies to use this solemn day to market their products? Personally I do not believe so. I believe Remembrance Day is about remembering those who suffered excruciating physical and mental pain and is not something to “celebrate” like other holidays. To me, it is comparable to a company trying to take advantage of the fact that someone just lost a loved one; this a horribly and disrespectful way to market a product.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/should-companies-tweet-about-remembrance-day/article15377812/

After learning all about Social Entrepreneurship in class, I was personally inspired. I never imagined that there was such a strong link between the world of business and the aiding of the world. This concept inspired me so much that I decided to look into some local social entrepreneurs from Vancouver, which is when I discovered Craig and Marc Kielburger who are the founders of the company Free the Children. Free the Children is an amazing example of social entrepreneurship because they are an organization that empowers youth to be active local and global citizens. They guide and encourage young people to make a difference in the world and help others in need. Unlike charities, Free the Children is not a non-profit organization.   They use their profits to continue to build their business, which organizes many events and promotes helping those in need. Free the Children also helps the economy by helping society grow. For these reasons and many more, Free the Children is an inspiring organization that makes a difference in our world and is an organization that anyone would be lucky to work for.

For More Information on Free the Children watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G2sqvEisrc

http://www.freethechildren.com/about-us/watch?v=7G2sqvEisrcwatch?v=7G2sqvEisrc

In the wake of the horrible, life changing Typhoon Haiyan, which recently hit the Philippines, rescuers are desperately trying to help those who have lost loved ones and most of their livelihood. It has been confirmed that 942 people have died so far due to the storm and 277 still missing.  Furthermore, the number of fatalities is expected to rise to 10,000.  The storm is one of the deadliest storms in the Philippines history, with winds up to 305 km/h that left only the tallest buildings standing. The Philippines are a rural area, and as a result of this storm, their economy has surely been affected. Fortunately, the economical effects may be limited and contained only to the affected areas. Agriculture is the industry that is the most effected, with major losses of production of two of the Philippines grossing markets rice and sugar. We can already see some effects, including the weakening of the Philippines currency, the peso, by 0.2 percent, as well as the Philippines stock market going down 2.2 percent. Hopefully, with the help of other nations, the Philippines can fully recover from this horrible natural disaster and re grow their economy.  watch?v=8UJW84Fqhgw

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/typhoon-haiyan-will-it-derail-philippines-economy-2D11577218

The famous Canadian airline West Jet has decided to step away from its usual low cost model and expand its trip-offerings overseas.  This is an attempt to compete with their biggest rival Air Canada. But is this a smart financial decision for the company? West Jet has decided to offer a flight between St Johns. This means that West Jet will need to expand the size of their planes to withstand this length of flight, which will increase costs. Yet since these flight are much more expensive, revenue will increase as well. Chris Sorensen, business blogger for MacLean’s states that, “There will likely be more changes to come.”  I concur. If West Jet is successful, they could create a whole new name for themselves and finally compete with the other international airline companies.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/11/15/westjet-bound-for-europe/