Small businesses are a huge part of the economy, especially on B.C.’s west coast in Victoria and Vancouver. In the fall of 2002 founders of Sitka Surfboards Rene Gauthier and Andrew Paine expanded started out with a shared passion for making surfboards by opening a small shop in Victoria, B.C.. Soon after they had created a brand name and logo for themselves, the Sitka spruce tree.

From the beginning they had their target market picked out: typical west coast surfer who is interested in local brands and music and natural fabrics while still being fashionable. To this day they still have those values, from hosting parties and concerts for local artists to investing in their community.

Since 2002 Sitka has expanded both geographically and in their products. They now sell clothes, shoes, accessories, surf and skate boards, as well as having a cafe in their Victoria flagship store. They also have stores in Victoria, Vancouver, and New Zealand and they sell their products in stores all over North America.

Sitka doesn’t just sell products; they sell a lifestyle, a lifestyle that is rapidly growing on the west coast and worldwide. People want to be part of the trend and shopping at Sitka is the way to do it.
For more information on Sitka Surfboards visit their website: sitka.ca

”Our motto is truth; our practice is the fearless advocacy of the truth.” That was the opening statement 168 years before the last issue of News of the World, formerly one of Britain’s largest newspapers, in July 2011. The paper, which was mainly tabloid based, had a scandal of its own. It was discovered that staff members at News of the World were hacking phones of more than 4,000 people including politicians, celebrities, actors, athletes, and more. As a company who projects their findings to the world with every issue, it is ethically and morally wrong to purposely and illegally invade ones private space. A company that vows to tell the truth sent a private investigator to hack into the answering machine of a missing school-girl and deleting messages, giving false hope to friends and family of the girls who then believed she was still alive, which she was not.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjro5j_news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-scandal-the-latest_news?start=73

The employees knew that they were pushing ethical limits but continued with the hacking, which makes one question what morals News of the World promoted within their office. Is the quest for truth really worth the exploitation and corruption of a business?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11195407

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