Category: Uncategorized

Nowadays, many businesses are associated with a cause whether that may be fighting breast cancer or prostate cancer, like famous clothing brands Lululemon and Harry Rosen have done. Most companies gain no direct monetary benefit from this. However, while perusing the net I came across an interesting business “partnership.” An online company was selling products cultivated all the way from an African village that they support.

Coastal Scents, an online bath and beauty site offers “African” products for sale. I recently found out that shea butter (an amazing body lotion) can cost $30 at your local store, but was being sold for less than $10 on Coastal Scents. It’s shipped directly from Africa where it’s made by the women that lives in the “Shea Butter Village.” In return, Coastal Scents has provided health care for the villagers. They also adhere to Fair Trade, so every purchase supports the villages in Africa in some way.

Personally, I came across this company because they sold products I wanted to buy. But after reading about how they support the people in Africa who makes their products, I was proud to purchase from them. And even though I bought shea butter out of my own selfish need, I felt good about myself because it was like I was helping make a difference. I think companies “teaming up” with a charitable cause is a great idea that can easily be profitable for both parties.

Social media is taking over the world: one user at a time. While watching the Social Media Revolution during class I was amazed at the cold hard facts presented in the video. I knew that people were increasingly obsessed with technology- even our Comm 101 class integrates twitter and blogs into course content- but I didn’t know it was this serious.

I failed to realize the extent of how social media has influenced how business works.  When the video stated that people trust their peers more than advertisements, I realized that I was a part of the statistic and I didn’t even know it. I frequently visit sites such as Trip Advisor and Yelp which are basically social networks where people can post reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc. Before I purchase the latest skincare or buy uber-cool gadgets I rigorously read reviews online and buy the product only if they have glowing feedback.

It doesn’t stop there; I unconsciously judge a company based on how involved they are with social media. I feel more comfortable buying a product from a company if their website has real, unbiased reviews from customers, if they have informative videos on youtube, or even if they have a blog. Personally, I correlate that with the company being transparent, trustworthy, putting an effort into their image and truly standing behind their products.

The man who helped Twitter go from a small site with a few million users to over 165 million has announced he is stepping down from his role as CEO on his Twitter Blog. Despite its enormous potential for generating revenue, Twitter is not utilizing its resources to be the best business that it can be.

Success to us means meeting our potential as a profitable company that can retain its culture and user focus while having a positive impact on the world.

Evan Williams, now former CEO of Twitter, has passed the torch to Twitter COO Dick Costolo. Costolo has played a significant role behind the strategies to increase Twitter’s profits and has worked closely with Williams during his two-year term. All the work that Costolo has done so far have been a step forward in turning Twitter into more of a successful, profitable business, and only time will tell whether or not he will live up to his title as CEO of Twitter.

With exponentially rising users, there seems to be many possible ways Twitter can increase revenue. They have the challenge of “retaining its culture and user focus” which I believe will be the most difficult task. Personally, I wouldn’t mind any prominent or strategically placed ads on the front page where there currently is none. However, changes should be implemented with caution to prevent a money-driven, ad-abusing reputation to its users.

If somebody told you that Forbes arranged a meeting between two of the most powerful business men in the world, you would probably guess someone like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (awkward much?). However, this wasn’t the case in September when a man dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha” met with one of the most influential rappers of all time. Warren Buffett, who commands millions of dollars from CEOs of major companies to sit down for lunch with him, agreed to meet with Jay-Z and Forbes at his favourite diner- free of charge of course. Jay-Z flew to Nebraska to meet with Warren Buffet and Steve Forbes in Buffett’s hometown.

What could a rapper and an investor possibly talk about, or even have in common? You’d be surprised. In the video interview Buffett and Jay-Z share stories of their childhood and growing up in a privileged white family and in the rough Brooklyn projects, respectively. I found it extremely interesting watching such successful yet polar opposite people discussing how each of them made something of their lives and had common values. Furthermore, it wasn’t simply an indifferent meeting between strangers, it was about two people discovering they shared similarities and having respect for each other.

I was sitting in class on Thursday with a tad less enthusiasm than the owners of the hands shooting up in the air during a discussion when suddenly, the topic shifted to the Shark Club. I had never heard of the Shark Club before that day, but I was intrigued when I learned that an ex-bartender had filed a sex-discrimination complaint against the company.

I found out that the ex-employee, K. Bil, “faced indecent proposals” because of the dress code she says she was required to wear. Let’s face it: sex sells. This business model is nothing new. My mind automatically compared the Shark Club to Hooters. Both businesses are famous for their predominantly young and attractive female servers, male customers, and suggestive “uniforms.” The only difference was that Hooters’ employees do not cry discrimination. Strangely enough, nor do many other female bartenders, who I’m sure have received their fair share of sex-discrimination when working in a social environment where alcohol is present (read: very drunk males.)

Perhaps it’s because these ladies understand that working as a Hooters waitress or a bartender will attract unwanted attention. Alternatively, a career at McDonald’s will guarantee that their uniforms will not be the target of male customers’ fantasies. Furthermore, Bil never voiced her concerns or utilized the numerous types of support offered by the Shark Club chain, which included an employee hotline.

Filing a complaint would have been an appropriate solution if Bil was fired for refusing to dress accordingly. Instead she chose to quit because of an entirely different- and contradicting to her complaint- reason.

Bil ultimately quit working at the Shark Club, she said, because she was not getting the good shifts that she believed were going to the most attractive female employees.

In what seems like an uncomfortably short time span there have been far too many environmental disasters. The devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill has caused billions of dollars in damages, hundreds of animals to be threatened or extinct, and has left a countless number of people without jobs. It has tainted the image of an oil company negatively forevermore, and makes one question whether or not such a business is to be trusted.

In a perfect world we can hope that we learn from our mistakes; however, this has not prevented yet another oil spill in Michigan. All fingers point to the Calgary-based company Enbridge. According to various sources,

Enbridge has had years of warning about hundreds of potential problems on the line that ruptured in Michigan in July.

If they had received multiple warnings and fines about this rising problem, why hasn’t Enbridge taken appropriate measures to prevent it?

These disasters trouble me because this was clearly not inevitable until safety standards were deliberately neglected. Long story short: this could have been prevented. It’s not only affecting the company itself, but reflecting upon Canada and how other countries (and prospective markets) view us.