The ability to use my business tool-kit to help entrepreneurs around the world improve their lives and the lives of others is extremely inspiring. Today’s class about applied social enterprises was my favourite of the entire semester. Through the ARC initiative, Sauder students are making a real impact in the world.

What struck me about the individuals who participate in the workshops led by the ARC teams is that they have such a strong passion for knowledge about business. Seeing their drive helped me to realize the true privilege I have as a student at Sauder. Through the ARC initiative, the Sauder School of Business is truly opening doors. I hope to be part of an ARC team one day!

Sources:
http://www.chnook.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/arc.jpg (image)

As a frequent reader of The Vancouver Sun’s online website, I was quite pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon a blog written by staff members of the newspaper. There was a section of the blog specifically catered to business issues which I found very thought-provoking. I was exceptionally shocked after reading Tracy Sherlock’s post “Winning the Lottery Not a Good Financial Plan.” In her blog post, she describes a recent survey conducted by Capital One Canada which revealed that approximately one-third of Canadians’ include winning the lottery and receiving a large inheritance as part of their financial plan.

I couldn’t believe that so many Canadians relied on such fantasies to plan for the future. It’s no wonder that so many citizens are in debt! As articulated by the analysis of crisis in Europe done in our finance class, money mismanagement can lead to a tremendous disaster. Canadians should not be planning for their future on the basis of the idea that the debt they accumulate today will, by a magic stroke of luck, be paid off tomorrow. Instead, they should plan realistically for the future using their current situation as a starting point.

The Vancouver Sun’s blog is thought-provoking, entertaining and refreshing. I recommend this blog to anyone who enjoys learning more about Canada’s businesses!

The recent presidential election in the United States has been a popular topic of conversation for the past few months. While watching the second presidential debate, I heard republican candidate Mitt Romney propose fracking (hydraulic fracturing) as a way for the U.S. to increase oil and gas production on home soil. I had not heard of fracking prior to Romney’s mentioning of the practice, so Bart Kozdras’ blog post about the negative effects of hydraulic fracturing really caught my attention.

While reading Bart’s post, I thought back to our class about sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Companies are still attempting to get hydraulic fracturing regulated even though, as I discovered, the practice has devastating consequences on the environment. I was shocked as natural gas is often touted as a clean energy source and a great alternative to coal and oil. I find it very disheartening to hear that this method of natural gas extraction releases large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and results in a negative impact on the climate.

The hydraulic fracturing method pumps millions of gallons of water underground to release natural gas.

However, the United States isn’t the only country who uses fracking to extract natural gas. Bart’s blog post neglected to mention Canada’s use of hydraulic fracturing in almost every province, including Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and even our very own British Columbia. The Council of Canadians is calling for the elimination of fracking as water quality has been declining in the areas where the method has been used. Can Canadians come together to eliminate the unsafe practice of hydraulic fracturing? I hope so.

Sources:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/pictures/mitt-romneys-fracking-hit-list-20121102
http://www.pressoffice.cornell.edu/releases/release.cfm?r=56363
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/natural-gas-energy.htm
http://canadians.org/water/issues/fracking/index.html
http://8020vision.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/fracking.jpg (image)

Today’s class about entrepreneurship really encouraged me to begin thinking about my future here at Sauder. We heard about the business Janice Cheam created called Energy Aware, a company which sells energy monitors that tell users how much electricity they are using and how much it will cost them.

The PowerTab by Energy Aware.

It is very inspiring to know that Janice was a Sauder student just like myself, and that her small idea has grown into a very successful business. There are so many opportunities here for us at Sauder. Many of us Sauder students dream of starting our own companies, but never really think of it as an achievable goal. Although I am not certain of what my future will hold, hearing Janice’s story was really inspiring.

Sources:
http://www.energy-aware.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/powertab-home1.jpg (image)