Rosalyn Lee's Blog

With most organizations now taking shortcuts to success, you would wonder: how susceptible are Canadian businesses to bribes? In a recent article concerning ratings assigned to countries according to levels of bribery found within company operations, Canada follows Ireland with a 22%, the second lowest score of 197 states.

One of Canada’s strong suits includes the undivided prioritization and incorporation of business ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility among Canadian businesses. Currently, consumers are beginning to add sustainable operating measures and business morality to their supplier checklists when deciding on which company to support. This provides Canadian corporations with a competitive advantage over internationally-based countries, as we currently place second for business ethicality.

Canada has also earned a low score of 9 in the 2013 corruption ranking, and  I believe that Canada’s business morals serves as a point of difference and distinguishes it well from all other countries. Upon discovering this information, I’ve begun to feel my patriotism blooming. I feel grateful to be a Canadian citizen and to have the opportunity to reside in such a sustainable and conscientious environment. I have also understood that seeking employment within a company with high business morals for Canadians is much simpler than in most other places. Therefore, I believe that as the least corrupted nation we have the capability to and should aim to change these statistics sometime in the near future.

Sources: (x), (x)

The United Nations is known worldwide for initiating peace among countries and maintaining these positive international relations. Therefore, we can assume that the unlimited funding of the UN would allow optimal functioning for the organization, leading to an increase in humanitarian assistance provided to other countries and enable greater publicized enforcement of justice and human rights. It would seem most of the world’s problems would dissipate with assistance from the UN and world peace would soon be achieved.

However, I believe relying on a single organization is not the best solution to optimize economic well-being. Rather than entrusting the entirety of the world’s assets to the UN alone, distributing it to multiple large or smaller-scale organizations with the same goal could achieve the same or even better results.

Many non-profit organizations are managed and led by social entrepreneurs with a thirst for innovation and creating change in the world. Arc Initiative helps build a foundation for prospective entrepreneurs, fueling those who possess the intensity and passion needed to spark change and aiding them in establishing their paths to success.

The Skoll World Forum states that social entrepreneurs’ “innovations are the most promising solutions to global problems.” With combined efforts, social entrepreneurs from all over the world can contribute thousands of different ideas and solutions to world issues. Perhaps, with unlimited funding directed to these leaders, world peace will be right around the corner.

Sources:

The United Nations (x)

Arc Initiative (x)

Skoll World Forum (x)

Despite intensively exploring Tesla Motors in the past few months, I for one did not expect the sudden spike in sales for the recently-launched Model S. After reading about the Model S’s engine failure which in turn reflected poorly on the automobile company, most students predicted this would lead consumers to shy away from further purchases of the product.

According to a recent article, sales for this model in the past year surged past predictions by the analysts of Tesla Motors and are predicted to rise to 50% in 2015. Although it’s quite satisfying to discover professional analysts have also been proved wrong with this astounding improvement, it appears that Tesla Motors is finally successful in addressing the firm’s strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps with reference to an improvement plan or a SWOT analysis, Tesla Motors has become increasingly prepared in regards to future and present action plans.

CEO Elon Musk also states that Tesla has “delivered the highest number of Model S vehicles ever, with several new records set in North America and worldwide.” With the engine failure of the Model S serving as a major weakness for Tesla, the company must have undergone extensive planning and discovered a way to recover and counteract this weakness with their acquired strengths. By combating these threats and weaknesses, aiming to maximize profits and incorporating CSR and sustainability into company measures, the continual rise of Tesla Motors within the modern automobile industry is inevitable.

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According to a post from Ramesh’s business blog, typewriters are predicted to experience a new-found wave of global popularity in the near future. I have personally experienced the typewriter fad around the year 2012 (also known as the “modern hipster era”), when teenagers would purchase and use them as a prop for Instagram photos.

In connection with my first blog post about Google’s global invasion of personal privacy, Ramesh’s blog post discusses how Germany’s government plans to counteract the hacking of their computer systems. To avoid infiltration, the government aims to withdraw from computer use, starting with a German defense contractor who reintroduced the use of typewriters for creating sensitive documents.

As “sales have gone up by 35% and [are] expected to go up by 100% in the near future,” I believe that the reestablishment of a typewriter market would be an excellent business opportunity for prospective firms. The typewriter industry has little to no competitors, and can be estimated to have a very diverse Customer Segment which will range from hipsters to members of the government. By offering a unique Value Proposition, the production of typewriters will have the ability to generate amplified sales and profit.

Although this seems to be a backward step in technology evolution, I greatly look forward to seeing the redistribution of typewriters in department stores.

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One challenge Microsoft has continually faced within the software industry is Apple Inc.’s growing popularity among North America’s general public. The public’s turning away from Microsoft and movement towards Apple has played a large role in the recent introduction of free Microsoft Office programs on Apple products.

With both companies being well-known for revolutionizing technology, a line instigating intense rivalry has been drawn between Apple and Microsoft since the development of the software industry. However, this feature will not only boost Microsoft’s  Customer Segments and  sector by increasing the usage of company software, but also improve Customer Relationships by eliminating consumer costs for the app.

This will most likely be a greater improvement on Microsoft’s end, as I feel their decision to change the availability of their software and what seems to be an attempt to form a compromise with Apple will change the public’s perspective on the rivalry. As a long-term Microsoft fan (Windows and recent Microsoft Office user), I see this as a wise move from Microsoft and believe this alliance will benefit both corporations in the long run.

It appears that both software companies have set aside their differences and recognized the other’s strengths and overall influence on media and the public, leading to a (perhaps temporary) conciliation.

Source: (x)

An important yet highly controversial topic which has emerged during the past few months is the issue of the Northern Gateway Pipeline’s impact on First Nation reserves, as well as the influence of the First Nations’ objections to Enbridge’s project.

This circumstance relates considerably to an industrial “green ban” law enacted in Australia in 1971, which many opposed. The “green ban” prohibited harmful construction projects which would have a negative effect on the country’s environment, producing major downfalls for construction companies and causing them to remain idle for over 4 years.

Both of these debates include an opposing force, the First Nation peoples and Australian construction companies, whose strong opinions fuel the termination of the projects. The First Nations and Australian construction companies are both similar, sharing the common objective of dismantling respective government-related projects as well as disagreement with government actions.

Although largely damaging to the natural environment, the Northern Gateway Pipeline and construction in Australia are significant components of opportunity and growth for their respective countries. Both projects include government consent and involvement as well as consistent support from stakeholders and from the majority of the population. The development of these projects have been and are currently prohibited due to varying attitudes and input from the previously mentioned external factors.

Though both these controversies have arisen in separate centuries, there exists a parallel between the impact of First Nations towards Enbridge’s pipeline project and the influence of construction workers on Australia’s Green Bans. This correlation proves that there is no surefire method of safeguarding businesses entirely from external influences.

Sources:

• First Nations on the Northern Gateway Pipeline (x)
• Australia 1971 Green Bans (x)

A recent article posted last week caused the lasting debate over the raising of minimum wage in North America to once again resurface. The increase of BC’s minimum wage, like most other government actions, provides citizens of the province with both benefits and drawbacks. Having a steady source of income is necessary for survival in our current economy, however as stated in the article, enhancing the minimum wage requirement isn’t always simple.

Thriving in society by working full-time at a minimum wage job without falling below poverty line is an impossible feat, which is why raising wages has been such a vital issue among workers. Most employers presume that “such a wage increase could improve the standard of living for their employees”, “have a positive effect on employee retention”, and “help bolster the economy”, all which I agree with. However, I find the employers’ push for minimum wage increase ironic, as they would be the ones responsible for providing it.

As I have learned in Professor Gateman’s Microeconomics class the past week, having the government raise the minimum wage leads to more problems than solutions. As a government-enforced price floor, this increase would cause employers to discharge a number of new employees. Companies would rely on a smaller number of employees in order to save money, further causing the unemployment rate in BC to rise.

Undeniably, the differing yet valid viewpoints of North Americans is what has caused this discussion to span over decades. It is unknown when this debate will come to a sensible resolve, however I do believe the governments of both Canada and America will eventually determine a viable solution which can minimize unemployment as well as poverty.

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In response to Sirin Srikranjanapert’s post regarding the company’s development of a self-piloted automobile, I also believe this advancement will be an enormous step for Tesla Motors in the vehicle industry. As one of the leading brands in the electric car industry, the inclusion of this new and innovative feature will undoubtedly cause the corporation’s popularity to skyrocket after their product’s release.

I agree fully with Sirin’s statement in his post, in which he “definitely will have concern on the safety when using this feature.” After Tesla’s recent issues with mileage on their Model S, the reliability of the corporation to the public has decreased and potential customers may be wary about the quality of this new technology.  

Sirin also claims “it’s still a scary feature as you will have to trust your car with your life,” which is undeniably what almost all customers will consider before purchasing the vehicle. Uncertainty concerning new technology is completely sensible. Any malfunction with the auto-piloting technology could take lives, which may follow with Tesla Motors experiencing drastic repercussion.

This is a huge step from their present spot in the industry, and the corporation should assess their current issues before aiming to surpass competitors. Tesla Motors must first assure their company’s dependability to the public if they expect their new product to experience steady progress in the automobile market.

This post is a response to Ivy Luo’s post concerning the collaboration of the two extremely successful North American franchises. I thoroughly agree with Ivy’s view on seeing the alliance as an opportunity for Tim Hortons to in make their reputation known in America, and to establish franchises internationally. However, I do feel this will stir up quite a bit of controversy in Canada as well, since some Canadians will tend to view this collaboration as a loss of Canadian identity for Tim Hortons.

Taking account of Tim Horton’s previous relationship with Wendy’s and the increasing “Americanization” of companies worldwide, Canada may see this development as the corporation’s permanent migration into the American market. On a separate note, as well increasing share values and possibly strengthening their identity in the Canadian market, Burger King also may have ulterior objectives with this collaboration. Along with increased revenue and profit, this article states that a Burger King executive will be become the CEO of the new company. From Canada’s viewpoint, his could be interpreted as a virtual “takeover” of Tim Hortons.

Tim Horton’s is essentially one of the main “faces” of Canada’s food industry. This union may appear to be an excellent opportunity to gain popularity and develop the industry worldwide, however Tim Hortons must also consider the drawbacks and loss of national support due to this partnership.

Presently, Google Books, launched by Google Inc., is reported to instigate piracy of millions of online works, while Google Maps (Street View) is claimed to be an invasion of human privacy. Meanwhile, as the Google search engine records and regularly monitors searches and browsing histories of billions of users, the company has been previously accused multiple times by the public for privacy violation.

I understand that these actions persist for security reasons, however in the public eye, Google’s status as one of the most secure and trustworthy corporations is becoming questionable. With their ethics disproved, I believe Google’s next plan of action should include slowly regaining the trust of the public and building back their reputation.

Other companies need to learn from this example that even the slightest change in ethical values could be released by the media and spread like wildfire (especially on the internet), having the ability to change the public view for better or worse. Google Inc. is a prime example of how any information regarding the dishonesty or ethicality of a corporation will spread rapidly and have the ability to immediately soil even the highest of reputations.

Source: (x)