When has it ever been okay to place money over an individual’s rights and dignity? Let me answer that for you: NEVER. Personally, one of the most influential COMM 101 classes so far has been the business ethics class. Yet, what is the point of learning these important things if you are not going to actually apply it to everyday situations. That is why I am taking a stand and saying that the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project is WRONG.

Photo courtesy to: http://www.ntu.ac.uk/news_events/news/releases/2013/146542.jpg

The Northern Gateway Pipeline is a $6.5 billion project, headed by Enbridge to build a passage from Alberta to the Pacific. On this route, the pipeline is subject to intersect the First Nations’ land, which has caused great controversy. As of right now, everyone involved in this situation are waiting for the Federal Court’s decision.

As a citizen of Canada who respects everyone and their unique rights, I oppose this pipeline. Some reasons include:

• We need to respect Aboriginal people’s rights
• This project is anything, but environmentally friendly
• Respect, trust and dignity of OUR people are MORE IMPORTANT than money

I understand that this project will generate an enormous amount of money for Canada, but for the sake of individuals and their rights. The Canadian Constitution clearly states that Aboriginals have the FULL right to the land that was given to them by previous Government agreements.

I cannot watch my fellow Canadians be harassed and stripped away from their rights and that is why this pipeline project does not appeal to me. 

Works Cited:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/05/07/northern-gateway-pipeline_n_5279458.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/24/first-nations-pipeline-energy-federal-officials_n_3982708.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/06/17/5_things_to_know_about_todays_northern_gateway_oil_pipeline_decision.html

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/page-16.html

Alibaba. The china-based business that recently took Wall Street by storm with its initial public offering. The company, as predicted from the majority of the world, maintained a high share price for the first day of stocks going almost all the way to 100 bucks! The CEO, Jack Ma, who is always exceedingly enthusiastic about his company, as he should be, was very pleased with the outcome so far and could see his company soaring past similar Silicon Valley creations like Amazon and Ebay.

Photo courtesy to: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/alibaba-prices-ipo-68-share-25606621

Now the question is: will Alibaba be able to grow as a global company and establish its place in the world?

From my perspective, and from what I have learned in COMM 101 class, there is a very high probability that Alibaba will succeed in the global markets. This company is a combination of Amazon, Ebay and Paypal yet, still offers something new and unique. Not to forget, that it is targeted towards a broad market and “there are now 302 million online shoppers [just] in China” and it is expected to climb. From an accountants point, Alibaba is very efficient and a low-cost company. They have no inventory and everything they offer is done online. I can see Alibaba gaining a tremendous amount of success around the world because they represent a genuinely helpful “product” and have entered the market with something that no one has every heard of.

Works Cited:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/alibaba-shares-surge-46-in-their-debut/article20693217/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/asian-pacific-business/alibabas-jack-ma-rises-to-top-of-china-rich-list-as-tech-tycoons-gain/article20736567/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/meet-jack-ma-chinas-steve-jobs/article18729427/

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-15/yahoo-to-keep-more-of-alibaba-stake-return-half-to-shareholders.html