Starbucks’ name is taking a downturn after implementing a new policy. In a HuffingtonPost by Emily Peck [1], she voices the concerns of Starbucks not giving hourly wage workers paid maternity leave while giving well paid salary workers a full pay leave. This causes people to question the morals of Starbucks and their core values.

Image Sourced From: http://fortune.com/2016/11/10/starbucks-christmas-cups-2016/

Starbucks calls anyone who works there their ‘partners’ as “… it’s not just a job, it’s our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.”[2] However, with the new implementation, it goes against their own values. How is it possible for Starbucks to say that they treat their ‘partners’ with respect and dignity when people who are doing their best for the company are not treated equally? This causes me to question what kind of Company Starbucks is and what their morals are. Since Starbucks treat their ‘partners’ differently due to their difference in contracts, the workers would only reflect their negative attitude towards Starbucks to the customers. This causes people to avoid going to Starbucks as they do not feel welcomed. In addition, Starbucks’ mission statement for their customers is “…to uplift the lives of our customers – even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.”[2] However, people would not feel welcomed and Starbucks would not be fulfilling their promise to their consumers.

Image Sourced From: https://www.thedailymeal.com/drink/starbucks-made-sign-language-aprons-hearing-impaired-baristas

This can be one of the contributors for the recent dive Starbucks’ stocks as shares dropped 6% this quarter [3]. As this new policy rose, people are not sure if they want to be affiliated with a company that discriminates against their workers. Hence, the shareholders are very concerned about the low quarterly report and are worried about Starbucks’ future. Even though Starbucks provides many benefits, such as healthcare, free college tuition, health plan and a stock plan for people who work 20 or more hours a week, the maternity leave policy discrepancy puts a stain on Starbucks’ name. Thus, if Starbucks wants their customers and ‘partners’ to trust this company, the new policy should go back to the old one (paid maternity leave) as it compliments Starbucks’ mission statements and the values of this company.

Word Count: 360

References:

[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/starbucks-parental-leave_us_59cea755e4b05f005d3441f5?section=us_business

[2] https://www.starbucks.ca/about-us/company-information/mission-statement

[3] https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/starbucks-cafe-sales-in-americas-region-rise-less-than-expected-shares-drop/article36816643/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

Yiang (Kay) Zhou’s article about Vancouver’s foreign Home Buyer Tax  discusses how the foreign tax was effective in lowering the amount of foreign buyers. However, was it effective in lowering housing prices?

Image Sourced From: http://www.fraserside.bc.ca/housing/

At the beginning of the implementation of the tax housing sales fell by 19% in August 2016 [1]; however, in July of 2017, the sales of housing increased by 0.7% [1] compared the last 10 years of housing sales. Though the Foreign Buyer Tax may have lowered the price of single homes, it did not have an impact on the sales of condos and townhouses. For example, in Metrotown, where there are predominantly condos, prices increased to $1,019,400 (8.7% increase from July 2016 [1] ). The reason for this may be because 15% tax does not have a large impact on the prices of condos or townhouses, that is why they continue to increase.

Image Sourced From: https://globalnews.ca/news/3636579/vancouver-foreign-homebuyers-tax-one-year-anniversary/

Also, the foreign buyers of houses usually have deep pockets of money, meaning that they have a lot of money to spend on housing, so even with the 15% increase it does not affect most buyers. Plus, those buyers are usually looking for a long term home since many of them have relatives already live in Vancouver. A loophole that people could follow with the tax implementation is by having relatives living in Vancouver or British Columbia they could buy the houses with their money while using the relatives’ names. There are many ways foreign buyers can still buy houses. In addition, the increasing demand of housing in Vancouver poses a problem for people already living there domestically.

Domestic citizens, such as myself, are and will have a difficult time finding affordable housing in Vancouver as it is one of the most livable cities in the world. That is why a large majority of people are moving to the suburbs where housing is cheaper. However, within the few years, the prices of housing in the suburbs are also increasing substantially. Since a lot of young families are moving to the Fraser Valley the sales price is always higher than the listing price. For examples, in Langley it is hard to find a decent house for half a million dollars [2] and housing is only on the market for a short amount of time as people quickly snag the apartment, townhouse, or house. In the past, it would have been a shock to most people if houses in Langley costed more than $500,00, but now it is rare to find a nice house in a good neighbourhood for that price [2].

This townhouse in Willoughby Heights in Langley sold for $30,100 over asking price.

Image Sourced From: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/real-estate-langley-to-chilliwack-still-unaffordable-1.4098428

With the increasing demand for housing in Vancouver and Fraser Valley, it is only expected for housing prices to rise. However, where does that leave the future generation, such as myself, looking for a house to buy with a medium income?

Word Count: 450

Works Cited:

A year after the introduction of Canada’s first foreign-home buyer tax …

[1] https://globalnews.ca/news/3636579/vancouver-foreign-homebuyers-tax-one-year-anniversary/ 

[2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/real-estate-langley-to-chilliwack-still-unaffordable-1.4098428

The past week, Uniqlo’s first store in western Canada has opened and it was a major success. During their opening day, the line up to enter the store extended across the whole mall. I was awed in how many people were willing to line up for hours just to be the first ones to enter the store. I wondered what does Uniqlo do that has caused people to value the store to such a large extent. Also, how has Uniqlo expanded to become a global brand.

Image Sourced From: http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/uniqlo-vancouver-metrotown-opening-day-crowds-photos

First off, why is Uniqlo so popular? The reason for this may be because the uniqueness of their clothing line and the quality of their materials. As on their website, their slogan is “Life Wear”[1]. From this we can see that the clothes Uniqlo designs is more of casual everyday wear that can target a large consumer population. They also have clothes for a wide range of ages: babies, toddlers, women and men. By having a variety of clothes for different ages that can be worn on a daily basis, people are willing to line up for hours to be the firsts to get their hands on the clothes they need. However, having a versatile clothing line is not the only thing that makes Uniqlo such a successful clothing company.

Image Sourced From: https://younichefashion.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/danny-brown-x-uniqlo-us/uniqlo-lifewear-logo/

In addition to the quality clothes Uniqlo produces, their company name has a lot of value. For companies, it is not only based on the product they are selling. A large part of consumers wanting to purchase an item is because of the reputation of the company. If a company exploits its’ employees or is not environmentally conscious, consumers will not be attracted to the company.  The reason for this is because the company will be viewed as a cold-hearted money machine without caring about the harm they may cause. However, companies such as Uniqlo have gained the respect of consumers by being socially responsible of the effect they have on people and the environment. For example, Uniqlo, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Uniqlo Recycle “has delivered 20.3 million clothing items to refugees, evacuees, victims of disaster, expectant and nursing mothers and others in need around the world since 2007. [2]”

Uniqlo provides unique style of clothing that are casual and comfortable at an affordable price; perfect for everyday wear. Also, by being a company that not only looks at the profitable side of a business, but what they can do to help others; people are willing to support Uniqlo and their product. That is why Uniqlo’s brand is valued at seven billion dollars and recognized as the 91st most valued brand in 2016 according to Forbes [2].

Word Count: 449

[1] http://www.uniqlo.com/ca/en/

[2] http://fortune.com/2017/10/12/uniqlo-clothing-global/

My friend who went to study at University of Toronto told me about her recent encounter with her Uber driver. Though her story was interesting, I wondered how long it would be until Uber came to Vancouver. In an article it talks about that it is not if Uber can come to Vancouver, but when it will be established here [1] .

Sourced from: connect.ubc.ca/webapps/blackboard/content/launchAssessment.jsp?course_id=_102080_1&content_id=_4344202_1&mode=view

Many people living in Vancouver are anticipating the arrival of Uber. Since Metro Vancouver is spread out, it is rather difficult to travel from one place to another without a vehicle or public transport. So, people would use Uber to travel from place to place. However, why is the provincial government stalling the entrance of Uber into British Columbia and why is Uber so appealing to the masses?

When introducing a new transportation system, there are many different things the government has to take into account in order for people to use Uber. For example, Uber has to pass the Passenger Transportation Board [2] in order to be able to have people in British Columbia use their service. Also, the government has to think about the current transportation services, such as taxis, and the effect Uber will have on the current market.

If Uber is introduced to Vancouver, it will open a whole new market, not only to the company, but also the customers. Residences and tourists of Vancouver are able to travel more conveniently to farther places using Ubers. In addition, it is cheaper than taxis if you are traveling somewhere far away. From personal experience, I know what a hassle it is to have to travel on public transportation. For example, a trip that would normally take twenty minutes by car takes an hour on the bus or skytrain. For Uber, the customer users will expand since people are willing to use Uber compared to other forms of transportations; thus increasing its’ profits. Also, people who have a car are able to apply to become a Uber driver. This will improve the provincial economy as people earn more money, they tend to spend more in the economy.

However, the competition in the transportation service market will increase exponentially. People in the taxi service will be severely affected as their customer base will move towards Uber. Therefore, it is imminent that there is a balance between the competition and consumer market, so everyone is content with the results.

403 Words

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/01/21/uber-s-arrival-in-b-c-inevitable-says-transportation-minister-todd-stone_n_9041444.html?utm_hp_ref=ca-uber-vancouver

[2] http://www.ptboard.bc.ca/

Equifax is a credit bureau that analyzes the credits of individuals and sells their analysis to creditors, usually banks, credit card companies and mortgage lenders, in order for them to decide whether or not the individual is able to pay back the loan. In lieu of creditors, individuals can also use this program to gather information about their own credit standing.

In a recent article from Cable News Network [1], it revealed that in early July someone had hacked into Equifax’s system. This lead to the robbery of personal details, such as drivers license and social insurance numbers, of millions of customers. However, Equifax has only just revealed the hacking situation in early September of this year. So, for two months the customers were unaware that their personal information could have been stolen. Though for Equifax, they may have wanted to wait till they had the situation under control before alarming the customers, it is unethical to leave the customers in the dark when their valuable information is at risk. It is the company’s, Equifax, responsibility to inform the customers of any problems that may concern their accounts. In addition, by not revealing the breach in data as soon as possible, the customers and prospective customers view of the company may deteriorate. Thus, causing the business to lose customers and revenue. For example, most people are looking for a credit bureau that they can trust and would avoid Equifax because of the unethical way they revealed the infiltration of their database.

Image Sourced: http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Check-if-youre-affected-by-Equifax-data-breach-up-to-143M-compromised-443250753.html

Also, the customers of Equifax in Canada and Britain are unable to know whether their account have been affected; whereas, the customers in the United States are able to access their own account and have insight of the hacking in regards of their own accounts. Even though this is an American Company and a majority of their customers may be American, it is not morally sound to group their customers and prioritize them differently. By doing so, Equifax is in danger of being viewed as bias towards their customers. This could potentially cause Equifax to lose future international clients, as they view the company to put their domestic clienteles, Americans, as their first priority. However, the reality is that Equifax, or any company, should allocate the same amount of resource and time to all their clients. The reason for this is because every one of their clients have spent the same amount of money and expect the same service no matter where they are. Needless to say, the business ethics in Equifax needs to be reformed and rebuilt for international and domestic customers to trust and use this company.

Word Count: 440

Sources

[1] http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/12/news/equifax-hack-canada-uk/index.html?iid=SF_LN