Month: November 2012

Does your birthday determine if you become a CEO? A recent report done by a Sauder professor, Maurice Levi, shows that your birthday determines, to some extent, your chances of becoming a CEO. Through this article, its is explained how the chances of being an CEO vary with different birthdays, and how the younger individuals are often not CEOs. I find this article interesting as even with a variety of external stimuli, there was a connection between birthday and rank in a company. The article states that due to the the current schooling system and the interaction of children, older children are often given the advantage and therefore can gain the skills required to become a successful business owner and leader. After reading this article questions are raised as to whether or not the schooling system should be better designed to give all children an equal chance further in life and an equal opportunity to become leaders in the community regardless of age.

Sources

http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/News/2012/Born_in_summer_Odds_are_youre_not_a_CEO#.

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Gulia Turco’s raises some extremely good points on the recent legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington, and the effect that this will have on the economy of the states. Something to consider though the legalization of this substances in two states is the acceptance of this legalization thought the nation and through, the continent. It can now be expected that more and more people will become accepting of the recent legalization and therefore many more states, and countries will move into legalizing cannabis.

So can Canada expect to see laws passed legalizing the use of cannabis across the nation for non-medical use? I believe that like America, the acceptance of the use of this drug is varies extremely depending on where you live, but I not see these laws being passed in the near future, although the nation would benefit from these economic sales.  As Gulia points out, there are further benefits to legalizing the drug, but the primary benefit for government is the reducing of cost in fighting this trend of illegal use of a drug.

Sources

https://blogs.ubc.ca/giuliat/

http://www.darkgovernment.com/news/total-marijuana-legalization-3-states-will-take-a-vote/

The NHL lockout has now had a sever effect, not only on hockey fans but on the economies of major cities but now has severely effected Detroit’s economy and the possibility for future growth. As Matt Lundy illustrates in his blog, the NHL is in a tough situation with its lockout and loss to a variety of economies. Though this article, I find it very interesting to see the effect that not only fans have because of the lockout but the effect that the NHL has on itself, as the league misses the opportunity of growth, by canceling the game.

In my opinion, and I believe the opinion of many fans, the NHL needs to fix this issue as soon as possible, due to the effect on not only fans but cities.  The Winter Classic serves not only as a major source of revenue for the NHL, but as a marketing tool, as Lundy explain the number of viewers of the Winter Classic far exceed any other games played in the season.

Sources

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blog/business_briefings/105282–the-nhl-cancels-winter-classic-game-suffers-another-pr-disaster

Sustainability

Thrill of the Catch from Jarrett Corke on Vimeo.

Our world is changing at an incredible pace. From new technology being developed daily, such as the new ability to communicate with robotics on Mars instantly, to the planting of trees, humans have an extraordinary impact on our world. And this impact isn’t always good. How many species has the human population killed, how many individuals of a species have we killed, how many humans have we killed?

We need drastic change to ensure that the impacts that we have are for the benefit of not only humans, but of other species, such as the blue sharks in Jarrett Corke’s video. As mentioned in the video, we have had a drastic effect on the population of a creature that has been around for millions of years, and yet we do nothing to protect this animal. Its time that we, as people became aware of the effects our actions have and are held responsible for these actions.

Sources

http://vimeo.com

http://vimeo.com/user10843881

As Wesley comments on how RIM has failed to remain a key player in consumer’s minds, the question is raised as to who will gain from RIM’s loss.

With giant corporations such as Apple, and Google, in the market, and looking to expand, RIM’s slack in product innovation and ability to “meet industry standards”, will surely be overcome by these expanding companies. With Android phones becoming more and more popular, since the release of phones such as the Galaxy S III, many are beginning to believe in the rise of this company above Apple in the future. Apple is now showing signs that RIM has previously shown, such as a lack of innovation, with little change to the recently launched iPhone 5, and should become a major concern to the company if they lose ground in the cell phone marketplace.

With RIM losing ground in the market of cell phones and tablets, Apple and Android are looking to gain from this lose and Android is doing an effective job of this, while Apple still has a lead due to the clean, elegant look of their product.

Sources

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/BlackBerry+continues+plunge+among+smartphone+users/7260193/story.html

https://blogs.ubc.ca/wesleyprahalad/

http://techdeville.com/2012/11/11/uk-court-orders-apple-to-pay-samsungs-legal-fees/

Addicted to Stocks?

The stocks are becoming addicting to more people ever day, as they become a way to quickly accumulate an individuals income, and it is due to this that the stocks have become so addictive. In fact, the stocks have become so addictive that many websites and self help centers have a gambling and stock gambling center. Why is this such a concern? Because people do not realize what they are really doing to their hard worked for income, and the effect that they have on the others that rely on them for food and shelter.

Many resources are readily available if you search for gambling or stock addictions, such as The Wild Investor’s blog on the 14 Symptoms of Stock Trading, to further prove that individuals do suffer from this addiction. Within The Wild Investor’s blog, it is highlighted how to recognize the stages, or appearance of the addiction to stocks, and how to combat this addiction.

Does this mean that stock are unhealthily, bad for the economy and the system of stock trading needs to be dismantled? No, not at all, as the stocks provide an amazing amount of revenue across the world and ultimately keep our economies running. All the addiction problem means is that the public need to be better educated and made aware of the possible consequences of their actions.

Sources

http://www.gambling-addictions.com/gambling-articles/slot-machines-pose-risk-for-compulsiveaddicted-gamblers.html

http://thewildinvestor.com/14-symptoms-of-stock-trading/