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From issues regarding euro-zone antics to reports of recent sport headlines, this Economist blog can be perceived at first glance as nothing out of the ordinary; except, it isn’t like anything I have ever read before. Titled ‘The World in 2012: Cassandra,” the blog focuses on past historic information and formulates predictions for the upcoming year. In a series of posts, I was intrigued by the concept and found it quite amusing to read as it forced myself to ponder on subjects, such as the possible outcome of the upcoming French presidential election. In this post, Cassandra makes the prediction that Sarkozy will fail to win over the confidence of France; in another post, Scottish tennis player Andy Murray, whom had never won a Grand Slam tournament, is expected to beat favoured top-tiered players.

With such diversity in the topics, and the ever-lasting appeal that causes me to question my own dominant beliefs, I feel that the blog serves as a useful reminder for me to question norms and the notion that change continually occurs. As a business student, these skills will prove to be useful since devising plans for the future will undoubtedly serve as a qualifying asset.

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Here is a link to my comment on Rachael Reddy’s blog post. Rachael wrote on the leading innovative ways of Facebook and how it changed the way people socialized with one another.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/areyoureddy/2011/11/09/entrepreneurial-genius/

The topic of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg as being an ‘entrepreneurial genius’ caught my attention as I completely agree with Rachael’s point of view. In our day and age, it is difficult to find a person who does not own a Facebook account. With all of our spare time, we tend to check for new notifications and updates, and this clear obsession with the social network displays the extent of Facebook’s influence on the world and the movement that it has crafted.

If not for a certain entrepreneurial company, our daily lives would be significantly inefficient and certain beloved products would cease to exist. This company is of course, 3M, a global conglomerate consisting of scientists in its history, whom invented a series of prominent items today, most knowingly Post-It Notes. Although 3M employee Art Fry stumbled upon the adhesive paper in 1974, it was due to the fostering of 3M, which allowed his ideas to be achieved.

The company’s “15 percent program” enables employees to seek their own iconic product by allotting a percentage of their paid hours towards testing their own ideas. It is this entrepreneurial characteristic of 3M that has allowed the corporation to prosper, as many of their most successful products today were dreamt up in the program. When speaking about innovation, 3M leads by example, having spawned an employee benefit that can be seen within other companies, such as Google and their “20 percent time program.” 3M’s culture and philosophy of allowing employees to develop their own entrepreneurial drive has cultivated the notion of innovation within the company and its workers. Who knows when the next ‘Post-It Note’ will be discovered?

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Here is a link to my comment on Jeremy Kwan’s blog post. Jeremy wrote on the issue of America’s 401(k) retirement plan system and the recent controversy surrounding it.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jeremykwan/2011/10/24/time-to-retire-the-401k/

The topic of whether or not the 401(k) retirement plan should be abolished has raised my interest on the matter. From reading Jeremy’s post and further research, I gained new perspective on the struggles ordinary citizens are experiencing and how the recent economic faltering has impacted their retirement goals.

As technology and innovation today becomes a means of improving our daily lives, it too can have groundbreaking effects on the way society will operate in the future. A common health problem amongst patients today is the occurrence of an irregular heartbeat, which normally requires surgery or the insertion of catheters to correct it. However, catheters result in inefficiency due to the fact that surgeons have a limited view of surrounding tissues.

Recently, researchers from Dutch engineering company Phillips have developed a device with the solution to this problem: a tiny ultrasound scanner that can be attached to the tip of a catheter. With this device, surgeons are provided with a clear and accurate image of the damaged matter. Having never been done before, the technology is seen as a tremendous breakthrough in medical research as it will undoubtedly reduce the number of people who have to undertake surgery several times a year. Phillips’ advance will confirm assurance in hospitals as well as cut costs and pressure for both patients and doctors. In many senses, the device will revolutionize the way surgery is performed since it will minimize the need of having to go under the knife.

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Within the last decade, the world has experienced dramatic changes such that the United States has longed been a prosperous nation. Experiencing its worst financial meltdown in 2008 since the Great Depression and its first ever credit downgrade, the world power is continuing to struggle with its many problems of unemployment, economic growth, and a massive financial debt totaling over $14 trillion. Considered still to be the world’s largest economy, that may all change as China’s booming economy is preparing to overtake the US.

For over a century, the United States has dominated the world, and our lives today is heavily influenced by their decisions. If China is to surpass the US, the situation raises questions of how the world will learn to function with this abrupt change and whether or not the dollar will still position itself as a global reserve currency. Although this isn’t the first time that the world’s top economic power changed hands, China’s situation is very different. When the United States surpassed Britain as the largest global economy, both nations shared similar views: democracy, property rights, and foreign policy. China’s time in the spotlight will undoubtedly lead to a considerably different influence on the world.

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As the American financial crisis continues to grow day by day, people are beginning to demonstrate their frustrations and lack of confidence in their politics. Lack of employment, unfair distribution of income, and signs of weak economic growth and prosperity are some of the main factors fueling a massive protest organization that is taking place in Wall Street. Calling themselves the 99% of Americans who will “no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%”, the Occupy Wall Street campaign aims to shame the wealthy investment bankers and act as an outlet of expressing disparity with the economy’s financial system. However, as the movement heads into its fourth week of protesting, Occupy Wall Street remains goal-less as to what it hopes to achieve from its demonstrations.

Portrayed as being young and unemployed, rather than generally complaining about the affluent class of people, protestors need to focus on particular instances of immoral conduct on Wall Street to be effective. Personally, I believe Wall Street has done no wrongdoing; the ‘greedy and corrupted’ 1% that the organization opposes befitted that position because they worked hard. Wall Street does not owe these protesters any share of success just because they demand it.

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A storied legacy emerged as the life of Steve Jobs, former CEO and founder of Apple Inc., came to an end. Steve Jobs was a visionary whose mind possessed creativity, brilliance, and ingenuity, such that he was able to innovate and revolutionize the entire computer industry, which led Apple into becoming the world’s most valuable company today.

Regardless of his extraordinary legal history and health issues, Jobs overcame many odds to become one of the most successful people in the world. He has done so much for people by designing the unthinkable; his products and technological developments have crafted the way society operates today. Intriguingly, Steve was able to perceive what was lacking for so long in the industry and it was the innovation of minor things like aesthetics that was revolutionary. From the creation of user-friendly computers and powerful smartphones, to the way we listen and download music, Jobs has changed the world for the better. The company’s new figurehead, Tim Cook, now has a very high reputation to hold up to. As Apple becomes a familiar household name, consumers who continue to use the brands iconic products will undoubtedly share the legacy of an inspirational human being.

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With the digital age becoming a more cumbersome reality, social networking is becoming an imperative tool in modern society. One company in particular, Facebook, seems to define this: from a professional and personal point of view, Facebook is a practical way of connecting and expanding communication while maximizing utility for its user. Facebook attempts to ‘get to know you’ by prompting its users to share information about themselves. Recently at Facebook’s F8 Developer’s Conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced new changes and made it clear what the company’s future goals are: to ensure people will reveal more about themselves, thus allowing the company to use that information to target advertise its users.

It’s one thing to innovate, but it’s another to take away privacy and publicly archive our lives for the benefits of raising profits. Without taking into consideration the consequences of such drastic revisions, the company may lose the support of many that feel intimidated with having so much information out in the open. Facebook has certainly played a major role in crafting the social networking movement, but the developed notion that “Big Brother is watching you” is becoming a bit too much.

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The financial issues of the Eurozone nations and the United States have left yet again another gloomy perception on the conditions of global economies. With drastic austerity budget plans being developed in countries such as France and Italy, the United States formulated a policy in reducing their own deficit: taxing the rich and wealthy. Recently, President Obama proclaimed a new “Buffett Rule,” named after acclaimed billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, in which the rule states “no household making more than $1m a year pays a lower average tax rate than “middle-class” families do.” In the past, Buffett had scorned the tax system that allowed him to enjoy his income at a tax-effective rate.

Whether or not the policy will be effective is unknown at this point, however, one has to consider that with increased taxes on income, there is less incentive to work. Being in a post-recession period, earning more by working harder causes an increase in economic output and thus growth. If the higher taxes do come into force, what motivation is there for the individuals to increase work output? None.

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