Month: November 2010

Electric cars ‘may be costlier than petrol vehicles’ (by Brian Milligan, BBC News, 27, August, 2010)

According to the figures produced by  Mitsubishia, Japanese car-maker, driving electric cars might not be practical for many people at the moment due to the high cost. High purchase and battery prices, as well as rapid depreciation are what make up the high cost of the electric cars.

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” – a definition of sustainability quoted from one of the comm 101 lectures. I have always been very concerned about sustainability, especially in the field of business. Having learned in Econ 101 that the world’s economies are driven my greed, I wonder how much people are actually willing to give up at present for a better future that they might not even be able to experience in their lifetimes. As discussed in the article, it is really not a very wise idea to give up the cheap petrol car for the high priced electric car, in which its charging facilities can only be found in few places. With that being said, I still believe that all these costs associated with sustainability will eventually be paid off as soon as all individuals and businesses converge to the same point. After all lots of sustainable incentives are still at their start-up stages.

Strategies for sustainability and corporate responsibility

Aims at developing an image as a modern lifestyle dessert oasis that specializes in fresh yogurt and fresh fruit, Qoola a local privately owned Vancouver start-up, tries to eradicate two stereotypes. First, its delicious dessert proves that not all healthy food tastes awful. Second, it will prove that it is not too expensive for a business to be  environmentally friendly.

Qoola  is one of the very few places that have cups, plates, containers and utensils that are either 100% biodegradable, compostable, or recyclable.  Since this is a new way of operating fast food restaurants, it can be considered as an innovative method to generate value to the customers. Moreover, the company would like to open in Hong Kong, Singapore and China eventually. In order to minimize the risks it would face when entering those new markets, Qoola has strategically decided to open in Aberdeen Centre, in which most shoppers are Chinese. Entrepreneur always pursues risky goal and finds way to overcome the obstacles along the way. The fact that Qoola is innovative and willing to take risk to expand makes it an entrepreneurial business.