http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57606103-93/oops-thanks-to-twitter-penny-stock-tweeter-jumps-684/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+cnet%252FNnTv+(CNET+River+RSS)

Recently, news of Twitter’s impending move towards becoming a publicly traded company prompted a 684% increase in the penny stock called “Tweeter”. Call them overenthusiastic or just plain ignorant, buyers last Friday were fighting for the chance to buy shares of the previously bankrupt electronics company Tweeter. Shockingly in this circumstance these oblivious buyers actually set themselves up for an impressive and astoundingly high rate of return. If they bought the penny stock at the original price of 2 cents per share and sold it at the peak, about fourteen cents per share, they could have made an inexplicable amount of profit.

Of course, this freak incident is just that, an accident that turned out to have a silver lining for those with a savvy business sense or really any sense at all. This is not an example of miraculous marketing or an awe inspiring value proposition, it’s simply some uninformed investors making a rather humorous mistake. What this reveals about the stock market is that the people really can have an impressive influence in the fluctuation of a company’s stock value. This in turn demonstrates that a strong marketing campaign that captures the buyer’s attention can boost a company’s profits.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/revealed-qatars-world-cup-slaves?CMP=twt_gu

It has been revealed that in preparation for massive infrastructure projects for the 2022 World Cup, the nation of Qatar is allegedly using slave labor. These allegations surfaced after families of workers anonymously came forward with claims of thousands of deaths on the job, having their pay withheld and living in inhumane conditions. These immigrant workers are being severely taken advantage of and this racism is everything that FIFA has worked to eliminate in international soccer. If the global governing body of soccer does not take a stand against this exploitation they will essentially destroy their own value proposition and brand image. These rumours could seriously impact the credibility of the construction companies involved, Qatar as a nation and all of FIFA’s sponsors. Any association with this scandal will result in negative publicity and social outcry for change. In addition to the business partners of the World Cup, participating countries will certainly face a major decision in being a part of this tournament if it condones slave labor. It is unfortunate that lives had to be lost in order to shed light on a horrific reality that is said to have existed in this country for years.

http://www.theprovince.com/business+school+ends+support+frosh+events+over+rape+chant/8889092/story.html

The Sauder rape chant controversy has affected us all and unfortunately has raised some questions about the integrity of this prestigious institution. I support the response by the Dean and faculty of Sauder in an attempt to restrict the backlash of the current situation, my real issue lies in the media’s response. The newspaper and televised coverage of the chanting has become one of public scrutiny filled with hypocrisy and malicious judgements. First of all, not everyone attended the FROSH activities so it is unfair to place all  students under the same category. Secondly, for those of us that were a part of FROSH, it is important to note that we never wanted to broadcast a message that in any way condoned or made light of a serious issue. We simply were caught up in a “mob mentality” that clouded our better decision making and, to our disgrace, prompted us to act in ways that we regret. This can be compared to a similar happening in Vancouver from not too long ago; the Stanley Cup riots. This tarnished Vancouver’s reputation because of a few bad influences, but the city has adapted from our mistakes as I know Sauder will do.