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Pollution has always been the great evil that has plagued our growing society.

But truth is, development would not be possible at all without some form of polluting emissions into the environment. The key is to balance said pollution with output; which is what mining giant Vale is in the process of doing.

Vale is undertaking a $2 billion Atmospheric Emissions Reduction project that will not only cut emissions by 70% but will also create an additional 1300 jobs. The project’s goal is to reduce specifically sulphur dioxide emissions and is looking at a completion date at the end of 2015.

Here we see corporate social responsibility, innovation, sustainability and company imaging on full display and working harmoniously together. By taking on such an ambitious project, not only are they protecting their environment but it is also a form of marketing for the company. Anything environmentally related these days automatically gives a company or firm the upper hand against their competitors so no doubt Vale knew what they were doing when undertaking this project. As we do see here though, advancement can and usually does come from dilemmas. This is an example of innovation that will drive our society forward while making this advancement sustainable.

Original article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/11/24/sudbury-vale-air.html

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Entrepreneurs, as we call them nowadays, have always been the innovators driving change throughout the threads of our society.

Very recently, the technology era has taken another step forward, online shopping. According to data, 70% of consumers do research online before going into the actual store. Revenues of billions of dollars are brought in directly through online sales annually. However, trillions of dollars are brought in indirectly through online advertisement and online sources. This new wave is driven further by the advancement of the smartphone. Now people can simply reach into their pockets and receive all the information they need.

Although this is indeed a breakthrough in how we shop and acquire information, it also provides a potential issue; one addressed in many Hollywood films such as The Matrix. Though machines will not be taking over the world anytime soon, it can and already has lead to complacency in how people operate. As addressed by the issue of “slacktivism”, thanks to modern technology, people no longer have to spend their time and have a physical presence to protest something. All it takes now is the click of a mouse. So how do we find the right balance between technology and nature? Well, as long as people have the natural instinct to be physically productive and find satisfaction in tangible activities, that issue will not be needing much attention anytime soon.

Original article: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/online-shopping-research-migrating-mobile-drives-sales–1976/

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Why is it that as more young adults are receiving and graduating with higher education, somehow, overall job satisfaction has been constantly falling?

According to a poll conducted by the polling company Woman Trend, 43% of Americans aged 18-29 are unhappy with their current job. This is leading to a large percentage of young adults postponing important aspects of their lives such as buying a house or starting a family.

This gap between the education of the employee and the job they possess is due to the fact that higher education is becoming common place and that there is a large gap present between the lucrative and rewarding jobs and those that require no more than simple hand-eye coordination. Furthermore, there are few intermediate jobs to fill said void.

Although not much can seem to be done in the present, examples throughout history have proved that unsatisfied people will sooner or later band together and force change. In this case, educated, motivated and innovative young adults such as we of this generation will find solutions to this current crisis when the threshold is reached. Until then, we can only strive to aim for even higher education to satiate the requirements of those demanding employers.

original article: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/young-americans-unemployment-numbers-1966/

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The people are as much a part of the business as the products themselves.

Companies have come to realize that happy employees leads to happy customers and of course we all know that happy customers bring in more profits. So if that is indeed the case, why haven’t more companies caught on?

One has capitalized on that; the shoe giant Zappos. Tony Hsieh, CEO, has created a work environment like no other. To hire phone operators, he puts them through extensive training and even offers $2000 during the training to quit. Hsieh says that it is in an effort to hire people who want to work there and is not there just for the money.

The happy employee along with a lenient return policy keeps customers coming back. At the end of the day though, hiring the right employees and keeping them happy is whats keeping Zappos on top of their game and increasing profits annually.

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It seems like as industries grow and as our society develops, corporate social responsibility is becoming a large focus of, well, the whole world.

Only a few hundred years ago, the face of the earth was changed by the Industrial Revolution. Cities boomed as innovation lit the sky and provided jobs to many. New technology popped up everywhere and all seemed well until another hundred years later, people looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was hardly visible.

Today, we look not only to businesses, firms and so on to provide us with the tools of tomorrow but also to do it in a sustainable manner. Not only are companies expected to be innovative, efficient and productive, they now have to scrutinize their emissions as well so as to not violate health standards. Do these seem like fair expectations?

Yes. For as we advance, so must our ways and not only should we protect the environment which gives us all we need, but we have the means to do it. Companies just need to worry less about profits and consider the fact that, if they over-pollute the environment, then in the future, there will be no where to make that profit. Just think of it as an investment.

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Staying on our topic, it does seem, as the title suggests, that universities are now aiming higher than ever. However, is this a feasible goal?

As our world continues to expand and develop in all aspects, globalization has become a hot topic. It seems that for one to be successful in any field, globalization is a must. This takes forms in establishing locations around the world, selling products internationally or outsourcing just to name a few. This rapid means of expansion means that universities students have now higher expectations than ever to each emerge with a degree and become a leader. With that being said, funding is becoming a growing issue for universities as these institutions are trying to provide a more diversified and pertinent education to its students.

Taking into account the lack of funding, I do believe that university students today are each capable of innovation for they have to tools to do it. Being a student at UBC, I must disagree with the 53% of people who think what we are learning is not preparing us for a career. At the end of the day, of course there are more expectations of us but that is to be expected as the quality of education increases and thus competition becomes more fierce. In such a situation, all we can aim for is the moon.

original article: http://search.proquest.com/docview/900604443?accountid=14656

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As the cost of education is rising, shouldn’t its payoff rise as well?

According to universities, a bachelor’s degree is worth a million dollars over its holder’s lifetime but about 1 in 5 Canadians with those degrees have earnings that are below the average income.

These days, university has become a must in society. Where a high school diploma could get you 20 years ago now requires a bachelor’s degree. University is not only for the keenest and most outstanding students or the high-achieving scholars anymore but is more commonplace than ever. Kids are expected to attend a university after high school whereas before, it was more of an aspiration that high school graduates had to work for. So with the increase of students flooding into universities each year, knowledge now does not seem to be as valuable as before.

What we forget though is that universities are still businesses, and as businesses, these establishments of knowledge have grown complacent over time. They feel as though people today must attend university to move forward in life but as we all know, that is a far stretch from the truth. What they should do instead is reach out and inform the public, more than ever, of the benefits of a higher education and how it can be a valuable tool in attaining wealth, happiness and satisfaction later in life.

Original article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/when-a-university-degree-just-isnt-enough/article2014732/page2/

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With the world population ever-growing and it expecting to hit 9 billion by 2050, it may seem as though we can ill-afford to keep on reproducing. With our “20 billion chickens and four billion cattle, sheep and pigs”, can the Earth really take too much more punishment from us?

Of course it can! Since the 1960s, the world’s growth population has just about halved while even though our population has doubled in the past 50 or so years, people’s overall standard of living has improved. Respective to the growth of population over the past 13 years, which is by a billion, the number of people living below the poverty line actually lessened by a third.

What I’m trying to say is, even though we should be aware of what we are doing to the earth, we do not have to worry about sustainability of our race for the near future. As more people are added to this world, more innovation is created, and we have actually tripled total harvest in the worlds top 3 crops over the past 60 years. It seems as though that with increased population comes increased prosperity. This leads to many people’s question, sustainability. It is not organic farming that will save us, but it is what will ultimately ruin us. If all people did was farm organically, or old-fashioned, than the land used to produce crops would triple in what is actually is today. What has to be done instead is a further development of technology and science to keep updating our techniques. If those are kept in check, then I’m sure that the world would have no problem in sustaining another billion people while still balance industries with nature.

Original article: http://www.canada.com/There+plenty+room/5450789/story.html

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Oils seems to be all we’re hearing about these days and the trends still does not stop here. In the farm fields of Saskatchewan, another kind of oil boom is happening, canola.

Developed from the a form of genetically modified rapeseed, canola has become Canada’s newest legacy; joining the ranks of maple syrup and the ever-popular “eh”. Now known as a super crop, the seed yields not only more and healthier oil but also doubles as a high-protein fodder. With all these benefits, more farmers are now jumping on the canola band wagon. Canola oil, derived from Canada oil low acid, has shocked the agricultural market and in 2010, the crop yielded 5.6 billion in sales, surpassing the 3.5 billion of wheat.

Along with helping farmers earn a better bang-for-their-buck, canola is also helping create jobs within the country since processing this grain goes through many specialized companies.

Overall, the development of canola back in the 1980s has helped many farmers keep their farmland and do what they do best. Its kept a tradition alive and rejuvenated a slowing trade. Farmers now see growing potential instead of a dying tradition and will keep on growing this super crop while we, as consumers, keep on consuming.

original article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canola-western-canadas-other-oil-boom/article2173456/

Ethics and profits have always been somewhat of an odd pair in the business world. Many companies claim to place business ethics at the top of their priorities, even sacrificing profit to do so, but few follow through with this ambitious statement.

Replacing crops of corn with coca plants, sounds crazy right? Well it has been not only carried out but done with great support as well.

Portuguesa and Guarico, 2 of Venezuela’s 23 states, were victims of the greed that always seems to so easily overcome business ethics. These 2 states were regarded as prime farming areas and like any good farm land, it needs fertilizer. Urea is the nitrogen-rich fertilizer that these places and the farmers needed to grow corn, the country’s staple food. However, this fertilizer also serves its purpose to help the growth of the coca plant; the plant from which cocaine is derived. According to statistics, the country of Venezuela produces twice as much urea as they need but farmers still say that they are not receiving enough. How is this possible one may ask. Well it seemed that much of the urea was being diverted to the man known as Walid Makled, A.K.A. the Venezuelan drug kingpin. Due to this compromising circumstance, some farmers are receiving 25-30 percent less urea than they actually need, which increases the country’s dependence on imported foods. Pequiven, the company responsible for the production and distribution of this urea, maintained its contract with the Makleds despite knowing the situation. All for one reason of course, profit.

Necessities are being compromised for profit as crops are traded for drugs. Not anywhere in that sentence do the words “business ethics” come to mind and in many cases that is the only part that is left behind. Businesses are so focused on their ends that they forget the means to reach it. As Mr. Smith said it best, “It is not from the benevolence of [people], that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”¹

¹book I, chapter II, page 19 of An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith, 1776. http://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN.html

Original article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/13/1972175/coca-pushing-out-corn-in-a-black.html