Month: November 2012

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Big Box Retailers Taken to Court by Quebec

BestBuy, Costco and Walmart operate under the same name from Canada to China; however, Quebec’s language watchdog have taken these big box retailers to court for not providing french labels and french versions of its brand names. These companies have built up brand recognition for years, and to force these companies to change its name, is equivalent to changing the face of the company.

Brands such as these do not need a brief description or a translated label. Countries in like India and China have not forced these companies to change labels even though English is not an official language. All of these products come from the same factory, and for a large company to change the labeling would not only create a hassle, but it would create extra costs to produce the product. The English-French labels costs the Canadian several billion dollars each year.

These extra costs are passed onto consumers, and then consumers wonder why the same products in America are cheaper than in Canada. Economies of scale of another factors come into play, but costs of a change to the label are passed onto consumers. If the government wants these changes, should they not pay for it?

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University Students Advise Struggling B.C. Town

Small towns across B.C. have struggled to maintain population and economic stability. Many of these towns heavily rely on the forestry industry that has struggled to maintain capacity, particularly during the American housing recession. Five students from Sauder are currently working on a marketing strategy for Port Alberni, a small town on the west cost of Vancouver Island.

These students have gathered input from businesses, and people from the town, and have worked on developing a plan over a semester long marketing class. This is a great opportunity for these students to work on a real life case study, interact with real businesses, and ultimately try to fulfill the goal of the city to increase the population.

Located on Highway 4, Port Alberni is the last town before Uclulet and Tofino. The city has tried to benefit from tourists travelling through the town on the way to Long Beach. The students have also taken on the challenge to attract these travelling tourists, to stop in Port Alberni and contribute to the economy. This case study outlines just one of several B.C. towns that have struggled with the economic downturn that has affected the entire world.

 

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Alternative Investments in an Uncertain Market

Investors for decades have said, gold is the investment safe haven. During the 2007 recession, most investment advisers told clients “cash is king.” Even while the markets try to recover, fiscal cliff and other economic worries have dragged down the market, not even exempting technology powerhouse Apple Inc. that has fallen more than 20% from the September peak.

From these uncertain times in the market, investors have taken to alternative forms of investments such as art, real estate, and alcohol. Recently in B.C.’s flagship liquor store located on Cambie street in Vancouver, wine lovers and connoisseurs alike flocked to the store for a chance to purchase a 2009 Bordeaux. It is speculated that this year could be the greatest vintage ever. This is a perfect example of the chances alternative investors are taking. A bottle of 2009 Bordeaux will set you back anywhere from $29 to $4,000!

As well, one of 88 bottles of a rare scotch priced at $33,500 is currently exclusively available at the Cambie store. A large percentage of alternative investors are Chinese that are not only investing in fine wines and whiskeys, but have driven the Vancouver real estate market for years. In a risky market, these investments may be the new safe haven.

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17 Year Old Super Genius Raises 250 Million

At 15 Nick D’Alosio created a the company now known as Summly. Nick found a gap in online media, that forces customers to purchase articles based on the first few sentences of an article. Through a logarithm, the Summly app is able to intelligently summarize an entire article, highlighting all of the main points and issues, all fit to the size of a consumer’s device.

Now 17, Nick has raised 250 million in financing from billionaires such as Li Ka Shing and celebrities like Ashton Kutcher. As an entrepreneur, Nick has dedicated all of his time to this revolutionary technology. He has left school, and works full time with the company and its investors.

With the technology sector growing so fast, there are ample opportunities for young entrepreneurs like Nick to make a difference. Entrepreneurs that are as young as Nick are more in touch with the market and they are able to utilize developing technologies to create a new need. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg a young Harvard student was able to create Facebook from an idea that developed after a night of drinking with friends. These Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are the future. The future of technology, and again the future of the market.

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Trudeau Round 2

When Justin Trudeau announced his campaign for Canadian Liberal Party leader, many old enough to remember, reminisced upon Trudeaumania that swept across this nation in 1968. Although Pierre Trudeau ran such an influential campaign and remains in the hearts’ of many Canadians, Justin has tried to separate himself from his father’s history and actions.

Few are able to meet influential celebrities and politicians from across the world. Justin was able to grow up among these high stature individuals and now has the opportunity to use these experiences to lead an ailing party. It has arguably been 44 years since an even like Trudeaumania has affected Canada, and during a time in which the consumer confidence is low and the economy continues to recover, Canada could greatly benefit from a revitalizing young man.

Justin stated in a Huffington Post article, “our challenge, simply put, is to restore the simple promise to Canadian society.” Justin may be the perfect candidate for Prime Minister, even though he is premature compared to other candidates. Canadian politics needs a new face. During the recent American election, many voters stated they were voting for the least bad candidate. We don’t want this to happen in Canada. Vote Trudeau!

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It’s All About the Money

 

The financial crisis that started in late 2007 started the fall of many economies across the world. Positions were liquidated, mortgages were left unpaid, and jobs were lost. Not only has the downturn affected individuals, it has hurt new, developing companies from receiving financing.

Wade Larson, Co-Founder and Executive Vice-President of UrtheCast came into our lecture to talk about the company’s revolutionary imaging system connection images from space to information on the internet. Wade outlined the UrtheCast’s difficulties of trying to put together a final round of financing. To me it seemed difficult to understand how a company, with innovative imaging technology and access to real estate on the space station, is struggling to fulfill capital requirements.

In a Bloomberg Businessweek article, angel investors reported a 54% decline in investments during this period, stating economic conditions, taxes and regulations that created unfavorable environments for investors. During the US election, the role small businesses play in the economy was continuously focused, on however, the investors themselves are saying there is no incentive to help these companies! Canada and the U.S.A. will need to quickly change regulations and  realize the small businesses are the key to increasing private sectors jobs, and eventually reviving the economy.

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