Category: Blog

Seth’s Blog isn’t flashy or filled with advertisements. It’s unassuming with a clean and simple layout and concise posts that gets you thinking.  You wouldn’t be able to tell from first glance that Seth Godin is considered “America’s Greatest Marketer” and that his blog is one of the most popular in the world. He blogs about more than just marketing; it offers practical advice and insights into the way the world runs. His posts ultimately promote personal development.  Has a way of writing that makes you want to quote him, and others do quote him quite often.

It shocks you, repels you, makes you uncomfortable but it draws and commands your attention. Sex is embraced, even expected in making the most marketing impact. Naheel’s blog post about Lynx poses the question: where do you draw the line when it comes to sexualisation in advertising?

I would like to explore a different question in return. What is the impact of these sexualized female ads?

When you strip a woman of everything she is and look at her purely from a sexual point of view – that leaves her in a very vulnerable position. Sexual assault, rape, harassment, loss of respect and dignity can all result from a mindset that women are nothing more than sex objects.

Advertising executives need to stop taking the easy way out by using sex but use their brains and milk their creative juices.

To put things into perspective:

There is no doubt that money is one of the driving forces of the world. Looking at the comic I was struck by the contrast between the sums of money used in our world today. (N.B. This graph depicts money in the US.)

Here are some interesting points:
– the Worker/CEO pay comparison is astounding. It shows that the average hourly wage of a production worker in 1965 is relatively the same as in 2007. Meanwhile the CEO pay in 2007 has grown over 1000% compared with 1975. (dollars)

– the price of an average new car is relatively the same as the UK 2005 capita income which is comparable to the typical annual housing cost for NYC. ( thousands)

– the amount raised by presidential candidates for elections have been increasing the past 3 elections. This makes me question whether presidency will always be held by the best fundraiser and how he/she may wind up being a puppet for those who have funded the campaign. ( millions)

– US household income shows why there is currently an Occupy movement. The bottom 50% shares 1/5 of the country’s income; while the 1% pay substantially more in taxes each year. ( billions)

An acquisition is a strategy where another firm buys a controlling or 100% interest of another firm with the intent of making the acquired firm a subsidiary within its portfolio.

This is what Google did when it acquired Motorola for $40 per share – a net value of around $12.5 billion dollars. This makes Google a legitimate competitor in the smartphone market, acquiring existing hardware and patents to supplement its current Android software, making it one of the world’s largest mobile products manufacturers. Motorola shareholders overwhelmingly believed that the company can do better under Google rather than independently with 99% shareholder approval. Don’t worry though, Android will remain open source and available to other manufacturers.

More specifically, it is a vertical acquisition because Motorola is a distributor of Google’s Android platform.

In the past, Google has tried without success to build its own smartphone and enter the market dominated by Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry. It helps Google overcome barriers to entry, increases its market power and lowers the cost and risk of new product development.

Entrepreneurship is all about innovation: creating new products, production methods, markets and forms of organization.

Panty by Post is an online subscription-based business that provides users with panties delivered via mail monthly in an attractive package. Vancouver-based and owner Natalie Grunberg was able to take a simple concept and turn it into a profitable business  that has customers worldwide in a short amount of time. Sales have doubled every year and with the influx of interest, talks of expansion aren’t far behind. While undergarments are a taboo topic and a mailing service of this type, even more, Grunberg was able to take a calculated risk and turn it into a successful venture. Panty by Post’s innovation comes from tapping into the online market and filling the consumers needs in a unconventional way which gives it the competitive advantage in this unique business process.

Oftentimes I read the news and as hard as I try, much of the information seems incomprehensible.

In John and Bryan Dawe’s program Clarke and Dawe they portray prominent and newsworthy figures in an interview speaking openly about relevant issues of the day. These comedic vignettes spell out matters in a conscise manner which promotes understanding. I definitely prefer watching the video below rather than slowly read through this article about the European Debt Crisis to grasp a better overall picture of the situation.

Clarke and Dawe made a point about the reason why the US ecnonmy is so strong is because it is backed by China. It seems the EU has watched the same video and decided to capitalize on this point by seeking Chinese investors to help rescue the Euro. This would help keep Europe stable, but would also give China financial power in the Western world.
This reveals the extent of how much the European economy is currently struggling and also emphasizes how China has risen to become a stronghold and top player in the worldwide economy. This would potentially solidify China’s stance over the US, creating “a new international order.” The Chinese still have many concerns and it is unclear whether they will step in and intervene.

We know that avoiding a Euro crisis is important but the measures used to ensure may have wide-reaching impacts.

Stocks are a form of equity security where shareholders have made an investment in the business of the issuer.
Bonds are a form of debt security, a contract where the holder lends money to the issuer with a defined term.

Late nights at Sauder and visits to the Trading Lab have exposed me to the Portfolio Management Foundation (PMF).

Extremely hardworking and dedicated students in this two-year program experience their first year as a “Research Associate” (RA) then advance to become a “Fund Manager” (FM) in their final year.
Their job is to add value to a real portfolio of stocks (70%) and bonds (30%), currently valued at about $4.5 million. With stocks PMF is an owner, while with bonds PMF is a creditor.

A FM acts as an investor who after considerable research decides how to allocate the resources at his/her disposal.  The FAs, working together, are trying to maximize their returns (in comparison with a benchmark portfolio return and against other professional fund managers).

For those looking for a future career in the financial markets, the PMF offers a chance to experience the scary world of capital markets on a smaller scale and in a relatively safe and supportive environment while gaining invaluable skills that will start off a success career in this field.

It’s true, when you think of accounting you think boring; therefore accountants must have the worst jobs in the world right?

Surprisingly, you can have an exciting career as an accountant. Here’s the story of fellow Sauderite Victor de Bonis and where he has gone with his BCOM degree.

After graduation, de Bonis started at KPMG as a corporate auditor. Eventually he became a forensic accountant and earned his Chartered Accountant (CA) designation. A forensic accountant is a like a detective of the accounting world who follows the trail of money – investigating financial crimes and fraud resulting in criminal charges. Cool right?

Victor de Bonis, then 26, joined the Canucks as a corporate (financial) controller where he was a key member of the group which developed and implemented the new business strategy for GM Place and the NHL and NBA franchises.

As a behind the scenes front office staff, he has arranged nine-figure transactions while doing his job effectively and discreetly.

He was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) where he helped manage the Vancouver Grizzlies sale transaction and other big business activities.

Now as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Canucks Sport and Entertainment,
Victor de Bonis is currently responsible for all business operations. Not too shabby eh.

In Hannah’s blog she talks about the “brand” of Europe, likewise as an individual you also have a personal brand. Your personal brand is the way that others perceive you, your public image.

The powerful personal brand Trevor Linden built for himself as one of the most popular Canucks, through his actions on and off the ice, has led to his success post-retirement.

Trevor Linden’s authenticity is evident when looking at his involvement with local charities throughout the years and his numerous contributions to enriching lives in the community. Fellow players in the NHL recognized this when they awarded him the NHL Foundation Player Award, and even more recently he was honoured with the Order of Canada. “With Linden being Linden and every move he makes, including dabbling in real estate development, still in the public eye, he has to be cautious using the Linden brand.“ His transparency and high visibility has led to the creation of a strong public image.

This has resulted in the success of Club 16 Trevor Linden Fitness. People want to purchase from someone they feel they know, like, trust; someone like Trevor Linden.