Monthly Archives: November 2013

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.