Good operations make being efficient as easy as 0-1-2-3!

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I was recently introduced to the 0123 Japanese moving company by an article on Gabriel Chua’s blog, which describes the polite, quick and easy service that the company offers. Prior to taking Comm 101, my initial reaction as a consumer would’ve been to wonder whether a similar service was offered in Canada. However, now that I have been immersed in a business environment, the first emotion I experienced was one of awe for their operations. I knew that in order to maintain such an efficient business model, highly sophisticated operations must be in place to keep everything running smoothly.

One way that the company accomplishes this is through rigorous training of their staff to be considerate, careful and attentive throughout the entire process of cleaning, packing, transporting and unpacking. Their training goes past the basic skills to the philosophy of respect that is to guide their service. Another aspect of the company’s operations that enables it to uphold its incredible value proposition is the tools and equipment that are provided to the movers. These include protective covers for the walls to minimize damage throughout the moving process, customized materials to package each individual object, specialized moving vans and even fresh socks for each mover to wear as they unload the belongings into the new apartment! The 0123 moving company has proven how effective comprehensive business operations can be.

The Me to We foundation: the mother of social change

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Me to We Artisans has recently announced in their blog that they have employed over 800 mamas through their initiative to help struggling Maasai mothers in Kenya. This organization provides mamas in third world countries the opportunity to earn fair wages for their handcrafted traditional beadwork by having their goods sold through the organization rather than at small competitive markets for horribly low prices. With the steady income that the mamas earn, they are able to provide an education for their children, buy food, clothing and medicine, and improve the quality of their homes.

The Me to We foundation is a perfect example of a social enterprise that improves the world by educating, inspiring and guiding consumers to be more conscious of their impact on society as they go through their day-to-day activities. It offers consumers socially-conscious choices through its sweatshop-free, organic, environmentally-friendly clothing and the authentic accessories made by the mamas. Half of its profits are given to its charity partner, Free The Children, while the other half is reinvested. Social enterprises such as Me to We take corporate social responsibility one step further by making social change, rather than profits, their primary objective, and merely using the latter as a tool to achieve those goals.

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Support Me to We Artisans by purchasing an accessory today! Browse their fall collection here.
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IT and information systems are a real bargain

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The sooner small businesses realize the power of a well-developed information system, the sooner will they find themselves among the big dogs. Take for example Jody Steinhauer, founder of Bargains Group, a Toronto-based discount wholesale and promotional products company. A recipient of the Canadian Top 40 under 40 award, Ms. Steinhauer has truly embraced the opportunities offered by information technology. She has created an online presence for her company by maintaining a website and being active on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Most importantly, not only does she use these social media sites to advertise and gain exposure, but she also understands the importance and benefit of listening to her customers. Through allowing her customers to leave comments and communicate their interests or dislikes, Ms. Steinhauer has deepened her relationship with them.

The benefits from establishing an information system are plentiful. Through various online platforms, Ms. Steinhauer is able to store, retrieve, transmit, and receive all forms of data more efficiently, such current retail and branding trends. Staying up to date with customer preferences helps her guide her business in the right direction and provide better service. A well-maintained information system is a huge competitive advantage because it helps a business tailor itself more effectively to its customer’s needs.

Telus Corp’s future is friendly – and full of success

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TELUS Corp. announced on Friday that it added 2,000 more customers on contract in the third quarter than was forecasted. The other two dominant Canadian competitors – Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. – both fell short of their estimates. Moreover, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services showed in its annual report that complaints about Rogers and Bell rose by 32% and 42%, respectively, while complaints about TELUS dropped by 27%. This begs the following question: what is its secret?

The answer lies in TELUS Corp’s highly acclaimed corporate culture. The company has distinguished itself by creating a positive and effective group dynamic in its workforce. The values that have been instilled into each employee have earned TELUS a competitive advantage and enhanced its overall performance. TELUS Corp’s impressive customer retention and turnover rate is due in large part to one of its cultural strategies – putting customers first, as exemplified by its YOU campaign.

Another way that the corporation has distinguished itself is by letting their employees work from home, or anywhere that is most comfortable for them. This has earned TELUS an 80% team engagement score and placed it in the top 1% globally. Finally, TELUS has made a commitment to “give where we live” by donating to charities and volunteering in the community. All of these examples of the company’s corporate culture produce positive results, as employees and customers alike are made happy through the company’s moral principles.

BC Hydro jolts companies into action through Power Smart campaign

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BC Ferries has become the most recent company to partner with the BC Hydro Power Smart program, with aims to implement more energy-efficient methods to manage its business. In the past year, BC Ferries has saved enough energy to power 31 homes through its lighting and heating retrofits. Becoming more socially and environmentally responsible has become the goal of an increasing amount of businesses, as they look for more sustainable energy management strategies.

Fortunately, BC Hydro makes the switch to sustainability as easy as it gets. Not only does the company lead by example through their environmental responsibility, promotion of resource conservation and commitment to clean energy, but it also provides companies with workshops, rebates and other resources to encourage them to have a positive impact on the community while saving energy and money.

This idea of corporate social responsibility is being adopted by more and more companies who aim to benefit society and create shared value through the running of their business. BC Hydro should be commended for providing so many incentives for companies to get on board this positive movement through their various promotional events, such as the Power Smart Energy Challenge. The Canadian energy giant should certainly be recognized as one of the leaders of a brighter, greener future.

A take-away lesson on innovation

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Living in the so-called “digital age” means that companies are constantly being presented with opportunities to innovate and adapt to the changing market. In fact, new technologies are coming out so rapidly that the questions businesses usually ask themselves are which ones to implement, and whether the innovation has the potential for long-term survival. Investing in a new technology is, after all, a risk, and a company wants to ensure that the discovery has a future.

An example of a business that has fearlessly embraced a recent innovation is Takeaway.com, a website for ordering food for delivery that has subsidiaries all across Europe. Most recently, the branching website that manages home delivery in the Netherlands has adopted the use of bitcoin as a form of online payment. Bitcoin is a revolutionary form of online currency that operates with no central authority or banks, is open source, and uses peer-to-peer technology. Customers are eager to use this form of payment due to its negligible transaction fees, as compared to those incurred through using PayPal or credit cards.

Bitcoin has been gaining traction, trading near record highs against the U.S. dollar and the euro. It has been becoming increasingly popular due to its simplicity and low processing fees. Businesses such as those owned by Takeaway.com are making a good decision in participating in this revolutionary movement because accepting bitcoin as a form of payment is a great way to gain access to the emerging market of new customers.

Next Issue’s next issue is Canada

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Rogers Media has become the link between Next Issue Media and Canada, making the previously U.S.–exclusive digital magazine service available to Canadian customers. Next Issue Canada is a subscription-based app for tablet devices which will give users access to more than 100 leading U.S. and Canadian titles – all in one place. For $9.99 a month, readers gain access to a plethora of monthly magazines, including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and TIME. Paying $14.99 a month will also grant subscribers access to weekly publications.

Next issue is a tablet-based app that offers a Netflix-like service for magazines.

In striking this partnership with Next Issue Media, Rogers Communications Inc. has created a value proposition that Canadians cannot refuse. They are offering a desirable and previously unavailable service, granting access to hundreds of magazines annually for the low cost of six traditional print subscriptions. Most importantly, this service is convenient. All of the content that is made available online for free has been packaged together in a user-friendly interface for the convenience of the subscriber. This is Rogers’ main selling point, and the reason why this agreement will be profitable for both parties.

Scotiabank’s new hockey-themed credit cards appeal to the true blue Canadian in each of us

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Scotiabank, the official bank of the NHL, has come up with an innovative marketing campaign which takes advantage of its partnership in a way that hasn’t been seen before. Rather than putting its logo on jerseys or displaying banners in hockey rinks, the Canada-based bank has developed a new line of debit and credit cards, each of which feature one of the 30 team logos. This leaves the customer free to choose which team they would like to display on their card and show their support for while going through day-to-day transactions. Bank of Nova Scotia Chief Executive Officer Richard Waugh believes that this expensive campaign will be a success because “a large segment of the population watches or goes to see hockey” in Canada. With this strategy, Scotiabank aims to reinforce its connection with current customers, as well as attract new hockey-loving clients.


Scotiabank has revealed its new line of hockey-themed credit and debit cards.

Scotiabank’s hockey strategy is a solid one. By positioning itself as “Canada’s hockey bank” it has established itself in the minds of Canadians as a bank that represents its country’s values. In becoming the sponsor of Canada’s national sport, Scotiabank has created the impression of being a more relatable, trustworthy bank. Potential customers will be more likely to buy products from a bank whose image they can identify with. This campaign has much potential for success, especially given the powerful element of good-natured competition that the bank has introduced in allowing fans to choose their favourite team.

Blackberry provides soil and nutrients for Motorola

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An important skill that a company needs to have is knowing how to recognize an opportunity – and how to take advantage of it before it’s too late. Luckily for Motorola, they have this skill down to a science, and their timing to expand to the Technology Triangle couldn’t be better. Mr. Phillips, vice president and general manager of Motorola, announced last Wednesday that the company will be setting up a new office in Waterloo, Ontario, the hub of engineering. A few days prior, Blackberry announced it would be laying off 4,500 employees. This means there will be tons of skilled, experienced workers looking for jobs, and where will their search lead them? To Motorola, whose goal in expanding to Waterloo was to absorb the area’s wealth of talent.

Motorola has announced its plans to expand to the thriving Kitchener-Waterloo area.

All jokes aside, the Google-owned company “has been planning to open an office in Waterloo for several months,” according to Mr. Phillips, and the influx of unemployed engineers provided by Blackberry was just icing on the cake. Motorola’s targets for hire also include local companies and students and alumni of Waterloo University. Blackberry can be credited for turning Waterloo into a technology hub, but now that it is clearly losing its position as the big dog, other companies have the opportunity to establish their presence in the maturing, thriving ecosystem that Blackberry began. Motorola can be commended for recognizing that fact and for acting quickly to fill the gap left by the formerly successful company.

Eliminating racism one bottle at a time?

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Former fans of Bressan’s winery are boycotting his products.

A recent racist outburst by Fulvio Bressan, a successful Italian winemaker, has incited widespread outrage and a call to boycott his products by removing them from shops and wine-tasting events. Last month, Bressan appalled the community by verbally abusing Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first black government minister, publicly calling her a “filthy black ape” in a rant posted on his Facebook. In response to his newly-exposed racist views, former fans have decided to call their most recent Bressan wine their last. Consumers aren’t the only ones boycotting; Jacob Kennedy, a London chef, has publicly and dramatically smashed Bressan’s wine bottles in front of his highly-rated restaurant.

The question is whether the public has chosen the right form of protest. Will decreasing Bressan’s revenue teach him a lesson, or inspire him to change? Apart from failing to realize how little this boycott will accomplish, another consequence the public hasn’t considered is who they are affecting. For one, Bressan has a family that he needs to support. Not only that, but Bressan’s winery has a reputation that needs to be upheld. His family has made wine on the same plot of land since 1726. It wouldn’t be fair to Bressan’s son if the business was punished for the racist beliefs of his father. In this case, one must separate the wine from the man. By all means, express your anger towards Bressan through letters or public shaming. But do not make his family suffer or destroy the legacy that has been created over centuries. Let the business live on and flourish under a better individual.